STEVENS POINT, Wis. — Thousands of people are expected to attend the first public hearing on Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker's budget proposal that targets school districts and others for large cuts in order to avoid tax increases.
The Legislature's budget-writing Joint Finance Committee has scheduled three hearings on the two-year spending plan that comes on the heels of Walker's divisive proposal targeting collective bargaining rights for most public workers.
That law remains tied up in the courts.
His budget relies on expected savings from higher pension and health insurance contributions from state workers to help blunt the effect of more than $1 billion in cuts he's proposing for schools and local governments.
After the public hearings, the committee will begin weeks of hearings to make changes to the budget before it's debated.
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