Wisconsin lawmakers met in a Senate and Assembly joint committee hearing at the Capitol Wednesday, listening to heated testimony on the recently proposed Taxpayer Protection Amendment.

Authored by Sen. Glenn Grothman, R-West Bend, and Rep. Jeff Wood, R-Chippewa Falls, TAPPA proposes to cut taxes by amending the state Constitution to limit revenue.

"Wisconsin is one of the highest taxed states in the nation," Waukesha County Executive Dan Vrakas, who attended the hearing, said in a press release. "This amendment is important because it will help bring government spending in line with our families' ability to pay for services."

TAPPA, similar to the previously introduced "Taxpayers Bill of Rights," proposes to accomplish many of its predecessor's goals in the form of a constitutional amendment.

While Republican supporters view TAPPA as a measure to responsibly cut excessive government spending, Democrats charge the amendment would strip them of their capacity as elected officials.

Additionally, some Democratic lawmakers question the amendment's underlying motives, suggesting Republicans may be using it merely as a political tool.

According to Rep. Gary Hebl, D-Sun Prairie, the amendment amounts to a political ploy with little chance of passing before the current session ends.

However, Grothman disagreed, expressing optimism in the amendment's chances of passage.

"It will pass this session. The speaker of the Assembly is clearly committed to getting it through," Grothman said, referring to Speaker John Gard, R-Peshtigo. "What [Hebl] is implying, it's just flat wrong."

While lawmakers continue to argue the merits of TAPPA, many are looking ahead and considering its potentially vast effects.

According to some amendment opponents, TAPPA would prove detrimental to the University of Wisconsin System by limiting higher education funding.

Brian Tanner, legislative affairs director for United Council of UW Students, said the funding limits would dramatically raise student tuition.

"There is nothing to stop [tuition] from going up and up," Tanner said. "There is no one to hold accountable."

UW public affairs and applied economics professor Andrew Reschovsky agreed, citing his recent study that examined TAPPA's potential effect on the UW System.

The study, which estimated the proposed amendment's economic impact, shows that revenue cuts would force the university to downsize, decrease academic quality or significantly raise tuition, Reschovsky said.

But Grothman argued TAPPA would instead benefit Wisconsin by encouraging university graduates to stay in the state.

"Once [TAPPA] is in place and once the government of Wisconsin gets spending under reasonable limits, graduates will be able to make just as much in Wisconsin as in other states," Grothman said.

As committee members listened to the lengthy testimony from invited guests, Sen. Judy Robson, D-Beloit, demonstrated her discontent with the invitation-only hearing and refused to assign Democratic senators to the committee.

"It is an insult to every citizen of Wisconsin to say that public participation dumbs down the legislative process," Robson said in a press release.

With citizens waiting to weigh in on the proposed amendment, a public hearing is expected to follow soon.

The amendment must pass in two consecutive legislative sessions and be approved in a statewide referendum to become law. TAPPA is expected to pass both houses of the Republican-dominated Legislature in the current session.