WisPolitics Budget Blog

Gov. Jim Doyle said the Assembly's budget proposal put the UW System and the state at a "tipping point."

"The state is doing better than we were four and six years ago, and we now have an opportunity to make a major public investment into our universities to build the access and make them affordable," Doyle said during a round-table discussion today with chancellors at the Capitol.

University officials described how the Assembly's "shrink agenda," as Green Bay Chancellor Bruce Shepard called it, would mean fewer sections, larger classes and program cuts.

With the state budget is still up in the air, the Board of Regents is expected to decide next Tuesday on the system's annual operating budget and tuition for the upcoming school year.

See the release here.

Listen to Doyle's remarks.

Listen to UW President Kevin Reilly's remarks.

Listen to the rest of press conference, including questions from reporters here.

-- By Claudette Torbey

Labels: Doyle, UW Funding

Gov. Jim Doyle will host a roundtable discussion with UW chancellors Monday morning in the Governor's Conference Room at State Capitol. Students, parents, faculty and business leaders will also attend the meeting.

With Republicans on the conference committee yesterday saying Democrats hold all the cards in the budget process, Gov. Jim Doyle played it close to the vest today when talking to the press about potential vetoes.

Doyle didn't make any assurances that he would refrain from using his veto pen on compromises hammered out in the conference committee. He said he would have to see what the deal is first, but wouldn't push the negotiation in the public realm.

The only assurance he gave was that he would pass the budget items included in his budget.

"And if what people want is my assurance that I'll back that, of course, I'm going to say I back that, it's my proposal," Doyle said of the BadgerCare Plus expansion he has proposed. "And they can be pretty sure I won't veto any thing that I put into my budget. But, we'll sort of see how this moves along."

Doyle made the comments at a press conference touting a new report that supports the $1.25 per pack cigarette tax increase today at the UW Hospital in Madison. Doyle included the tobacco tax increase in his budget, but the Republican-controlled Assembly cut the tax from its version.

Doyle also said he was "heartened" when GOP Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said the BadgerCare Plus proposal was worth considering. Doyle continued to push the proposal, saying he believes Senate Democrats would fully support the program.

Doyle wouldn't commit to signing the Senate Democrats universal health care plan if it came across his desk, called Healthy Wisconsin, instead pledging to pass "something on health care that we all agree on."

Doyle also scolded Republicans for cutting tobacco prevention efforts in their budget, saying "I don't know what other planet they're living on, and I don't understand that particular one."

When asked if Doyle would sign off on a lesser increase, Doyle didn't commit either direction, saying that there has to be sticker shock for the tax increase.

See the full report here.

-- By Matt Dolbey

Labels: Doyle, Veto

The budget conference committee will likely meet again a week from today, according to John Murray, a spokesman for Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch.

The Assembly is on the floor Tuesday to take up the so-called "Newark" bill.

--Listen to WisPolitics.com audio from the conference committee:

Listen to Huebsch's opening remarks here.

Listen to Robson's opening remarks here.

Listen to Rep. Kitty Rhoades opening remarks here.

Listen to Sen. Russ Decker's opening remarks here.

Listen to Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald's opening remarks here.

Listen to Sen. Bob Jauch's opening remarks here.

Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said in a press release that it's clear from the first conference committee meeting that Democratic conferees aren't ready to debate their health care proposal.

See the release here.

Labels: Sen. Fitzgerald

You can see the memo that was discussed by conferees here. It details 254 budget items that passed with a 12-4 or better vote.

Sen. Robson said it is her "intent and hope" that the committee will meet again later today or tomorrow.

Huebsch said he would look at the list of unanimous JFC items, and get back to her.

Robson is pushing for a meeting later today or tomorrow on the three packages Dems are forwarding.

She asked Huebsch when he could meet next.

"When we determine how much we're going to spend," Huebsch replied. He said Robson and the Dems have breached cordiality by putting the proposals on the table without first talking them over with him.

Huebsch said he'd meet with Robson one-on-one to discuss a future meeting.

Sen. Decker chided the Republicans, saying if they need to go to Gov. Doyle for assurance he won't veto each and every budget item agreed to, it will slow down the process.

Rep. Fitzgerald said Decker's comments were "alarming," saying Doyle has the most powerful veto pen in the country. He said it's understandable they'd be looking for assurances.

"Why wouldn't we? You're holding all the cards," he said.

Fitzgerald said the process should be deliberate. "I've got all summer. This is the only thing we have to pass," he said.

Sen. Robson said she's cleared her calendar for the rest of the month, and her goal is to finish the conference committee by Aug. 1.

Rep. Huebsch said his side won't begin agree to proposals until they know how much they cost. He said that is the difference between the GOP budget philosophy and that of the Democrats.

"You want to start spending on items with no idea of what they cost," he said. "That will be the first question we will consistently ask, What's it cost.'"

He said the Dems were "literally springing" proposals on the table without setting groundrules.

Sen. Robson suggested the committee could start by taking up all the budget items the JFC agreed to unanimously. Rep. Huebsch said he would be interested in seeing a list of those items. But he said he couldn't agree on anything without seeing it first.

Sen. Decker asked if they could agree on the veterans benefits package agreed to by the JFC. He also said they should agree on state aid to domestic abuse victims, and money to study the infant mortality rate in Racine.

Decker also said the Dems would accept Sen. Fitzgerald's "offer" on BadgerCare Plus.

Huebsch responded "it was not an offer on BadgerCare ... he said it deserved discussion at the table."

Huebsch said he would discuss the proposals with his team, and let the Dems know what they decide.

Robson asked if they could meet tomorrow on those three items, and invited the GOP members to come back with some unanimous JFC items of their own.

LFB director Bob Lang said there were 209 unanimous votes in the JFC.

Sen. Robson asked Rep. Huebsch to clarify statements he made in the media about whether he is considering the option of not passing a budget and having state spending continue at current levels.

"If we weren't committed to passing a budget, we wouldn't have passed our own, and we wouldn't be here today," Huebsch said.

"I'll take that as a yes," replied Robson.

Labels: Huebsch, Robson

Rep. Rhoades said out-state residents of Wisconsin "are scared to death" of "government-run health care." Their fears are based on lack of access, and the state's lack of commitment to funding its current health care commitments, she said.

Sen. Decker offered this to illustrate the Dems commitment to the plan. "We're dead dog serious on this proposal."

"I don't know why you folks are fighting giving the same insurance plan we have to the hard working folks in this state," he said.

Labels: Decker, Rhoades

Apparently tiring of the frequent mispronunciation of her name, Sen. Robson made it clear today.

"It's Robson," she said, following Sen. Fitzgerald's remarks in which he referred to her as "Robson" with a long "o."

Check out at the proper pronunciation atMissPronouncer.com.

The conferees are taking turns blasting the others side's budget proposal.

Sen. Decker blasted the Republicans' defense of "big oil." Rep. Rhoades said the Democratic budget proposals spend more than state residents can afford, and said the Healthy Wisconsin, "I don't want the government running my health care."

Sen. Jauch ripped the Assembly Republican budget up and down, saying it "seems to be devised without any moral compass."

Rep. Fitzgerald said Gov. Doyle's budget is "very liberal" and said he has constituents that have to work two jobs just to afford the tax burden in the state of Wisconsin. Taxpayers are "angry right now," Fitzgerald said.

