Discussions continuing on budget repair
Talks continue between legislative leaders, their staff and Gov. Jim Doyle's administration in the effort to resolve the state's looming $500-plus million budget deficit.
Spokesmen for Assembly Republicans and Senate Dems remain optimistic that a compromise will be found soon. One option that does not seem likely to win support is to fix $75 million budget hole projected for the first year of the fiscal biennium and leave the larger deficit of the second year for a later time.
"It's an option, but I don't think it's one we're going to take," said Carrie Lynch, spokeswoman for Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, D-Weston. "We haven't talked about it too much. We know it's a two-year problem, so we should look at it that way."
Jim Bender, spokesman for Assembly Majority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, said acting on only the first year problem was discussed "but never really got any traction."
"Mathematically it puts you at the end of that second year in a situation where there's no savings to be had," he said.
Labels: Budget_Repair_Bill
