A special legislative session created to vote on the Great Lakes Compact convened Thursday but was unable to conduct a vote on the bill itself.

Though both sides have said the passage of the bill is inevitable, absent legislators and continued amendment drafting prevented the bill from making it to a full floor vote.

The Great Lakes Compact, an agreement to create a governing body that oversees the exportation of Great Lakes water to areas outside the Great Lakes Basin, has been met with years of bureaucratic stalemate in the Capitol. The initial proposal, ratified by 10 governors and Canadian premiers in 2003, has only seen full implementation in four states and two Canadian provinces.

Before the bipartisan consensus on the bill, a key point of contention for some Republicans was areas that divide their municipal boundaries between the Great Lakes Basin and outside. At that time, the proposal placed stringent restrictions on Lake Michigan water for those communities.

Another issue was the one-state veto, which could shoot down any amendment to the compact if a single state opposed it.

Mike Bruhn, spokesperson for Rep. Scott Gunderson, R-Waterford, said the key to unlocking the stalemate requires compromise and solutions to these main issues of contention.

“Each side found a middle ground,” Bruhn said. “Through compromise, we found solutions to the issues of straddler communities and the one-state veto.”

Representatives on both sides of the aisle have praised Gunderson for spearheading the bipartisan effort to push the bill to vote.

John Murray, spokesperson for Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, said the delay has nothing to do with recent budget conflicts between Doyle and the Legislature, adding the compact’s passage was all but assured.

“[This delay] has nothing to do with the budget issue,” Murray said. “We’re looking to put this on the floor within the next few weeks and pass it.”

Although the Senate had already passed similar legislation, the bill currently going through both chambers is different from the original and requires a re-vote by the Senate.

The Assembly has yet to pass any version of the proposal.

Doyle spokesperson Lee Sensenbrenner said the inevitable passage of the bill would be a great victory for the state.

“The compact is a very important step for Wisconsin,” he said. “This is a historic move to protect our most precious natural resource.”