Rep. Kreuser sounded a more conciliatory tone, but did rip the Assembly GOP budget for cutting education, firefighters, and police, among other things. He said the GOP budget a "budget that united our (Assembly Dem) caucus."

Sen. Fitzgerald tore apart the Healthy Wisconsin plan, listing a number of unanswered questions and unintended consequences of the proposal, and said there is dissension among Democrats about it, including Gov. Doyle. "I have no idea how this conference committee can function when it seems Democrats need a conference committee on health care before they come to this table," he said.

Fitzgerald did offer some hope for compromise, saying Gov. Doyle's proposal to extend BadgerCare "deserves some consideration."

Labels: Decker, Jauch, Kreuser, Rep. Fitzgerald, Rhoades, Sen. Fitzgerald

Rep. Huebsch, R-West Salem, said the budget forwarded by the Assembly provides the highest funding level in state history for K-12 education, and helps the "neediest of the needy," all while styaing within taxpayers ability to pay.

Huebsch kept his opening comments brief, less than five minutes compared with nearly 20 minutes for Robson.

"While government has an endless list of wants, taxpayers don't have an endless supply of dollars to fulfill them," Huebsch said. "At the end of the day, families can spend their paychecks more wisely than Madison bureaucrats."

When it comes to health care, Huebsch said "government isn't the answer, government is the biggest part of the problem."

Labels: Huebsch

Sen. Robson in her opening statements said the biggest differences between Senate and Assembly proposals is in how they address the costs of health care.

She said the cost of health care is hurting local governments, school districts and families.

"The cost of health care is eating budgets alive, and we can no longer ignore it," she said.

Robson said she hopes Republicans on the panel will be open minded to the Healthy Wisconsin plan included in the Senate budget. While detractors have attacked it as a socialized system, she said it was "managed competition," and doesn't raise taxes but "substitutes" what businesses and individuals currently spend on health care.

"We cna no longer sustain this system - it's broken," Robson said.

She said she hopes both sides can "set aside the rhetoric and posturing, roll up our sleeves and come up with a budget in a timely way that's responsible as well."

"This is what Democracy is about in the best way," said the Beloit Democrat. "It's not about horsetrading. It's about finding some good compromise."

Labels: Robson

Conferees are beginning to file in to the room with their staffs in tow.

The atmosphere is jovial between Republicans and Democrats.

Rep. Kitty Rhoades, R-Hudson, remarked on Sen. Russ Decker's tan.

"You look like George Hamilton," she told the Weston Democrat.

The conference table is on the floor in the middle of the room. Seating arrangement: Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald and Assembly Minority Leader Jim Kreuser on one end, with Sen. Bob Jauch and Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald next. The committee chairs, Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch and Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson, are the third seats in, with Rhoades and Decker, the co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee, seated next to them.

At a table placed at a "T" to the conferees table are LFB director Bob Lang and staff. There are a few rows of seats set up behind the conferees for their staff.

In the semicircle of seats where the JFC members normally sit are governor's staff, Dem Sens. Lena Taylor and Tim Carpenter, and others.

It's standing room only in the chamber. An overflow room has been set up in 400 NE.

The budget conference committee is holding just its first meeting today, but it's already attracting a big crowd. The meeting is set to start at 11 o'clock.

Green-shirted members of AFSCME have taken most of the seats in 412 East, the State Capitol room where the Joint Conference Committee normally meets. Filling out the room are blue uniformed Department of Corrections employees.

Among the AFSCME complaints is that the Assembly budget shrinks the state employee compensation reserve, cuts shared revenue to local governments, and eliminates corrections worker jobs included in the governor's budget proposal.

See an AFSCME memo to members about the Assembly Republican budget here.

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The Legislative Fiscal Bureau has released analyses of the tax and fee modifications included in the 2007-09 budgets from Gov. Jim Doyle, the Joint Finance Committee, the Dem-run Senate and Republican-run Assembly.

The GOP Assembly budget would collect the least in taxes and fees of competing budget plans, and the Dem Senate's plan would collect the most, according to the analysis.

The comparison shows the Assembly version collects $1.4 billion less in taxes and fees than the Joint Finance version, nearly $1.5 billion less than Dem Gov. Jim Doyle's budget, and $9.5 billion less than the budget devised by the Senate.

The Assembly budget decreases net taxes by $82 million over the biennium, but increases fees by $339 million. The JFC budget increases net taxes by $1.3 billion and fees by $347 million; the Senate budget increases net taxes by $9 billion and fees by $419 million; and Doyle's budget increases taxes by $1.4 billion and fees by $376 million.

Doyle analysis

JFC analysis

Senate analysis

Assembly analysis

In new radio ads airing today, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce blasts Democratic budget proposals, and congratulates Assembly Republicans for blocking tax increases.

The ads will air for the next four weeks in Milwaukee, Green Bay, Kenosha, La Crosse and Wausau. The ads are paid for by WMC's Issues Mobilization Council.

"Hold on, this just in," says one of the narrators, rustling papers in faux newscaster style. "Senate Democrats want to bring back all the tax hikes, including a gross receipts tax that will drive up gas prices."

"I thought the Assembly got rid of that when they voted down the $18 billion tax increase passed in the Senate?" asks the other narrator.

"They did. But some Senators want to keep the tax hikes in the state budget, including the gross receipts tax on oil companies. They're negotiating it at the State Capitol right now," she responds.

The ad gives the phone number to the legislative hotline and urges listeners to contact their legislators.

Listen to the ad here.

A second ad specific to the La Crosse market lauds Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, for "leading the fight to stop the largest tax increase in state history."

Listen to the La Crosse ad here.

Labels: WMC

The budget conference committee will hold its first meeting on Wednesday at 11 a.m. The meeting will take place in the Joint Finance Committee room, 412 East, of the State Capitol.

Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch says the goal of the budget proposal forwarded by his Republican caucus is to bring state government spending to a level taxpayers can afford. That plan has been bashed by Dems for being "vindictive" and "mean-spirited" amid threats that it could lead to reductions in police and fire services and wreak havoc on the UW System. Huebsch calls the dire warnings "scare tactics."

"The one question I consistently ask is when a government official comes and says we need to cut police or we need to cut fire, or like we had last week we need to cut Amber Alert, my question is: If those are not priorities for you, what is? And where are you spending our money?" Huebsch asks. "Because keep in mind we are still one of the top 10 tax states in the nation. If you can't afford police and fire, you better be able to justify every dime of the rest of your budget. And I don't think they are able to do that. And that's when the veil drops, and you realize that it's just a scare tactic."

Huebsch, R-West Salem, says he didn't have to trade budget items for votes in his caucus. "What I needed to do in order to get to 51 votes was not raise taxes. That really was the only thing that continued to drive us," he says.

Huebsch says he isn't drawing any bottom lines going into the conference committee. "That is the best way to blow it up. And I have no intention of blowing it up, so I'm not drawing bottom lines."

With the likelihood that the conference committee report may include some tax increases, Huebsch said he hasn't polled his caucus to see how many members are willing to vote for that product. He notes that after years under Govs. Thompson and Scott McCallum, and after having control of both houses and the Joint Finance Committee in the last biennium, this is first budget in recent memory that the Assembly Republicans have written as a caucus.

