As the State Senate ends its last session of the year, it appears they have left a few big bills on the table.

Anyone who has paid attention over the last few months knows issues like college affordability and sanctuary cities ordinances have been all over headlines.

As it turns out, bills regarding the prevention of local municipalities becoming sanctuary cities and the reduction of tax deduction restrictions crucial to Gov. Scott Walker’s college affordability plan were left for the next guy to figure out at the end of this two-year long session.

Pretty anticlimactic to say the least.

College affordability package, underage drinking exemptions pass Senate

The fact that these issues have been hyped up in recent months just to get stood up at the end of the session leaves a somewhat funny taste in my mouth.

Sure, the bill regarding sanctuary cities may have faced a large protest last month due to its inevitable impact on the lives of many immigrants. But still, the Legislature’s job is to decide whether or not to turn a bill into law. OK, maybe the bill cutting the limit on tax deductions that can be claimed for college loans would have messed with the state’s budget more than originally projected. But as a current college student, I wouldn’t mind if the Senate would make up its mind and help me out a bit with college affordability.

Why these high profile bills were not taken up is beyond me. But to be honest, it seems like the Senate may have gotten some cold feet.

So they took some heat over the sanctuary cities bill, but if a proposal obviously has that much public opposition, wouldn’t it be a good idea to kill the bill? Last time I checked, the state Legislature was supposed to reflect the ideals of the people they represent and maybe even work for their betterment.

In regard to the bill concerning a foundational part of Walker’s college affordability plan, putting a plan aimed at helping people obtain a higher education on the back burner does not look good. This is especially true considering this recent change of actually valuing education in Wisconsin, which is definitely not one of Walker’s strong suits.

Ultimately, I’m a little bummed. All that hype over the last few months just to have bills relating to two big issues saved for later is definitely a let-down. But the fact that these bills weren’t brought to a decision brings into question whether the Senate is really fulfilling its duties — and it appears the answer is no.

Phil Michaelson ([email protected]) is a sophomore majoring in biomedical engineering.