Clashing with Monday's Assembly vote, state Senate leaders abolished a key provision of the ethics-reform package Tuesday and sent the bill to the Joint Finance Committee, hoping to reach a compromise.

The Senate Committee on Campaign Finance and Ethics voted unanimously to remove a provision that would invalidate the proposed Government Accountability Board if any part of the bill were found unconstitutional.

"There's lots of good in this bill," said Committee Chair Fred Risser, D-Madison. "Why would we throw all that over if the [state] Supreme Court found anything wrong with it?"

Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, has said the bill needs a "non-severability" provision because it preserves the board's integrity. Huebsch spokesperson Bob Delaporte refused to comment whether the representative still supports the provision.

Huebsch and Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson, D-Beloit, released a statement Tuesday asking the Joint Finance Committee to delay action while parties negotiate over the next few days.

"We are extremely confident legislative leaders from both parties, in the spirit of compromise, will reach a final agreement soon," Huebsch and Robson said in the statement.

The Joint Finance Committee is comprised of members from the Senate and Assembly and holds an equal number of Republicans and Democrats. It has the authority to amend the bill and could re-introduce the non-severability provision.

Risser called the provision "ridiculous" and said he expects there will be an effort in the Senate to remove the provision if the Joint Finance Committee re-added it to the bill.

"The devil's in the details," Risser said. "Conceptually, [the bill] was good … but that clause should come out."

The Senate committee also added three amendments to the ethics reform legislation Tuesday, mostly clarifying provisions that concerned some legal officials. All three amendments received unanimous approval, and the legislation passed 4-1.

State Sen. Mike Ellis, R-Neenah, was the dissenting vote and did not return a message from The Badger Herald seeking comment late Tuesday.

The ethics-reform legislation was drafted by a bipartisan coalition including Gov. Jim Doyle and legislative leaders. If passed, it would combine the State Ethics and Elections boards into one government-policing agency.

Some officials have been quick to point out that while the bill doesn't change ethics policies, it does aim to improve ethics, lobbying and campaign finance enforcement.

Doyle is expected to sign the ethics-reform package, spokesperson Carla Vigue said, but she added that "if some parts of it are unconstitutional, that needs to be fixed."

If approved by the Joint Finance Committee, the ethics reform bill will go to both houses for further review. If both houses reach a consensus, the legislation will move to the governor's desk for approval or veto.