Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

Independent Student Newspaper Since 1969

The Badger Herald

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State partisans clash over legislative agenda

Republicans and Democrats of the Wisconsin State Assembly clashed on the viability of this year’s agenda a week following Gov. Jim Doyle’s promise to return “fiscal sanity to state government.”

In his State of the State speech, Doyle outlined his goal to raise the minimum wage, fund stem-cell research, reduce dependence on foreign oil, provide property-tax relief, increase financial aid for education and provide more support for citizens without prescription-drug coverage.

Despite Republicans’ doubts on the plan’s financial practicability, Democrats such as Rep. Spencer Black of Madison demonstrated an intention to follow Doyle’s key points.

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Black said some of his personal goals included increasing funding to the University of Wisconsin and providing health care to the uninsured — especially to allow child-care workers to enroll in the BadgerCare state program for low-income families with kids.

“Child-care workers spend a lot of time caring for children, and many don’t have kids of their own,” Black said, adding childless employees should be allowed to enroll in the program.

According to Black, preserving funding for the Conservation Stewardship Program is also crucial because it has protected thousands of acres of woods from elimination.

He said, although he expressed concern the Republicans would try to “dramatically” cut the state program, he would still try to promote many of his priority bills.

“The legislature has not been sympathetic to protecting the stewardship program or supporting education,” he said. “I plan to gain support for those bills and pressure others to support them.”

Although some of Doyle’s proposals — such as last session’s action plan “Grow Wisconsin” — have gained bipartisan support, it seems many of his current proposals will not hold ground with the Republican majority of the Assembly.

Rep. Carol Owens, R-Oshkosh, said Doyle’s speech was “non-confrontational.” However, she does not know the sources for the money Doyle suggested in his proposals.

“From where I was sitting, I ran out of money halfway through his speech,” she said. “He didn’t say where he’d get his money.”

Owens added there were no bad proposals, but the Assembly members would have to remain selective about which ones to fund. Even though the economy is expected to improve and pick up some of the financial slack, Owens said she did not predict it would be enough to make some of Doyle’s ideas realistic.

Owens stated Doyle primarily focused on education issues, but there were further matters in need of attention. She added the Assembly is “in a big hole” where it stands with corrections, and members must find a way to deal with inmates beyond incarceration.

In his address, Doyle also mentioned he would like to advance a new worker-training bill, pass legislation requiring a third year of math and a third year of science as graduation requirements for all Wisconsin students, make energy supply adequate and environmentally responsible and also fix the “culture of overspending” in the state.

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