Wisconsin lawmakers may be ready to add something to the new state budget this week.
The budget-writing Joint Finance Committee is set to meet tomorrow to talk about the costs for the court system in the state. That includes the budget for prosecutors and public defenders. Both D.A.’s and defense lawyers in Wisconsin say they need more money to be able to properly deal with a growing backlog of cases. Some communities in Wisconsin have seen their D.A. offices shrink because lawyers can make more money elsewhere, and defense attorneys say there are so few of them that Wisconsin is looking at a constitutional crisis. JFC’s meeting earlier this month was focused on cutting the governor’s proposed budget, we’ll see what they do tomorrow. A new budget is due to Governor Evers by the end of next month.
