Posted on 02/20/2011 3:11:00 PM PST by EBH
MADISON, Wis. – Wisconsin's senate majority leader says the chamber will convene to pass non-spending bills and act on appointments Tuesday even if minority Democrats remain out of state.
Republican Sen. Scott Fitzgerald told The Associated Press on Sunday that he would be reviewing which bills and appointees to schedule for action. He says senators can't wait around "twiddling their thumbs" until the Democrats return.
Fourteen Democrats fled to Illinois last week to delay action on a budget bill that would effectively eliminate collective bargaining rights for most public employees. Republicans need 20 of 33 members to have a quorum to pass any spending bill but only a simple majority of 17 for other items.
Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller says Democrats will not return until Gov. Scott Walker is ready to compromise on his labor proposal.
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That's what I was thinking. States have some odd arcane practices on statutes, so maybe there isn't a loophole. But it would seem to me that collective bargaining rights would be defined in state statute, not in budgetary bills. So you would think the statute could be changed in a non-budget bill. And even if they've been defined in budget bill language in the past, you could still put it in statute permanently.
The more I think about it, it's got to be a possibility. If the collective bargaining rules were in the budget bill, they'd only be in effect through the end of the fiscal year. So that wouldn't be a permanent change. Walker should just threaten to push through the collective bargaining changes as a separate measure.
I missed that one.
Also should add 9/10 majority required to raise taxes.
Require him to look at a Crucifix?
So sorry!
Already in the works Tea Party activists form exploratory committees to recall state senators
Holperin Recall Exploratory Committee: Committee formed to recall Senator Jim Holperin
By law they have to have served at least 2 years before they can be recalled. That means only 8 are eligible to be recalled at this time.
And purple finger dye for voters to combat fraud.
No, they count as income, which must be reported.
:^)
So sorry for your loss, mware.
We’ve already got open carry in our state constitution — upheld recently by our state supreme court. However, the local police continue to deny citizens the right to carry openly.
We do not have concealed carry.
Maybe.
But there’s a pub senator named Schultz who has broken ranks now. This is just what the rats were waiting for. Schultz is now saying that maybe they should just make the collective bargaining component of the bill temporary - and have it sunset in two years.
Effin’ spineless pubs ALWAYS cave if the rats just wait them out. Either somebody needs to bitchslap this Schultz or he should be primary-targeted as soon as possible. I am so sick of that brand of pub I could just scream.
There’s already one state senate pub who expressed a willingness to compromise. His name is Schultz. He’s from Richland. His constituents need to know he’s wavering.
Crush them!!
Great idea.
What I don’t understand is why the pubs haven’t been doing these things all week. Further, if they are going to do these things, they shouldn’t announce it because that mob is going to go to their homes and threaten them not to even go to the capitol and if they go anyway, they will be blocked from entering the building.
They should have done it last week when they were there and not announced it - just done it.
Good one - I always thought the purple finger dye was a great idea!
And make it clear that out of state college students may not register to vote in Wisconsin elections.
Does re-districting require a 3/5ths quorum? If not begin re-districting by cutting out the senate minority leaders’ district.
MOVE THEIR OFFICES TO THE CLOSET...
What if WI threw a legislative session and nobody (DemoRat) came?
Oh, how much could be accomplished.
Excellent idea! Kill the government indoctrination centers!!!
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