Assembly GOP finishing up transportation budget
Assembly Republicans on Thursday were nearing the end of their work on the transportation budget, the last full package before the caucus, according to an Assembly source.
The caucus still has some miscellaneous provisions to wrap up that could keep them working into the late afternoon or evening, the source said.
Sources say the Assembly Republican budget will eliminate the oil franchise fee proposed by Gov. Jim Doyle and included in the Senate budget. To make up for that decrease in revenue, the Assembly budget will eliminate approximately $160 million in transfers from the transportation budget and retain increases in vehicle registration fees, sources say.
Sources say there is recognition among caucus members that the Assembly budget needs to be completed today to give Legislative Fiscal and Reference bureaus staff time to draft the document in time for a floor session Tuesday. To that end, caucus leaders need to ensure that they have the 50 votes needed to pass their budget, which could prove a difficult balancing act.
An Assembly source says there is much to satisfy conservative members in the transportation budget.
The source says there are between five and eight conservative members who stand to vote against the budget if it doesn't match up to their expectations and a handful of moderate members who may not vote for approval if they feel the budget cuts too deeply into K-12 funding or UW System funding.
"With transportation there are some issues (conservatives) are still concerned about, but a lot has been changed in that package to liking of conservatives," said the source.
"When the rubber meets the road," said the source, the caucus will need to come up with "the $850 million in cuts need to eliminate tax increases (in Doyle's budget)."
