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Nass protests wasteful GOP negotiations with committee
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State Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, made public a scathing letter to his Republican leadership Friday, protesting GOP participation in the Joint Finance Committee's budget deliberations.
Nass called the committee "hopelessly broken and a tremendous waste of resources" for approving many of Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle's proposed fee and tax increases last week. He said the committee's decisions have so far favored Senate Democrats.
"I am requesting the Assembly Republican leadership cease our participation in the process of anointing the governor's $1.7 billion tax and fee increases in the Joint Finance Committee," Nass said in the letter.
For two weeks now, the Joint Finance Committee has voted on the separate proposals and budgets of government agencies that will form the 2007-09 state budget. The committee is composed of eight Republicans and eight Democrats from both Houses, leading to many contentious and frustrating political battles.
Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford, a member of the Joint Finance Committee, said he is thankful Nass is choosing an active role in the budget process but respectfully disagrees with his suggestion.
"The finance process, even though it is a split committee, shows the public the sparse difference between Republicans and Democrats on taxes," Suder said. "The difference is very, very clear, and I think it's important to show that difference."
For any proposal to be added or erased from accepted sections of the governor's budget, the committee must vote past an 8-8 split. Democrats have so far succeeded in many Republican attempts to remove some of Doyle's proposals.
"It is unimaginable that any Republican on the Joint Finance Committee can vote in favor of the final package, thus guaranteeing an 8-8 vote," Nass wrote in his letter. "The two Houses can better use the month of May to prepare starkly differing versions of the 2007-09 biennial budget and move more efficiently toward a conference committee showdown over the future of Wisconsin."
Committee co-chair Rep. Kitty Rhoades, R-Hudson, declined comment Friday on Nass' letter. The letter was also addressed to Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, who did not reply to messages from The Badger Herald seeking comment.
The Assembly and Senate will likely create two very different versions of the state budget considering the Assembly is controlled by Republicans and the Senate by Democrats. The Joint Finance Committee is usually considered a political negotiating process and an introduction to the 1,700-page budget.
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Steve Nass is a true American hero, and not closeted at all. - Germain Q. Stemme
Nass is right. UW System is wasteful! All those dudes working in UW System with the huge salaries.