JFC unanimously approves SPD pay parity, circuit-court increase

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The Wisconsin Joint Committee on Finance has unanimously passed bills to fund a pay-progression plan for state public defenders and set up 12 new circuit courts around the state.

The committee met on Wednesday for an executive session and a Section 13.10 meeting. Lawmakers unanimously passed an amended version of bills providing assistant state public defenders with an opportunity to receive merit-based pay.

The amendment changes the starting date for pay raises to March 1, 2020, and adjusts spending accordingly. It will provide $468,200 for merit-based pay for 2019-20, rather than the $1.4 million originally proposed. The pay discrepancy started when assistant state public defenders didn’t receive funding in the 2019-21 state budget.

The committee also passed an amended version of bills that will set up 12 new circuit-court branches over three years. If signed into law, the director of state courts could set up four new branches a year, starting in 2021. The amendment delayed the establishment of the courts by one year, which will push the cost of the proposal to the next budget biennium. The estimated annual cost for each court is about $275,000, plus a one-time startup cost of $31,000. Follow @WLJReporter