"We basically threw out everything else and said, 'What are our priorities? What are we going to do?'" he said. "Because of that involvement, I have members that now know more about the budget than most finance members. ... I don't fear bottom lines from them either. They know what our goals are, they knew what our intention was, and they know you have to work with the other side on certain things. But as long as we hold to the goals that we have and the fact that we showed them you can pass a budget without raising taxes, I'm not concerned about the number of votes I'll have in this caucus nor in this house."

Huebsch said he has no date in mind for when the conference committee will wrap up. "I have a standard answer is I'm looking for a good budget, not a fast one," he says.

"But I also would say that as we look for specific dates, it would be very easy for us to be done next week, if they would just pass my budget," Huebsch joked.

Huebsch sat down with WisPolitics yesterday to talk about the budget conference committee process, why it's unfair for some to paint him as an "obstructionist," and the controversial shared revenue cuts to Milwaukee, Superior, Racine and Beloit.

Listen to the Huebsch interview here.

Labels: Huebsch

According to a report by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, statewide gross levies rose 4.6% to $8.71 billion in 2006-07. This despite a tax freeze installed in the current budget.

See the report here.

In a letter to legislators today, UW Board of Regents President Mark Bradley and UW System President Kevin Reilly say the budget forwarded by the Assembly will "seriously" diminish quality of state universities.

"The budget advanced by the Joint Committee on Finance would fully fund our cost-to continue," the letter says. "The Assembly's budget proposal funds only 20% of these ongoing commitments, forcing the University to make $120 million in cuts and reallocations."

See the letter here.

Labels: UW Funding

The folks at the Legislative Fiscal Bureau have prepared a handy reference to compare the budgets proposed by Dem Gov. Jim Doyle, the Joint Finance Committee, the Senate and the Assembly with current levels.

According to the analysis, Doyle's budget leaves the state with a 2009-11 structural deficit of $669 million, compared with a structural deficit of $877 million under the Assembly proposal authored by Repubicans.

See the document here.

Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson said she doesn't expect the budget conference committee to meet this week, but said she and Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch will get together Thursday to discuss groundrules and organization of the committee.

"I anticipate it will be next week," she said. "It's too soon to say, I have to meet with Rep. Huebsch."

Robson, D-Beloit, said the Senate committee members priorities will be to "protect" K-12 and UW System funding, health care, and property taxes.

"The property taxpayers will see a substantial increase with the Assembly Republican budget," Robson said. "And we also want to make sure that we have a balanced budget, becuase (Assembly Republicans) don't have a balanced budget."

Robson went on to call the Assembly budget "mean spirited, vindictive, and it just cut and slashed irresponsibly."

Listen to audio of Robson's comments to reporters here.

Labels: Robson

The Joint Finance Committee unanimously passed a bill to address the so-called Newark decision relating to the property tax exemption for waste treatment facilities.

Sen. Russ Decker, D-Weston, the co-chair of the committee, said the legislation is needed to close a "loophole" created by a recent tax appeals commission decision.

See the decision here.

Sen. Dave Hansen, D-Green Bay, said "the goal is to go back to the way it's been interpreted since 1953."

Hansen said "there is a real danger" that $2 billion in state property tax burden could shift from businesses to homeowners if the problem isn't addressed.

The Senate is expected to pull the bill to the floor today.

See the LFB memo:
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/lfb/2007-09Bills/071707JFC_SB%20122.pdf

UPDATE: The bill was passed by the Senate unanimously.

Labels: Newark_decision

See the LFB comparative analysis of the Senate and Assembly budgets here.

University of Wisconsin officials complained to the Board of Regents at their meeting Friday that the current gap between the Senate and Assembly budgets is wreaking havoc on planning within the System.

"We've never had this level of variation" between the Joint Finance Committee and a house of the Legislature, according to UW associate vice president of budget and planning Freda Harris. "It's almost impossible to work with."

Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, dismissed today's criticism as the "same old, same old."

Facing uncertainty over its fiscal situation, the board will meet again in early August to set the UW's annual budget and tuition rates.

After the initial UW recommendations moved through the JFC and Senate relatively unscathed, the Assembly GOP budget stripped millions in funding and wiped out several large campus building projects. The System also normally has an estimate by now of what the state is willing to contribute to faculty and staff pay from the Office of State Employment Relations but does not have that information because of the differences in the two budgets.

According to the UW analysis, the Assembly handed the system a total of $120 million in cuts over the biennium compared the budget JFC produced. Coupled with a 4 percent tuition cap also inserted into the Assembly budget, the UW would have to compensate by slashing planned compensation packages and current operations. System President Kevin Reilly reiterated that UW-Madison is already threatened by higher faculty compensation from competing universities.

At this point, Reilly said there is no way to accurately predict available state funds for the upcoming biennium and no way to assess the UW's Growth Agenda. Regents and UW officials are unsure how to reconcile the cloudy budget picture.

Harris said that when previous budgets dragged into late summer and even autumn, the System generally worked from the proposals that passed JFC. This year, however, she said the differences are too great to simply assume the funding will be there in the end.

Regent Jesus Salas said the board should press forward in its budget plans. He called negotiating with the GOP's budget "like trying to reason with the unreasonable."

"We do have a part in the process," Salas said. "I think we should take the lead."

"We're focusing on the Assembly version, and I think you’ve got to ignore it," said Regent David Walsh. He dismissed the GOP cuts as "politics."

Nass, who chairs the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee, said the Assembly Republicans actually increased GPR funding to the UW, and that the System needs new management if it can't live with its $1 billion in annual state aid.

"When the university doesn't get what they want they start crying," Nass said.

The Assembly budget increased GPR funding by 3 percent, or $62 million. In addition, Nass said, the tuition cap allows for $72 million more. He noted that the Regents could also simply raise tuition on out-of-state students.

Walsh acknowledged the GPR increase, but said the System's cost to continue alone requires an 8.5 percent increase, or $181 million.

"What we need to do is get us out of this deficit," Nass said. "They forget the taxpayer hell that we're in right now."

See an LFB memo on UW funding here.

--By Andy Szal

Labels: UW Board of Regents, UW Funding, UW System

Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch responded to criticism of the Republican-authored Assembly budget today on the "Early Spin" show on WISN-AM radio in Milwaukee.

"We must have done the right thing if Gov. Doyle's running around the state ripping our plan, there's no doubt about it," said Huebsch, R-West Salem.

Huebsch mainatained a very hard line on taxes increases, but said compromise on taxes could come on the cigarette tax.

"If there is a tax that can go up, the cigarette tax has been the one that this state and both parties have gone to in the past," he said. "That is the one above all others, and I say this emphatically, above all others that even gets tepid appearance of being one that could go up. But that is certainly not anything I'm committing to today, and it's not a direction I'm hoping to go."

The program host asked Huebsch to make a commitment that he will not support a budget with the oil franchise fee proposed by Doyle, but Huebsch declined.

"I won't make any commitments today," he said. "Mainly because it just puts me in a box when I'm trying to go in and negotiate with (Democrats)."

Asked if he has a date for when a budget should be passed, Huebsch responded, "I have no date, I feel no pressure to pass one."

Listen to audio of the program here.

Labels: Huebsch

Gov. Jim Doyle continued to slam the Assembly budget today, joining Milwaukee leaders at a downtown fire station to condemn the document.

