MADISON - The Legislature s budget committee approved a plan Thursday to expand a mental health center in a move that will help bring down the population at the state s juvenile lockup.
The measure, adopted 16-0 by the Joint Finance Committee, advances a plan to borrow up to $66 million to construct a unit at the Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center in Madison to house up to 30 boys and 20 girls. The state Building Commission will also need to approve the deal, but the committee s unanimous support all but guarantees that will happen. It s a starting point in the closure of Lincoln Hills and I think it s a great step toward reforming our juvenile justice system, said Sen. Howard Marklein, a Spring Green Republican and a co-chairman of the budget committee.
Expansion of Madison unit for juvenile offenders approved
May 6, 2021
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) The Wisconsin Legislature s budget committee voted unanimously Thursday to expand a mental health center in Madison to reduce the number of inmates at the state s juvenile prisons.
The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee voted to go along with Gov. Tony Evers plan to borrow up to $66 million to build a new unit at the Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center in Madison. The new unit will be able to house up to 30 boys and 20 girls.
The will reduce the number of juveniles housed at the Lincoln Hills School for Boys and Copper Lake School for Girls which are located north of Wausau.
Lawmakers of both parties supported the expansion.
âThis is a strong positive step towards the closing of Lincoln Hills,â said Sen. Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, who serves as budget committee co-chair. âTodayâs action is very positive. Itâs a step in the right direction.â
Expanding the Mendota facility could help reduce the number of juveniles sent to Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake.
âThis will be the first time in Wisconsinâs history that we have a facility like that that will be able to help women and young girls,â said Sen. Mary Felzkowski, R-Irma, a budget committee member.
âI think that investing in this now will not only save the state taxpayers money, which is very important, but more important and the ultimate goal of this is to give our youth, some whoâve had the most horrific starts in their lives, it will give them a chance and an opportunity to come back and hopefully have a happy, healthy and productive life as
By Naomi Kowles
May 6, 2021 | 3:39 PM
Republicans on the state’s budget writing committee removed hundreds of Gov. Ever’s proposals as the first day of a weeks-long budget writing process kicked off Thursday.
Voting on party lines, the sixteen-member committee ousted proposals like marijuana legalization, Medicaid expansion, and raising minimum wage.
“These ideas should be debated as part of the legislative process,” Joint Finance Committee co-chair and Republican Senator Howard Marklein said in a press conference before the meeting.
Republicans said they were going back to the baseline, using the most recent biennial budget as their blueprint for the rewrite of the more than $90 billion legislation.