TPA & TABOR - "The Taxpayer Protection Amendment" and the "Taxpayer Bill of Rights"
TABOR is a constitutional amendment to cap state, school, county and municipal spending based on a set formula and to require referenda to exceed spending caps, tax increases and for all bonding decisions. TPA is a constitutional amendment to cap the annual growth of state, school, county and municipal revenue based on a set formula and to require referenda to exceed those revenues.
Legislative Proposals
- Senate Joint Resolution Taxpayer Protection Amendment as originally circulated February 9, 2006.
- Assembly Joint Resolution 55, the original TABOR proposal (pdf file)
- Assembly Substitute Amendment to AJR 55, the revised proposal offered April 23, 2004 (pdf file)
- Analysis of ASA to AJR 55, Legislative Council's analysis of ASA to AJR 55 (pdf file)
- UW-Madison memo regarding the impacts of ASA to AJR 55
- Legislative Fiscal Bureau May 20 memo that explains Speaker Gard's TABOR proposal. A bill draft has yet to be released.
- Senate proposal to be considered in extraordinary session, July 27, 2004 (LFB memo analyzing the proposal.)
TABOR/TPA background information
Chancellor Wiley's memo to Professor Reschovsky expressing his concerns regarding the Taxpayer Protection Amendment (March 6, 2006)
- UW-Madison Professor Reschovsky's analysis of TPA (March 4, 2006), which demonstrates that had TPA been enacted in 1985 and not changed, Wisconsin would have experienced a 30 percent decrease in its revenue from taxes, bonds and fees.
- Chancellor John Wiley's testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee regarding TABOR (pdf file)
- Memo from Chancellor Wiley regarding UW-Madison's concerns about TABOR (pdf file)
- UW-Madison "one-pager" on TABOR
- UW-Madison Professor Reschovsky's paper on TABOR, which argues that over time TABOR would result in big reductions in programs that help the state’s most vulnerable citizens, result in serious downsizing of the University of Wisconsin System, seriously reduce the ability of the public schools to provide a quality education for our children, and risk substantial damage to our environment. (pdf file)
- UW System Board of Regent position on TABOR
- Wisconsin Techical College System position on TABOR
For more information on how TABOR/TPA impacts UW-Madison, contact Kristi Thorson or Don Nelson, UW-Madison Office of State Relations, at 608/262-8967 or staterelations@bascom.wisc.edu