Wisconsin

Each year, the Annie E. Casey foundation publishes its KIDS COUNT Data Book, a state-by-state collection of indicators measuring the well-being of the nation’s children. We at WCCF try not to get too caught up in these sorts of composite rankings of which states are best for kids, but they can be very useful in monitoring trends within Wisconsin, and how they compare with the direction in which things are moving in other states.

Comprehensive Analysis of Costs and Benefits Calculates a $372 Million Gain

The Medicaid expansion authorized by the federal health care reform law is a great deal for the states. That conclusion was recently reinforced by a fiscal analysis by the state of Arkansas, which found that using the Affordable Care Act to close the gap in adult coverage in that state would yield the state treasury an estimated net gain of $372 million over the first six years of implementation.

Assembly Bill 215, now before the Assembly's Committee on Jobs, the Economy and Small Business would handcuff local government assessors who have been trying to properly assess the taxable value of billboards. AB215 is tailor-made for the billboard industry rather than for the local governments which depend on property tax revenue to fund essential services.

Wisconsin families with children could lose $139 million in tax credits next year – nearly $900 per affected family – unless expansions of two tax credits aimed at working families are preserved. President Obama and Congressional Democrats have proposed extending the expanded credits, and Congressional Republicans favor letting the expansions expire.