The Wisconsin Legislature passed the conference committee’s proposed amendment to the state’s biennial budget Friday in an effort to create a deal that will aid in the race to enact the budget before the start of the new fiscal year Wednesday.
The $62 billion budget passed the Senate 17-15 and the Assembly 51-46.
Sen. Jim Sullivan, D-Wauwatosa, was the sole Democrat to join Republicans and vote against the deal in the Senate. In the Assembly, 50 Democrats and independent Rep. Jeff Woods, I-Chippewa Falls, voted for the budget while Rep. Margaret Krusick, D-Milwaukee and Rep. Bob Ziegelbauer, D-Manitowoc, voted with the 44 Republicans against the bill.
Under the deal, Wisconsin drivers would be required to purchase car insurance–a move that Gov. Jim Doyle has expressed support for in the past. The deal also includes provisions that would allow children of illegal immigrants to attend state universities while paying in-state tuition.
A new tax on oil companies that could increase taxes on gas by as much as 4.4 cents a gallon and the creation of a card that would allow illegal immigrants to drive legally in the state are not included in the amendment.
The amendment would also restore funding to the state Department of Justice, which originally would have faced $5.4 million in cuts. Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen argued earlier this month in a teleconference that the reduction in funding would be devastating to the department’s operations.
The deal was released Thursday night–only hours before it went to the Senate for debate – after 12 hours of closed-door discussions among Democrats.
Assembly Minority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, issued a statement following the Assembly’s passage of the budget criticizing Democrats’ “closed-door meetings and secret deals.”
“Democrats control all of state government and jammed through a budget that raises spending by 6.2 percent, raises taxes by $3.6 billion, increases borrowing by $3.58 billion and leaves a $2.3 billion hole in the next budget,” said the statement.
He added that the Democrats have raised taxes by $5 billion on middle class families in Wisconsin and have “put a higher priority on the state budget than the family budget.”
Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, D-Schofield, applauded the changes in a statement, saying the budget makes necessary investments in job creation and other areas necessary for the state’s future.
He noted all spending increases were made without need of increasing the sales tax, payroll taxes or income tax for anyone who makes less than $250,000 a year.
“We faced a lot of challenges putting this budget together. Declining revenues required us to make deep cuts to services even though the demand for services is going up,” Decker said. “The investments in this budget will put our state on a path to a stronger economy.”
The bill will now go to Doyle, who will either pass the budget as is, or use his executive veto to make more changes before signing it into law. Doyle is expected to sign the bill before the end of the fiscal year on Wednesday.
— Alex Brousseau contributed to this report.
