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So far, no transfers have been made

Tom Kertscher
By Tom Kertscher May 26, 2016

In his "Wisconsin Comeback Plan," a document released in July 2014 during his re-election campaign, Gov. Scott Walker pledged to protect the state Transportation Fund from "raids."

The Transportation Fund is known as a segregated fund: All transportation revenues, primarily the state gas tax and federal transportation dollars, go into that account to fund transportation costs of various types, including highways and mass transit.

Walker's promise goes to protecting the fund from being "raided" and used for purposes other than transportation.

In November 2014, on the same day Walker defeated Democrat Mary Burke to win re-election, state voters approved a referendum establishing a constitutional amendment that prevents governors and state lawmakers from using the transportation fund for other uses. Walker backed the measure.

That strengthened protections for the fund, given that the protections previously were only under state statute and could be more readily changed.

The push for the amendment was a response to state elected officials tapping $1.3 billion from the transportation fund to pay for schools and other programs over several years. Those moves were made by then-Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat, and supported by lawmakers from both parties.

That stopped in 2011, after Walker was first elected governor, and no such transfers have occurred since.

Walker's first two state budgets repaid nearly $374 million to the Transportation Fund. But that doesn't mean there is enough money coming into the fund to meet the state's transportation needs.

In November 2015, lawmakers approved Walker's plan to borrow $350 million for road projects. The additional borrowing was criticized as not being a long-term funding solution, such as increasing the state gas tax.

The additional borrowing, said the nonprofit Wisconsin Budget Project, "will drive debt repayment costs higher, take money from a pot intended to support education and health care, and once again put off a permanent solution to paying for Wisconsin's highways."

Nevertheless, given there haven't been transfers to this point in Walker's second term, we rate this promise In the Works.

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