NEWS
Assembly approves budget
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Wednesday, July 10, 2002
Assembly Republicans approved Monday a budget repair bill that was months in the making. The plan, which will recover Wisconsin’s $1.1 billion deficit for the next fiscal year, underwent hours of scrutiny late Friday and Monday in the Assembly before passing — by one vote.
The 50-47 decision came after the proposal passed swiftly through the Senate, following its recommendation by a joint-house conference committee the previous day. Now, it belongs to Gov. Scott McCallum, who can veto some of its concessions.
A measure to tie state financial aid to rising university tuition costs remains among the items he is considering. University officials, recently forced by $44 million cuts the bill prescribes for the UW System to raise tuition again, hope he leaves that particular part intact.
McCallum can also look at campaign-finance policy, one of the items Republicans said held up the proposal process. The Assembly also wanted to see more spending cuts that would help dig the state out of its structural deficit.
Senate Democrats sought earlier implementation of the finance reform and viewed the Republicans’ proposed $108 million cuts to UW as unreasonable.
Eventually, the need for a balanced budget won out. But McCallum’s signature is the final step.
— compiled from staff reports
