The Governor’s proposed budget, as released tonight, takes substantial steps in support of constitutional guarantees that Wisconsin must accord in its criminal justice system.
His budget increases momentum among the three branches of Wisconsin government to work together on those issues on which we all have a common interest.
The Governor’s budget proposal, similar in some respects to that announced by Assembly leadership last week, evidences the Governor’s intent to raise the rate for attorneys who provide constitutionally required representation for the poor to $70 per hour and to authorize some of the additional district attorneys necessary to moving cases through Wisconsin’s criminal courts.
I am pleased with the progress being made by the legislative and the executive branches of Wisconsin’s government as they move forward to address serious concerns for the administration of Wisconsin’s criminal justice system.