Doyle knocked Republicans for of a host of proposed cuts to various programs and for removing from his budget plan items designed to benefit the Milwaukee area. He also slammed Assistant Assembly Majority Leader Mark Gundrum for saying that Milwaukee would be able to survive and get by under the Assembly budget.

"My vision, and our vision, is not a city that survives, but a city that is thriving and is prosperous," Doyle said. "Usually they don't reveal their limited vision quite so clearly, but to say 'Milwaukee will survive,' just tells the whole story.

"The Republican vision for Milwaukee is fewer police on the streets, fewer firefighters in the fire houses, fewer jobs for our citizens and poorer schools for our students. What were they thinking?"

But Gundrum told WisPolitics that the comments he made were in reference to Milwaukee government.

"I certainly want Milwaukee to thrive and the business community will hopefully continue to thrive," Gundrum said. "But we're talking about government; the government will get by."

He added: "The government doesn't need to continue being expanded by millions of dollars every year. ... It's clear the Democrats believe there is no limit to what taxpayers can afford to pay in taxes; Republicans believe taxpayers are paying enough and should not be taxed any more."

See more

Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch has confirmed that Majority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald and JFC co-chair Kitty Rhoades will serve alongside him on the conference committee.

Huebsch sent a letter today to the Assembly Chief Clerk announcing the appointments so the bill to create the committee can move forward. (AJR 59)

UPDATE: The conference committee roster is set as Assembly Minority Leader Jim Kreuser makes it official and appoints himself to the panel.

Sen. Bob Jauch, D-Superior, has been named to the Democratic slate of the budget conference committee, joining Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson of Beloit and JFC co-chair Russ Decker of Weston.

See the release here.

Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch has said he plans to follow past practice and serve on the committee along with the majority leader, Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald of Horicon, and the JFC co-chair, Rep. Kitty Rhoades of Hudson.

It's likely that Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, will represent Senate Republicans, though that has not been finalized. Assembly Minority Leader Jim Kreuser, D-Kenosha, will represent his caucus.

UPDATE: It's official. Sen. Fitzgerald says he will sit on conference committee.

Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson said today that yesterday's meeting with Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch in Gov. Jim Doyle's office dealt with generalities, and didn't focus on particular issues that may be on the bargaining table in the conference committee.

Robson, speaking at a press conference this morning on the "Birth Control Protection Act," echoed Doyle's comments yesterday that she'd like to see a budget completed by the beginning of next month. But she didn't sound too hopeful.

"I'd love to see a budget done by Aug. 1 if we possibly can," Robson said. "I doubt it, but we're going to be pushing for a speedy resolution, if we have to be here every day of the week, including Saturdays."

On Tuesday, the Senate will pass a resolution to create the conference committee. Robson said she'd like to get started soon after that passage. Robson said she would hope the conference committee could meet "very soon after that."

Both Robson and Huebsch say they didn't leave a meeting with the governor yesterday with a set date to begin the conference committee. But they did say that the governor offered to act as a facilitator for the panel charged with bringing together a budget compromise.

Huebsch said there were no deadlines or time frames set. He described the meeting as "very friendly." He said the conference committee will take a "deliberate pace."

"What we wanted to do is just lay down the groundwork that we want to work together, we want to try to get to an answer, and that's what we were able to accomplish today," he said. "I think there was concern that we were just going to kind of take the next few weeks off. And I said no, this is a work week for everybody else in the state, it's going to be a work week for us."

Robson said after the meeting with Huebsch and Doyle that she didn't sense any reluctance from the other side.

"It was a very good meeting with the speaker, and he is willing and able, cooperative and friendly. And I think it will be a good process," Robson said.

She said Doyle offered to help when sticking points come up in the committee process.

"He's there if we need him, but otherwise it's a legislative process and we'll work it out between the two teams from the Assembly and Senate," Robson said.

Listen to Huebsch interview here.

Listen to Robson interview here.

Robson said she planned to name her third member to the conference committee "very soon."

So far, Robson has announced that she and JFC co-chair Russ Decker, D-Weston, will serve on the committee. Huebsch has said he plans to follow past practice and serve on the committee along with the majority leader and JFC co-chair.

It's likely that Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, will represent Senate Republicans, though that has not been finalized. Assembly Minority Leader Jim Kreuser, D-Kenosha, will represent his caucus.

- Shortly after meeting with Huebsch and Robson, Doyle continued to attack the Assembly budget, calling for the Legislature to restore funding for public safety and education in an afternoon press conference with Dane Co. Exec. Kathleen Falk and Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.

"The Assembly Republicans showed everyone what their vision is for Wisconsin," Doyle said, calling the budget "an assault on our most basic values."

After listing his grievances with some of the cuts made by the Assembly GOP, Doyle called on the conference committee to move quickly. While he said he'd like to be able to sign a budget "tomorrow," he established Aug. 1 as a more realistic goal.

"I'm encouraged that they're talking to each other," Doyle said of both houses. "They need to get to work."

Cieslewicz said budget orders for Madison departments based on the Doyle and Senate budgets went out earlier today. He said the Assembly budget cuts would require laying off fire fighters and police officers when Madison is expanding. He said the Assembly budget would be "an absolute disaster for the city of Madison."

Doyle said that while the conference committee was primarily a discussion between the houses of the Legislature, his office would be "involved every step of the way."

Listen to Doyle's remarks at the press conference here.

Huebsch responded with a statement yesterday afternoon saying it was "disappointing" that Doyle spent "his day chastising us for engaging in 'partisan rhetoric' when his press conference was dedicated to doing just that."

"Republicans will continue to work on getting to the right answer, which is a state budget that lives within the means of the taxpayers," Huebsch said.

See the statement here.

The Assembly budget spends the most in general purpose revenue but the least in all funds among the four versions of the budget, according to a Legislative Fiscal Bureau memo.

The memo shows that the plan authored by Assembly Republicans includes $56.3 billion in state spending, compared to the $66.1 billion approved by Senate Dems that includes their Healthy Wisconsin plan.

Gov. Jim Doyle's budget had a total of $58.2 billion in all funds, while the budget passed by the Joint Finance Committee had $58.1 billion.

In general purpose revenue, the Assembly Republican plan spends the most, at $27.8 billion, whereas the Senate plan spends $27.6 billion, the JFC plan $27.5 billion and the governor $27.4 billion.

See the memo here.



-- LFB also has a memo out on the impacts of the Assembly GOP proposal on K-12 school districts compared to Doyle's budget.

Under the Republican funding scenario, the revenue limits for most schools would be lower than they would be under Doyle's plan. For example, Milwaukee Public Schools would get $38 million more compared to current law under the GOP plan, but that would be $12.7 million short of the funding level in Doyle's plan.

Many districts would face the same limits under both plans. Districts that would see zero change if the low revenue ceiling is utilized include Baraboo, West Bend and New London.

See memo on analysis here.

See estimated 2007-08 and 2008-09 Revenue limit changes to 2006-07 base year under SB 40 and proposal -- WITH utilizing the low revenue ceiling and assuming districts do not meet health care benefit conditions here.

*See estimated 2007-08 and 2008-09 Revenue limit changes to 2006-07 base year under SB 40 and proposal -- WITHOUT utilizing the low revenue ceiling and assuming districts do not meet health care benefit conditions here.


