GI Bill restored, veterans services funded in proposed Wisconsin biennial budget

On Friday, April 1, Governor Scott Walker met with veteran’s groups to announce that his proposed 2011-2013 Biennial budget would restore the GI bill, fully fund veteran assistance programs and ensure the solvency of the Veterans Trust Fund in the state of Wisconsin.

“Protecting Wisconsin’s most courageous citizens is of the highest priority, and restoring the Wisconsin G.I. Bill is a promise that I am proud to keep,” said Gov. Walker, who was most recently in the news in February for his controversial efforts to eliminate collective bargaining rights for the state’s government employees.

New funding for the Wisconsin G.I. Bill was eliminated from the state’s 2007-2009 budget under former Gov. Jim Doyle; increased state support for veterans was one of Gov. Walker’s campaign promises.

“Governor Scott Walker’s proposed budget would restore a promise to Wisconsin’s veterans by fully reversing enacted cuts to the Wisconsin G.I. Bill, provide for a new veterans nursing home in Chippewa Falls, and maintain funding for key state veterans programs and services. This budget proposal is good for veterans,” said Disabled America Veterans State Commander John Hoeft.

Ken Black, Secretary of the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs, expressed concerns in March about Gov. Walker’s budget proposal, saying, "I know the governor has a difficult job to do in getting us back into the green, so to speak, or reducing our deficit. I understand that. But, this organization has additional problems on top of the challenges we've had in the past, so we need additional dollars."

Wisconsin’s state legislature passed a version of the state budget with fiscal elements stripped out on March 11. The Wisconsin Joint Finance Committee has scheduled public hearings on the state’s biennial budget beginning April 7.

For more information on the proposed budget, please visit the Wisconsin State Legislature.

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