Budget committee approves $8.5 million to staff mental health centers, $2 million for school mapping program

Jun. 1—The Legislature's budget committee approved setting aside about $8.5 million Tuesday to pay staff overtime at seven state facilities tasked with addressing residents' mental health and intellectual disabilities, while treating people likely to commit acts of sexual violence.

The approval came after the state Department of Health Services said it needed more money to properly staff the Mendota Mental Health Institute, Winnebago Mental Health Institute, Wisconsin Resource Center, Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center and the Central, Northern and Southern Wisconsin Centers, which each operate 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

With approval Tuesday from the Republican-led Joint Finance Committee, the Department of Justice will also receive $2 million for a grant program that will help schools comply with a new requirement for them to submit detailed school maps to law enforcement. That requirement came after the enactment of 2021 Wisconsin Act 109.

"As we were unfortunately reminded last week, school safety concerns are constantly evolving," Sen. Van Wanggaard, R-Racine, said in a statement Tuesday. "By using interactive mapping, law enforcement can more quickly organize and coordinate a response to a critical situation."

The committee approved another $1 million for DOJ's "community-oriented policing-house" grant program, an effort supporters say could reduce crime while increasing community trust in police. The grants, which are available to cities with a population of 30,000 or more, were established under 2021 Wisconsin Act 51.

Other requests that received budget committee approval Tuesday include:

—Settlements for nine DOJ environmental lawsuits adding up to $378,000. Each lawsuit relates to pollution or alleged environmental destruction.

—A $2 million allotment for DOJ to provide body camera grants for local law enforcement agencies.

—$500,000 for the Department of Military Affairs to train and equip the urban search and rescue task force.

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