-- Another LFB memo breaks down the state funding totals for all school districts, finding that Doyle's plan provides $448 million more than the previous budget, while the Assembly plan provides $464 million in new funding due to a big boost in the school levy tax credit. Doyle's plan provides $85 million more in general school aids.

See the memo here.

Labels: School funding

Gov. Jim Doyle will meet with Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson, D-Beloit, and Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, today at 1 p.m. to discuss the budget and pending conference committee.

The governor has also scheduled a 2 p.m. news conference at a fire station on Dayton Street in Madison to talk about the Assembly Republican budget. He will be joined by Dane County Exec. Kathleen Falk and Madison Mayor Dave Cieslewicz.

Huebsch and Robson said yesterday they have most of the conference committee's roster laid out.

Huebsch said he will likely follow tradition for the conference committee and include the speaker, majority leader, Joint Finance co-chair and a member of the minority on the body.

Robson said the Senate component will include herself, JFC co-chair Russ Decker, plus an additional Dem and a GOP senator to be chosen by Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau.

Huebsch said he's asked Gov. Jim Doyle during one of their frequent meetings to have an active role in the process, and the governor has pledged to have a seat at the table going forward.

"I can't simply go on a wing and a prayer that what we have developed as a budget with Senate Democrats is something that he also agrees to," Huebsch said.

Huebsch also said he'll be ready to go to conference committee as soon as the Senate approves the resolution creating the body. But he said he is not in a rush to produce a budget and will take his time to ensure a "good" product that holds the lines on taxes.

"As far as how quickly we're able to agree with those priorities will determine how quickly we're able to pass it," Huebsch said.

Robson said the Senate would approve the resolution to go to conference committee in session next Tuesday. She agreed that the governor should have an active role in the process.

"This is our job, to get this budget done," Robson said of moving quickly into the conference committee phase.

Robson spokesman Josh Wescott said the aim is for the conference committee to begin work next week.

In his final floor remarks on budget passage, Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch said the Republican budget puts families' needs ahead of government's wants.

"For all the criticism that has come today from the other side of the aisle, I think everyone in Wisconsin with a job, with a family, or with two pennies in their pocket to rub together, can be grateful that at least somebody in Madison is willing to stand up and say "enough" to our high taxes and "enough" to more government spending," Huebsch said.

See text of Huebsch's remarks here.

Rep. Jeff Wood, R-Chippewa Falls, the only member of the Republican majority to vote against the Assembly budget, says he was disappointed his caucus didn't include incentives for the renewable energy industry.

"I don't think it's a maverick stance, when it's the largest sector of our rural economy's growth," Wood said to reporters after the session ended. "I represent a rural district, and to see our party send the jobs to Minnesota and Iowa, I don't think it's a radical stance to stand up for my district."

Wood also said he didn't like the elimination of the Homestead Tax Credit included in the budget, or $22 million included to comply with the federal Real ID Act. Wood had briefly offered an amendment on the Real ID proposal today, but pulled it back.

Listen to Wood's remarks to reporters here.

On concurrences, passes 51-44. Again, Rep. Jeff Wood, R-Chippewa Falls, joins Democrats in voting against.

Rep. Kreuser said this is the third act of a four act play, and said he's looking ahead to the conference committee.

"We want to work together with you," he said. "We'd like to have a bipartisan budget when we get out of here. Most of the people of this state want us to work together."

Kreuser said the GOP budget is about limiting vital services and agencies that people of Wisconsin rely on, like road repairs and fire and police service.

Rep. Mark Gundrum, R-New Berlin, said the GOP budget is a reflection of how fed up residents are with taxes and expansion of government. "The taxpayers of this state have had enough," Gundrum said. "That is what our entire Assembly Republican budget has been focused on."

Gundrum said there were doubters that a budget could be formulated that doesn't raise taxes. "We have shown all of Wisconsin, the Senate Democrats and the governor you can pass a responsible budget without raising taxes," he said.

Passes 51-44. Rep. Jeff Wood, R-Chippewa Falls, voted with Democrats in voting against adoption and for rejection.

Wood also voted with Dems on adoption of the substitute amendment, ASA 1.

Next is a vote on concurrence, but leaders from both side will give final remarks before that takes place.

Fails 44-51. Vote on passage coming up.

The debate is beginning to wind down, and we could have a vote soon. The first vote will be on the current motion, which is to reject the Republican proposal. The "no" side will need 50 votes to avoid rejection.

Rep. Jim Kreuser, D-Kenosha, told WisPolitics that the debate today is as good as he's seen on the Assembly floor. "It's how the Legislature's supposed to work, don't you think?"

Kreuser said he was pleased that his members had the chance to voice their concerns with the Republican budget, and said he looks forward to the start of the conference committee to resolve differences between the GOP and Dem proposals.

It's apparent now that there will be no amendments offered. Republican members have tried a couple times during this long discourse on health care policy to goad Democrats into producing an motion to include the Senate Democrats' Healthy Wisconsin plan in the Assembly budget, but so far there have been no takers.

According to one GOP source, a deal was cut early this morning between the two sides of the aisle to withhold amendments, and to give members who wished to speak their chance at the mic under the unblinking gaze of WisconsinEye.

Assistant Minority Leader Rep. Jon Richards, D-Milwaukee, said there wasn't a deal not to offer amendments. "There are no amendments because you can't put lipstick on a pig," said Richards.

One of four Dems absent from today's budget session, Rep. Christine Sinicki of Milwaukee, is home recovering from minor heart surgery.

Sinicki said in a statement that she regrets not being in Madison to vote against the Republican budget.

See her statement.

Rep. Annette Polly Williams, D-Milwaukee, is absent because of a funeral.

Rep. Steve Hilgenberg, D-Dodgeville, is receiving treatment for prostate cancer and was recuperating at home.

Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, was out of state and had flight troubles returning to Madison.

This spreadsheet, prepared by the DOA, offers an analysis of school revenues at the $200 per pupil increase proposed in the Assembly Republican budget. It includes an estimate of the number of teacher's that would allegedly have to be cut, numbers that Rep. Sondy Pope-Roberts cited earlier in the day.

Numbers compare the funding level of the Republican budget with that proposed by Gov. Doyle.

See the document here.

Labels: School funding

The conversation has moved on to the land stewardship program. Still to come is debate on health care proposals in the Republican budget.

Rep. Leah Vukmir, R-Wauwatosa, said Milwaukee Democrats need to step up and support the school choice program in their city. She said Republicans are "tired of doing the work Milwaukee Democrats refuse to do."

She said Rep. Pedro Colon, D-Milwaukee, failed to introduce a funding fix for the program in the Joint Finance Committee, which results in higher taxes for Milwaukee residents. She also blasted Democratic Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, who she said doesn't receive the respect his predecessor John Norquist did in the Capitol. "He shows up looking for more money and a hand-out," she said of Barrett.

Colon responded sarcastically that he wasn't aware that he was only member of the JFC who could propose amendments, and pointed out that not only did Republican JFC members fail to offer a fix in the committee, but the Republican budget being debated today also fails to provide a fix.

"Just to be frank, I don't think you care about the taxpayers of Milwaukee," Colon said. "You don't give a damn about those taxpayers."

Labels: Colon, School_Choice, Vukmir

Gov. Jim Doyle will hold a press conference tomorrow at a Madison fire station to speak about the budget proposal from the Assembly GOP. Doyle will be joined at the 2 p.m. news conference by joined by Mayor Dave Cieslewicz, Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk.

