The Budget Section, located in the Office of Policy Initiatives and Budget, is responsible for Department-wide budget development.

• Prepares the Department's biennial budget proposal, including completing budget issue papers for consideration by the Secretary’s Office.
• Participates in developing policy and program initiatives.
• Monitors and assists in resolving operating budget problems with the Divisions.
• Prepares information papers for use by the Secretary’s Office and other decision-makers.
• Prepares fiscal notes.

Budget Development
The Budget Section is responsible for the preparation of the Department's biennial budget proposal. Budget staff, in conjunction with program staff, develop budget issue papers for consideration by the Secretary’s Office. Budget papers include analyses of fiscal, policy, and programmatic effects of the proposal. Based on decisions of the Department Secretary, budget staff prepare the biennial budget request document which includes the requested funding levels, statutory language changes, and descriptions of each budget item. The Budget Section serves as the liaison to the Department of Administration state budget office and Legislative Fiscal Bureau. In this role, Budget staff respond to inquiries and requests for additional information and analyses and present and advocate for the Department budget proposals. Budget staff also provide testimony to legislative committees regarding the Department's budget proposal, prepare materials for the Secretary for testifying before the legislature, and give presentations to outside groups to inform them about the Department's budget proposals. In conjunction with program staff, Budget staff develop recommendations for gubernatorial vetoes following legislative action on the biennial budget.

Development of Policy and Program Initiatives
Budget Section staff participate on Department work teams dedicated to developing and implementing new program initiatives. For example, Budget staff participate on the Department’s work teams for Family Care, BadgerCare, the MA Intergovernmental Transfer, and Caregiver Background Check. Budget staff provide fiscal support and expertise to these teams and assist in the identification of policy options and recommendations.

Operating Budget Issues
Budget staff work with staff from the Divisions and the Bureau of Fiscal Services to monitor programs’ operating budget experiences and identify potential problems. Budget staff engage in creative problem-solving and assist in identifying possible options to resolve operating budget problems. When appropriate, budget staff prepare requests for budget action to the Department of Administration and/or the Joint Finance Committee (through the s. 16 or s.13.10 mechanisms) to address operating budget issues.

Fiscal Notes
The Budget Section prepares fiscal notes for legislative bills and Legislative Reference Bureau drafts. The fiscal notes identify the programmatic consequences of the legislation and the costs involved. The fiscal notes prepared by the Budget Section are reviewed and approved by Division Administrators and then transmitted to the Office of the Secretary for final approval.

Budget Section Analyst Assignments (PDF, 47 KB)

Andrew Forsaith
PO Box 7850
Madison, WI 53707-7850
(608) 266-7684

PDF: The free Acrobat Reader^® software is needed to view and print portable document format (PDF) files.  Learn more.

Last Revised:  August 25, 2009