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Lawmaker wants more work days
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by Beth Mueller
Monday, January 28, 2008
Amid fears of a national economic recession and state budget shortfalls, a state representative is requesting more days of work.
Rep. Tom Nelson, D-Kaukauna, wrote a letter Friday to Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, asking him to call the Assembly into session five days a week “until the issues vital to our state’s economic well-being and future are addressed.”
Nelson is the same representative who vowed to “sit-in” the Assembly chambers last year, when legislators failed to pass the then-100-day-late state budget.
“Session will be over in less than two months and there remains an enormous amount of unfinished business,” Nelson wrote in the letter.
The $300-400 million budget shortfall predicted Thursday by the Legislative Financial Bureau is the most pressing issue to be addressed, Nelson told The Badger Herald. “No. 2, we need to pass comprehensive budget reform — this is something we should have done three months ago,” Nelson added.
In his State of the State address, Gov. Jim Doyle warned, “make no mistake: challenging days are ahead,” and focused on health care and countering the threat of economic troubles.
Nelson said the governor’s proposals, particularly health care reform, “deserve a fair hearing.”
“That doesn’t take into account the literally hundreds and hundreds of bills that are backed up in committee that deserve a fair up or down vote,” he added.
Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbottsford, said Nelson is playing political games and added he should be offering solutions instead.
“I think Rep. Nelson should spend more time coming up with ideas instead of sending out political press releases,” Suder said.
Suder added he thinks the potential fiscal shortfall means the Legislature needs to be very careful about approving spending.
“We have to be very careful with every taxpayer dime we have, and we have to keep an eye on the ball,” Suder said. “The ball right now is making sure we’re fiscally sound.”
Huebsch has cancelled session days planned for this week, and the Assembly met for only 18 session days in the last year, which, according to Nelson, is among the fewest of any legislature in the country.
The Legislature will adjourn for the year in mid-March.
Calls to Huebsch’s office were not returned Friday. Assembly Majority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, declined to comment on Nelson’s letter or the frequency of session days.
Anonymous (January 28, 2008 @ 3:09pm):
It might welol be argued that the more days the Legislature is in session, simply results in more legisalation, there by ever increasing infringements on our individual freedoms.
G L Schilling
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