A wide range of state pols weighed in Monday and Tuesday on the Assembly budget:

Gov. Doyle: Statement on Assembly budget
Lt. Gov. Lawton: Statement on Assembly budget proposal
Milwaukee Mayor Barrett: Assembly Republican's last line of defense is indefensible
Rep. Colon: Assembly GOP asks Milwaukee taxpayers to open their wallets
Rep. Huebsch: Assembly Republicans announce families first budget
Rep. Nass: Assembly Republican budget better for taxpayers and families
Rep. Nass: Senate Democrats universal healthcare plan covers illegal aliens
Sen. Breske: Blasts irresponsible Republican budget
Sen. Erpenbach: Assembly Republican budget ignores health care crisis; insurance companies big winners, public loses
Sen. Jauch: Slams GOP for partisan decision to cut UW-Superior academic building
Sen. Kedzie: Praises Assembly Republicans for adding real senior tax relief plan to budget
Sen. Robson: Statement on Assembly Republican budget

For more, see the press release page at WisPolitics.com.

It seems today's session is going to be a series of Dems standing up and stating positions on issues, followed by Republican rebuttals.

So far there haven't been any amendments offered by either side, save for a few from Rep. Jeff Wood, R-Eau Claire, who withdrew them after a caucus.

A few freshman Dems have risen to give their first floor speeches. Meanwhile, four Dems aren't present today.

Biggest news of the day has been the retirement announcement of Rep. Gronemus.

Looks like we may be headed for an up or down vote on the Republican proposal, and move on to conference committee.

Rep. Jennifer Shilling, D-La Crosse, offered this analogy of the Assembly Republican budget plan as it relates to the UW System.

"It's like Edward Scissorhands on meth. It's cut, cut, cut," she said.

Labels: Scissorhands, Shilling

Rep. Gordon Hintz picked a pressure-packed time to give his first floor address. Not only is this the day the Assembly debates the budget, but it is also the first day of WisconsinEye's televised coverage of a legislative floor session.

The Democratic freshman from Oshkosh gave a speech about the importance of the UW System and Wisconsin Technical College System and the importance of those institutions to the state's economy and development of skilled labor. He said he hopes members are thoughtful of that importance when the budget reaches the conference committee stage.

When he finished, he got a round of applause, a tradition for members giving their first floor speech.

The cordiality wasn't long lasting. Rep. Robin Vos, R-Racine, rose to inform viewers that the clapping was a tradition. "Even though I applauded your comments, I don't agree with them," he said.

Rep. Sondy Pope-Roberts, D-Madison, blasted the GOP budget for cutting education, saying it will result in districts having to fire teachers.

Rep. Brett Davis, R-Oregon, countered that the Republican proposal includes $464 million in new money for K-12 education, whereas Gov. Jim Doyle's proposal included just $448 million.

Labels: School funding

The Dems have moved for rejection of the budget bill. So far there haven't been any formal motions to amend the GOP document on the Assembly In Session site.

Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, said his caucus accomplished the difficult task of cutting spending and eliminating tax increases from Gov. Jim Doyle's budget that included $1.6 billion in new taxes.

"It's not easy to tell people no," he said. "It's not part of human nature."

Fitzgerald said his goal has been to get Wisconsin out of the top 10 taxed states in the U.S. He said this budget will do that.

Rep. Staskunas, D-West Allis, attacked the GOP proposal for leaving the state without a fund reserve and for draining the compensation reserves for state employees. He said the budget is "built on quicksand," and would be disasterous if the state's economy were to take a downturn.

Former Assembly Speaker John Gard, a Republican from Peshtigo, has stopped by the office of current Speaker Mike Huebsch to say hello to his old friends.

Asked if he was here for moral support, Gard said, "Gosh no. They don't need any. They're fine."

Rep. Marlin Schneider, D-Wisconsin Rapids, is railing against the GOP budget for including pork and policy.

He listed a host of highway projects that are in GOP lawmakers districts. "You make the Wisconsin Pork Producers look like pikers."

Schneider also went off on the policy items loaded into the Republican proposal, including special vehicle plates for sex offenders and the lifting of the moratorium on construction of nuclear power facilities.

Rep. Kitty Rhoades, R-Hudson, defended the document, reading off a list of similar earmarks and policy items in the Senate budget.

"If we're going to talk about earmarks and we're going to talk about policy, let's be honest," she said.

Rep. Tony Staskunas, D-West Allis, said Rhoades' defense amounted to "they did it first, so we thought we'd do it back."

The debate over the Assembly GOP budget has begun with Minority Leader Jim Kreuser, D-Kenosha comparing the bill to a wrecked car. He said the GOP proposal should be "totaled," because it would take too much effort to fix it.

He also tied the proposal to President Bush.

"This is a budget only George Bush could love," he said. "It mortgages our future to please a handful of special interests and partisans."

Labels: Kreuser

The proceedings hit a snag when Rep. Jeff Wood, R-Chippewa Falls, offered amendments to the Assembly GOP budget bill. Caucus leaders had said their side would offer no amendments, so the Wood amendments caught them by surprise.

One of the proposed amendments was a joint motion with Dem Rep. Louis Molepske regarding the federal Real ID Act.

The Assembly is now back on the floor.

UPDATE: Wood has rescinded his amendments.

Republicans have now called a caucus.

Back from caucus, Rep. Barbara Gronemus, D-Whitehall, has announced she will not run again for her seat in the Assembly. She was elected in 1983.

The Assembly Dems have gone to a "brief" caucus. Assembly Republicans will not caucus.

Before they get to the budget, the lawmakers have to attend to the business of approving Gov. Jim Doyle's appointments to the Government Accountability Board. The three appointees, Thomas Cane, David Deininger, and Gerald Nichol, pass unanimously.

During introductions, Rep. Scott Gunderson, R-Waterford, stood to thank all those that participated in the Assembly softball game last month.

"It was a close game. It was a good game," Gunderson said.

"Who won?" a member asked.

"The Republicans won 19-4," Gunderson said, drawing whoops of approval from his side of the aisle.

Minority Leader Jim Kreuser, D-Kenosha, rose to give this rebuttal.

"You guys won, you did play well, but we had the best looking team," Kreuser said jokingly.

The day begins with a prayer from Rep. Terry Moulton and pledge of allegiance. Roll is called. Five Dems are absent, four are temporarily out, but Rep. Annette Polly Williams will be out all day.

Assembly Republicans have completed their caucus and are starting to make their way to the chamber.

Gov. Jim Doyle today accused Republicans of producing a budget that would result in poorer schools for kids and fewer police and firefighters for neighborhoods while denying children health care to protect big tobacco.

Doyle also accused Republicans of abandoning fiscal discipline by eliminating the statutory balance.

"This is an extreme, irresponsible budget that works against the needs of Wisconsin families," Doyle said in a statement. "It's an assault on our most basic values, good schools for our kids, health care for those who need it, and police on the street."

The noon hour is upon us, and there is no action yet on the Assembly floor. The chamber so far is empty save for a few Dems. Republicans are in caucus at the moment, so we'll be getting underway a little late.

The Dems caucused until after 9 o'clock last night, and reconvened for about an hour beginning at 10 a.m. today.

