Posted on 03/29/2011 3:15:43 PM PDT by Beaten Valve
MADISON, Wis. -- A Wisconsin judge weighed arguments Tuesday about whether her court order intended to temporarily block the state's divisive new collective bargaining law was still in place, or whether Republican leaders had outmaneuvered their opponents by using a legal loophole.
The Dane County district attorney is trying to keep the secretary of state from publishing the bill.
But with Legislative Reference Bureau has already published it, leading to questions here about whether it's a law or not.
The court action stems from a conference committee meeting March 9 that led to the quick passage of the bill limiting collective bargaining for public employees.
The same judge less than two weeks ago put a freeze on the bill being published by the secretary of state, but the Legislative Reference Bureau published it Friday regardless.
"I am extremely upset that we have this situation where a law that is in my opinion, I'm sorry, an act that is not a law in my opinion, is being interpreted to be law and is being carried out by officials of the state of Wisconsin," Secretary of State Douglas LaFollette said.
Much of the testimony Tuesday surrounded that publication Friday by the Legislative Reference Bureau, and it was revealed that it was prompted by a request from Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald.
The hearing is scheduled to resume on Friday and the judge didn't make any decisions Tuesday.
"He is our boss. So a request from him would be, would be something on the level of insisting," Cathlene Hanaman said.
But the head of the Legislative Reference Bureau said he made the ultimate decision to publish the bill.
"It was me. I decided. I decided that we would publish," Legislative Reference Bureau Chief Stephen Miller said.
The hearing is scheduled to resume on Friday and the judge didn't make any decisions Tuesday.
Amazing how the mind works. When I read that sentence, for just an instant, it appeard as ... should be impaled."
That would be wrong, I know.
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