Sen. Fitzgerald and Rep. Fitzgerald didn't offer a lot of motions, but they did offer a one-two punch to the proposal in their comments.

"This is the deepest, darkest budget I have ever seen negotiated in this building," Sen. Fitzgerald said.

He said the deal was negotiated in the LFB offices by a few people, and even rank-and-file members of the majority party are unaware of its contents.

"This committee is a sham and a mockery of the process," he said.

Rep. Fitzgerald focused on fiscal matters. He asked the LFB for figures on tax and fee increases in this budget ($2.1 billion), all funds spending increases ($4 billion, or about 6.6 percent or 6.8 percent), and bonding (about $2.9 billion).

"What gets me is when they sit there and say this is going to protect working families. Are you kidding me?" Rep. Fitzgerald said. "This does nothing to protect the middle class. I said this on the floor of the Assembly -- this is a good old-fashioned Democrat budget."

Rep. Fitzgerald also took on Gov. Doyle.

"Where is he? Is he in D.C. again?" he asked. "We need to have a budget by June 30, and I haven't seen him in a long time. Does he care?"

-- By Greg Bump