Assembly Republicans touted their version of their budget this morning as a plan that meets and exceeds their no tax increase pledge while protecting the state's top priorities like education.

They said the competing budgets produced by their caucus and Senate Dems crystallize the differences between the two sides and prove Republicans were willing to put taxpayers first.

"This budget is about the silent majority out there," said Majority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, adding many Wisconsinites continue to believe taxes are too high on families and businesses.

"We will continue fighting for those folks."

Republicans held a short news conference on the Capitol steps before heading back into the building for a planned noon floor period. Most of the 52-member caucus stood behind Fitzgerald; Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem; and Joint Finance Co-chair Kitty Rhoades, R-Hudson, as they addressed reporters.

Afterward, Huebsch answered reporters' questions and defended the dozens of policy initiatives included in the GOP plan, saying they reflected Republican priorities.

Huebsch also said he was ready to go to conference committee as soon as Senate Dems approved the resolution creating the body. But he also continued to maintain Republicans are holding open the option of not approving a budget rather than agreeing to various tax hikes supported by Dems. He said the length of the process depended on how long it took Senate Dems to agree to re-think some of their tax proposals.

For more, including audio from the news conference and Q&A, see this afternoon's PM Update.

Assembly Minority Leader Jim Kreuser, D-Kenosha, said today that he was "greatly disappointed" in the Assembly Republicans budget plan.

"I feel a majority of Republicans are looking forward to conference committee, because tomorrow they're just going to hold their noses and vote for this," Kreuser told reporters as Assembly Democrats broke from a briefing with the Legislative Fiscal Bureau this afternoon.

Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, withheld comment on the proposal until a news conference planned for tomorrow morning before the chamber heads to the floor to debate the plan, spokesman John Murray said.

Murray said leadership believes Republicans have the 50 votes needed to pass the plan and said the caucus lived up to Huebsch's no tax increase pledge with the budget.

Kreuser said the Republican plan's cut to shared revenue are "fiscally irresponsible," and said the secrecy surrounding the unveiling of the budget "is something Dick Cheney can be proud of."

"It's not something that will provide a bright future for Wisconsin," Kreuser said. "It's cutting many of our core values, education, our universities, human services, it takes a step backward on our environment and passes the buck onto local communities."

Rep. Sondy Pope-Roberts, D-Middleton, said the budget plan "does no favors for education," pointing out that it cuts $85 million from general school aids compared to Gov. Jim Doyle's budget, and cuts funding for school safety programs.

She also said cuts to SAGE funding in the GOP proposal will mean "the death of SAGE in Wisconsin," and said school breakfast funding is cut by one-third. "That's just downright mean," she said.

Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, said the GOP proposal would be "devestating" to the UW System, and reduce it to mediocrity.

Rep. John Richards, D-Milwaukee, said the document "is remarkably bad for health care," pointing out the elimination of provisions that would expand BadgerCare to provide insurance to uninsured residents.

Rep. Pedro Colon, D-Milwaukee, said the proposal is equally devestating to the state's largest city. "I don't know what these guys have against Milwaukee, but it's pretty drastic," he said. "In some ways, it's deviant genius."

He said the budget plan disregards agreements that were made in the Joint Finance Committee, and said it looks bleak for a budget to be passed any time soon. "I don't know how they intend to get to the final product," Colon said.

Kreuser said he was optimistic that differences could be worked out in conference committee, saying "there are good ideas on both sides. But he accused Republicans of bowing to blog pressure with their proposal.

"The tail's wagging the dog," he said. "Obvioiusly the Boots and Sabres people have controlled their agenda and they think they have to go farther to the right ... We need to compromise and get our job done of passing the state budget."

Listen to the press conference here.

Much like Senate Dems loaded up their version of the budget with pork, Assembly Republicans have filled theirs with policy.

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau analysis released today on the Assembly GOP package points out dozens of policy items in the document, many of them based on various bills that have languished in a Legislature featuring split control.

The items include everything from requiring legislative approval for off-reservation casinos, some things Republicans have been trying to pass for the last four years, to the elimination of straight ticket voting, which some Republicans believe hurt them at the polls last fall in the Dem wave that swept the country.

Here are some examples of the policy items in the document:

-Require school district referenda to be held on regularly scheduled primary or general election dates.
-Changing state law to require schools to meet a set number of hours rather than at least 180 days annually.
-Allow schools to refuse to hire felons or to fire them.
-Allow employers to refuse to employ or terminate anyone convicted of a sex offense or a violent offense.
-Eliminate the residency requirement for Milwaukee Public School teachers.
-Create an exception to quotas on "Class B" liquor licenses for full-service restaurants.
-Require proof of citizenship to qualify for public assistance "to the extent permitted under federal law."
-Require child sex offenders who are required to be monitored through GPS tracking to have license plates on their vehicles with a chartreuse-colored background.
-Eliminate sick leave for legislators, justices and judges, and all other state elected officials.
-Change requirements for local governments on posting legal notices, ordinances, rules and orders.
-Prohibiting prisoners from initiating a John Doe proceeding by complaining to judges that a crime may have been committed. Prisoners would only be allowed to complain to district attorneys.
-Alter state laws on the self-defense privilege.
-Allow electors to require identification whenever a ballot is issued under their name.
-Prohibit Milwaukee from printing more than 200 percent of the ballots used in the previous election for the next one.
-Allow an authority as defined under the state's Open Records Law to withhold access to any record containing a utility security system plan under certain circumstances.
-Create a legislative Joint Committee on State Mandates.
-Modify the regulation of elevators.
-Eliminate the ban on heated exterior pedestrian walkways not fully enclosed within a building, which has been in existence since 1980.

Republicans put together a list of Dem earmarks after the Senate finished its version of the budget. See the list:
http://www.wispolitics.com/1006/Budget___Senate_Democrat_Earmarks.pdf

Below are some highlights of the Assembly GOP budget proposal found as we thumb through the LFB analysis. The Assembly Republicans worked from the budget passed by the Joint Finance Committee, not the version passed by the Senate last month. All numbers reflect changes compared to the JFC-approved budget, not current law.

- ends the biennium with a $5.6 million statutory balance.

- delete $81.6 million in borrowing for UW Systen academic facilities.

- delete $65 million in general fund supported bonding for state building program projects.

- reduce GPR funding for Wisconsin Public Television and Radio by $4.8 million under the Educational Communications Board, and reduce GPR funding for public TV and radio under UW-Extension by $8.1 million.

- reduce general aids funding for K-12 education by $85.4 million.

- cap per pupil increase at $200 per year for each year of the biennium.

- reduction of $96 million GPR for UW System over the biennium.

- reduce funding for the UW Law School by $4 million over the biennium, and prohibit UW System from allocating any GPR for the school beginning 2010-11.

- delete $26 million for WHEG-UW program funding.

- delete $11.5 million from proposed partial reimbursement of foregone tuition revenues from veterans tuition remission program.

- delete Wisconsin Covenant program.

- $14.2 million GPR base budget reductions for Wisconsin Technical College System.

- expand individual income tax deductions for certain payments to Wisconsin college savings programs.

- delete JFC provision to increase license fees for security agents and investment advisers.

- make deposits to health savings accounts tax deductible.

- individual income tax exclusion for retirement income.

- allow for maximim deduction of $6,000 for college tuition and mandatory student fees.

