Byline: Associated Press
The state would sell 23 of its 30 planes under a proposal approved by the Legislature's budget committee Thursday.
The Joint Finance Committee voted, 15-1, to approve a proposal that orders the Department of Administration to offer the planes for sale by June 30, 2003.
The proceeds would first be used to pay off any debt the state owes on the planes. The rest would be put in the state's general fund.
The state's fleet of planes is worth about $15.3 million, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. The DOA could pick which planes to sell.
The proposal was part of the Joint Finance Committee's efforts to amend Gov. Scott McCallum's revised budget proposal. The committee, made up equally of members from the Assembly and Senate, will send the amended version to the Legislature for a vote.
The Legislature must pass the same version of the amended bill and then send it to McCallum for his approval before it becomes law.
The governor wants the DOA to sell 15 of the planes and 10 percent of the state's car fleet to help make up part of the state's $1.1 billion budget shortfall.
Rep. Dean Kaufert, R-Neenah, was the only committee member to vote against the proposal, saying he preferred to have the DOA study McCallum's proposed cut first.
Local leaders have criticized the state for buying three Swiss-made planes last year for $9 million. They are used for travel by top state officials, to fly blind and deaf students, and sports teams, such as UW-Madison's volleyball team.
Also Thursday, the Joint Finance Committee approved a proposal under which the state would have to use federal money to pay for $3.6 million in anti-terrorism grants to local governments.
The committee voted 16-0 to use a portion of the $19.3 million in federal grants the state is expected to receive for bioterrorism preparedness activities to fund the grants proposed by the governor.
He had proposed using state taxpayer money for the grants in his revised budget proposal.
The committee also voted unanimously to eliminate the cabinet position McCallum proposed to oversee the state's terrorism preparedness efforts.
The Joint Finance Committee is charged with reviewing McCallum's revised budget proposal and amending it.
The $3.6 million would be used to provide local governments with money to upgrade emergency communications and first responder equipment, buy computer gear for surveillance and provide emergency response training.
