MADISON – Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says his chamber of the Wisconsin legislature will convene to pass non-spending bills and act on appointments on Tuesday even if minority Democrats remain out of state in an effort to block a vote on Governor Scott Walker’s budget repair bill.
Could one of those bills be the union aspect of the budget bill, voted separately?
Democratic state Sen. Jon Erpenbach told The Associated Press on Monday that Republicans could attempt to attach the part of the proposal taking away collective bargaining rights to an unrelated bill and pass it Tuesday.
“I told them, ‘Listen, Senator Miller, we’re marching forward with our business. I am setting the calendar for tomorrow at 10:00 a.m. I would expect that the Democrats will be there, but we will be taking up a resolution. We will be passing a piece of legislation, and we will also be confirming one of the governor’s nominees to their cabinet position,” said Republican State Senate President Scott Fitzgerald on Newsradio 620 WTMJ’s “Wisconsin’s Morning News.”
“I’m hopeful that the Democrats will see fit to come back and take care of the people’s business.”
The 14 Democratic state senators have left Wisconsin to make sure a vote on Walker’s budget cannot happen without the required 20 members for a quorum.
One of those senators said that issue needs to be resolved before they return to Madison.
“We think we should resolve the budget repair bill first,” said Erpenbach. “What people need to ask Sen. Fitzgerald is what exactly are his plans tomorrow, and when he says a key vote, what exactly does that mean?  I think tomorrow could have the potential to be a long, tough day in Madison.  I think we need to ask Sen. Fitzgerald what exactly his intentions are, and what’s going to be voted on.”
