Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen Statement On Wisconsin Legislature's Joint Finance Committee Action On DOJ Budget

MADISON - The Wisconsin Legislature's Joint Committee on Finance voted today on the budget for the Department of Justice (DOJ). Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen released the following statement today applauding the Joint Committee on Finance's approval of key public safety initiatives:

"Public safety and law enforcement are among the primary duties of state government. They should be budget priorities as well.

"I appreciate the unanimous, bipartisan support I received from the Joint Finance Committee today.

"The Committee took a very big step in recognizing how important the Department of Justice is to public safety and law enforcement across Wisconsin. I am especially pleased with the Committee's unanimous, bipartisan support of my goal to reduce the DNA backlog.

"The Committee also unanimously approved my proposal for additional Medicaid fraud investigators. These investigators will help recover stolen tax dollars intended for the elderly. Crime victims, too, will benefit from today's vote. And, today's action was a great start to enhancing the Department of Justice's Internet Crimes Against Children task force.

"Today's votes confirm my belief that the people of Wisconsin and the Legislature fundamentally support a Department of Justice committed to a nonpartisan agenda of public safety, not politics.

"I look forward to working with the entire Legislature and the Governor as the budget process moves forward."

To hear an audio recording of the Attorney General's statement at the DOJ Website click here.