- delete JFC provision to modify state tax laws to conform with the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement.

- delete $1.25 per pack increase to cigarette tax.

- delete real estate transfer fee increase, and reduce current law real estate transfer fee from $3 per $1,000 to $2 per $1,000 for 2010-11, and to $1 for 2011-12, and specify that counties would retain 100 percent of the fee.

- reduce funding for child care subsidies under W-2 by $52.6 million, require DWD to implement a waiting list system for applicants eligible for a child care subsidy.

- require an applicant for a public assistance program to provide documentary proof of citizenship or satisfactory immigration status.

- delete all funding and changes relating to BadgerCare Plus, removing $89.3 million in spending from budget.

- delete provisions to increase the nursing home bed assessment from $75 to $127 per month.

- delete Family Care expansion, removing $61.1 million in spending.- increase vital records fees by $7 million.

- reduce GPR funding for the Department of Commerce by $4 million.

- delete provision for stewardship reauthorization, and provide $145 million in general obligation bonding revenue and reauthorize program through 2019-20.

- delete $3 per ton recycling tipping fee increase.

- repeal moratorium on construction of nuclear power plants.

- reduce shared revenue funding by $58 million.

- reduce payments to Milwaukee by $28.7 million, Racine by $3.3 million, Beloit by $2 million, and Superior $1 million.- eliminate oil franchise fee.

- increase heavy truck registration by 15 percent.

- increase standard vehicle registration fee from $28.50 to $38.50.

- beginning in 2010-11, delete statutory language allowing the department to subsidize a child care facility that provides services to state employees.

-- reduce GPR compensation and other reserves by $94.1 million.

- delete provision to provide $3 million for 39 positions for security positions.

- elminate $17.9 million for correctional officer overtime funding.

- delete provision to expand the utilization of the earned release program, saving $9.8 million GPR.

- require child sex offenders to display special registration plates on their vehicles that would have a chartreuse-colored background.

- provide that the state may not pay the first 5 percent of earnings for nonrepresented classified and unclassified state employees, including UW faculty and staff, the state is required to pay as employee contribution under WRS, resulting in a lapse of $66.3 million to the general fund.

- eliminate 81.52 vacant GPR positions, removing $11 million from the state payroll.

- beginning in 2008, eliminate straight party voting unless the voter is absentee from the military or from overseas.

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau released its analysis of the Assembly GOP budget this afternoon.

See the document:
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/lfb/2007-09budget/ARC%20Amendments%20to%20JFC%20Sub.pdf

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau summary of the budget crafted by Assembly Republicans is expected to be released around midday, according to a spokesman for Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch. The draft language from the Legislative Reference Bureau should be available later in the day.

Assembly Democrats will caucus today at noon in the Grand Army of the Republic room in the State Capitol. The Dems will hear briefings from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau on the Senate version of the budget and the version Assembly Republicans will bring to the floor tomorrow.

Assembly Republicans will caucus at 10 a.m. tomorrow, and hold a press conference on their version of the budget at 11 a.m. tomorrow. The full Assembly will take the floor at noon tomorrow to vote on the budget.

Huebsch spokesman John Murray said the plan is for the Assembly to complete work on the budget tomorrow.

Assembly Republicans wrapped up their caucus at about 10 p.m. last night and are ready to go to the floor Tuesday with their budget.

An email sent to members said the Assembly will take up the budget at noon on Tuesday. The Assembly Republicans will caucus at 10 a.m. that day.

Assembly Democrats have set a caucus for Monday, but a start time hasn't been determined.

A spokesman for Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, said the GOP caucus has wrapped up work on the transportation budget.

Spokesman John Murray said the caucus is tying up miscellaneous budget items. He expected the group to work into the evening.

"Certainly, they will be making an effort to make sure they have the votes to pass (the Assembly budget)," Murray said.

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)."

Assembly Republicans gathered at 10 a.m. today to continue work on the state budget.

They were "told to be prepared to work a solid, full day," said John Murray, spokesman for Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem.

The plan was to finish up today, get the budget to the drafters and go to the floor on Tuesday, Murray said.

Assembly Republicans will continue their closed caucus meetings on Thursday.

According to Speaker Mike Huebsch's office, today's caucus wrapped up around 6 p.m. The lawmakers' meeting began at 9 a.m. The full Assembly is expected to take up the budget on Tuesday.

An Assembly Republican cookout on the Capitol lawn was interrupted by a police chase and arrest yesterday afternoon.

Rep. Phil Montgomery, R-Green Bay, had set up a grill at that entrance and was cooking hamburgers for the legislators during a break from their budget caucus.

As the legislators munched on hamburgers just before 5:30 p.m., Madison police officers were pursuing a man who had carjacked a vehicle and led police on a chase up E. Washington Ave. to the Wisconsin Avenue driveway of the Capitol building.

The man drove onto the walkway around the Capitol to avoid his pursuers, passing mere feet from the 50 or 60 legislators and staffers who had gathered for the bar-b-que. Police told the legislators to take cover.

"We were lucky," said Rep. Terry Musser, R-Black River Falls. "(The suspect) evidently didn't want manslaughter or vehicular homicide charges, too."

The suspect stopped the car near the legislators, and raised his hands in the vehicle to surrender to authorities as the legislators looked on just a few feet away, according to Madison police spokesman Joel DeSpain.

"Montgomery does know how to throw a party," Musser quipped.

The man is also suspected in a credit union robbery on E. Commercial Avenue at 5:18 p.m. yesterday, but authorities have been unable to definitively link the two incidents.

You can see a brief police report here.

See more on the story here.

Meanwhile, Assembly Republicans are back in closed session today, trying to hammer out agreement on their 2007-09 budget proposal after meeting until after 10 last night. The Assembly is expected to take to the floor July 10.

John Murray, spokesman for Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem, said the caucus has made "a lot of progress on a number of bigger packages," and the speaker's intent is for the caucus to reach a consensus on the full budget by the end of the day.

University of Wisconsin-Madison officials were circulating a memo to lawmakers today to back up their contention that they need more on-campus housing space.

The memo contradicts a letter Madison landlord Steve Brown sent lawmakers last week, disputing the need for housing projects that were included in the Senate version of the budget. He insists the school has enough space to provide housing to all freshmen if it wanted to.

See more on Brown's letter below.

But according to the UW memo, the school was not able to provide housing to 679 new students for the 2007-08 academic year. Of those students, 494 asked to be put on a waiting list for fall housing, while the other 185 weren't even given that chance.

The school also argues even if its plans are completed, only 7,368 students would live on campus with the other more than 32,000 living elsewhere. It also argues that students who live on campus do better and pay less for their housing needs than some private residence halls.

See the memo:
http://www.wispolitics.com/1006/uw_housing.pdf

Assembly Republicans are caucusing again today on their 2007-09 budget plan. The closed caucus began this morning at 10 a.m.

Leadership has told members to be available for another meeting tomorrow as well.

The lawmakers are continuing to discuss recommendations from the 12 working groups set up to tackle different areas of the budget. Sources say the GOP Assembly is looking to piece together a package of cuts in the neighborhood of $700 million as they work toward a no-tax-increase budget.

Some of the proposed cuts put on the table include an $84.5 million reduction in equalization aids for schools and a $50 million reduction in shared revenue, sources say.