The Badger Herald

NEWS

Doyle solution draws more partisan contention

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Also by Teresa Welsh:

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Great Dane able to expand beer sales (December 4, 2007)
You owe $3,500: Debt continues to rise (November 29, 2007)
Petri secures state transport funding (November 26, 2007)
Professors know what you REALLY did last summer... (November 20, 2007)

by Teresa Welsh

Thursday, October 11, 2007

A new version of the 2007-09 Wisconsin state budget introduced by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle has been met with mixed reactions from state legislators.

Doyle said Tuesday he will introduce a compromise budget bill into the state Legislature next Monday in a special session. Wisconsin is the only state currently operating without a 2007-09 state budget.

"If the Legislature has not come to an agreement by Monday, then I expect both houses to pass this compromise bill … because Wisconsin families cannot afford to wait any longer," Doyle said in a statement. "Every additional day that the Republican leaders play politics and ignore their responsibility, real people suffer."

Some in the Republican-controlled Assembly, however, are not pleased with Doyle's course of action. Assembly Majority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, does not think Doyle made the right decision.

"It's the governor's prerogative to call a special session," said Jim Bender, Fitzgerald's communications director. "[Fitzgerald]'s not of the opinion that it's going to help the process in any way. The governor [has] basically walked away from the negotiation process and delivered us an ultimatum."

By doing this, Bender said Doyle has restarted the budget process that began in February with the introduction of the original state budget.

But Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, supports Doyle's decision. He believes the governor deserves recognition for "stepping up to the plate."

Erpenbach's office estimates after introduction on Monday, the bill will take a few days to pass due to all the paperwork that must be filled out.

"We're very hopeful that a compromise will pass," said Julie Laundrie, spokesperson for Erpenbach. "Local governments need to make plans for budgeting, so it's really in the best interest of the people of Wisconsin that the budget is enacted as soon as possible."

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