The state Senate gave approval to amendments on the BadgerCare Plus Basic and payday loans bills Thursday, and now both of the controversial bills will head to Gov. Jim Doyle’s office to be signed into law.

Both bills had already been passed by the Senate; however, amendments were added at the Assembly floor session Tuesday, which then needed to be approved again by the Senate.

The Senate passage of the BadgerCare Basic bill was the final act in a process that has taken months and generated a lot of bi-partisan attacks.

The BadgerCare Basic plan will provide health insurance coverage to almost 40,000 Wisconsin residents who are on the waiting list for the BadgerCare Plus Core program.

The Core plan is state-funded, while the Basic plan is funded through $130 monthly premiums by its members.

Enrollment for the Core plan was capped last October after more than 64,000 people signed onto the program.

The bill has come under fire by many Republican legislators who believe the premiums will be too low to support the cost of the program and who wish to see more support for private health insurance companies.

Most Democrats, however, have thrown their support behind the bill because they believe it will help thousands of residents who are currently uninsured.

“This is not a Cadillac plan, and the program will be entirely paid for by those who use it,” Doyle said in a statement. “Basic coverage can be the difference between having protection while you try and get your feet back on the ground and going bankrupt trying to pay for medical care.”

The Senate also approved an amendment to a bill regulating the state’s payday loan companies, as well as added in their own amendment.

Wisconsin, before the passage and future signing by Doyle, is the only state with no limitations on the industry.

The bill will put a cap on loans to $1500, as well as regulate where payday lenders can place their stores when in residential areas.

Also banned would be roll-over loans, which can trap borrowers in greater and greater debt when their loan is lumped into a larger loan later.

The Assembly had added an amendment Tuesday regulations auto title loans, however, the Senate amendment did away with that and instead lessened the restrictions on auto title loans.

It would reduce the total amount of a loan that can be made to 50 percent of a vehicle’s value, as well as limits one auto title loan to one vehicle at a time. It would also prohibit a lender from taking physical possession of a borrower’s car keys.

Doyle spokesperson Adam Collins said regulating the payday loan industry has been important for the governor ever since he was the state’s district attorney.

“The governor’s said numerous times, anything’s better than what we have right now,” Collins said.

The revised bill was sent back to the Assembly where they voted in favor of the changes, sending it to Doyle’s desk for approval.