Government Accountability Board's "Sum Sufficient" Funding for Investigations Survives Budget Conference Committee

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Press Release

June 26, 2009

CONTACT:

Jay Heck – 608/256-2686

COMMON SENSE PREVAILS IN CONFERENCE COMMITTEE:
INDEPENDENT FUNDING FOR INVESTIGATIONS BY GOVERNMENT
ACCOUNTABILITY BOARD PRESERVED

Common sense and good public policy -- with regard to funding for investigations by the Government Accountability Board (GAB) for investigations -- prevailed last evening in the Conference Committee between Assembly and State Senate leadership to resolve the differences between the two legislative chambers in versions of the biennium state budget passed last week.

The Conference Committee opted to retain current law and reject an amendment contained in the Senate-passed version that would have stripped "sum sufficient" funding for GAB investigations, thereby undermining its independence and ability to investigate possible wrongdoing without legislative interference and "approval."

By this action, the effectiveness and independent integrity of the GAB is preserved.

Common Cause in Wisconsin is grateful to its many members and other citizens who expressed their outrage over this amendment. Also instrumental in preserving the independence and integrity of GAB were the many newspapers in the state who weighed in against the Senate Amendment, including the Wisconsin State Journal, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Green Bay Press Gazette, The Capital Times, Janesville Gazette, Sheboygan Press, Appleton Post Cresent, Oshkosh Nortwestern, Wausau Daily Herald (this morning) and others (apologies if I neglected to mention you by name).

Thanks also to the Assembly leadership for standing against the amendment and to those State Senators who opposed it.

The State Senate passed the Conference Committee report very early this morning and sent it to the Assembly where it will receive an up or down vote, sometime late today or early Saturday.