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Wisconsin Secretary of State Douglas LaFollette, a Democrat, is delaying publication of the bill that ends some collective bargaining for public employees and requires them to pay more into their retirement and health plans. Gov. Scott Walker signed the legislation and wanted it to go into effect immediately. But, LaFollette, is delaying publishing the bill which officially implements it, to give unions more time to settle contracts before the bill becomes law. It is expected to be published later this month.

From: Sen.Fitzgerald Sent: Monday, March 14, 2011 3:52 PM To: *Legislative Senate Republicans Subject: Senate Democrat voting privileges in standing committees Dear Members, With the return of the Senate Democrats this weekend, questions have arisen regarding Democrat members’ participation in Senate standing committee public hearings and executive sessions. Please note that all 14 Democrat senators are still in contempt of the Senate. Therefore, when taking roll call votes on amendments and bills during executive sessions, Senate Democrats’ votes will not be reflected in the Records of Committee Proceedings or the Senate Journal. They are free to attend hearings, listen to...

Washington-based Republican committee GOPAC today unveiled a new website advocating the recall of Wisconsin's eight Democratic senators eligible for recall this year. The site, recallthedems.com, asks supporters to "join with GOPAC to defeat 'the Escaping Eight' in special elections this summer. With your help, we can prevent them from ever bringing the legislative session to a halt to avoid taking action on getting the budget under control." In addition, GOPAC's Wisconsin arm will launch an ad supporting Sen. Randy Hopper, R-Fond du Lac, on Wednesday. Hopper, along with seven other eligible GOP senators, also faces a potential recall this year.

Missing Wisc. Dems Return As Heroes, Pledge To Recall Walker Grace Wyler Mar. 14, 2011, 4:02 PM Wisconsin's 14 missing Democrats returned this weekend after Gov. Scott Walker signed into law Friday a bill to limit bargaining rights for most of the state's public workers. Despite their defeat, the Democrats, who fled the state last month to prevent a vote on the bill, were greeted with a heroes welcome from about 100,000 protesters in Madison, the NYT reports. Opponents of the bill have vowed to intensify political and legal efforts to block the legislation. Democrats and union supporters are now...

Recall Group Banned From City HallStory Updated: Mar 14, 2011 MARINETTE, Wis. (AP) -- Marinette's mayor says a group trying to recall state Senator Dave Hansen is not allowed in city hall. Those trying to recall the Democratic senator wanted to circulate petitions at Marinette City Hall as they're doing in Oconto and Green Bay. But, Mayor Bob Harbick says he doesn't want the same kind of disruption that's happened at the Capitol in Madison. Harbick says his decision is logical and non-partisan. The mayor also says he doesn't believe in what the group is trying to do. Harbick tells...

“You’re an effing liar! You’re all effing liars,” said the school teacher in the little red Kia as he sped away. All I could do is smile, waive and laugh as he drove off, revealing the Obama/Biden ’08 bumper sticker. When the young man pulled into the “Recall Wirch” petition “drive through” site on Hwy 50 in Kenosha, Wisconsin Saturday afternoon, I approached his car and said “Hi, how are you doing today?” What followed was a fascinating exchange in which I was told to “get an effing job,” was called an “illiterate moron,” and a “fascist.” When I...

Democracy could be found in Wisconsin this past week, but not among the screaming protesters running wild throughout the Wisconsin capitol. While Wisconsin's elected representatives -- minus 14 Democratic state senators who fled the state -- were working hard on the job the people sent them to do, thousands of screaming protesters provided America with a preview of the union mobocracy coming soon to a legislature, city council or school board near you. State, county and city governments across the country might well find themselves facing the same confrontational tactics that caused havoc in Wisconsin. The reason is that public...

In their first joint appearance in the state since leaving Feb. 17 to stop a vote on the budget repair bill, Wisconsin's Democratic senators said it's time to trade in rally signs for clipboards to force the recall of Republican senators they claim ignored the will of the people. Thirteen of the 14 Dem senators were present for the noon presser at Madison's Monona Terrace convention center. Missing was Sen. Jim Holperin, who had an event in his northeastern Wisconsin district in the morning. Sen. Jon Erpenbach said Holperin was on his way and would be at a 3 p.m....

The 14 Senate Dems who left the state in an attempt to stop a vote on the budget repair bill will be featured at tomorrow's Capitol rally, organizers have announced.

Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, filed a complaint Thursday morning with the Dane County district attorney charging that the Joint Conference Committee that convened at 6 p.m. Wednesday and passed an amended version of Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill is in violation of the open meetings law. The complaint states that Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald and his brother, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, and others "knowingly attended the meeting in violation of the Open Meetings law" and are subject to penalties identified in state statute. The complaint asks that the actions taken at the meeting be declared void....

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One day short of the three-week anniversary of their departure, Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller said it's time for Dems to come home and take the fight over collective bargaining rights to the ballot box. Miller, D-Monona, said it was "stunning" that Senate Republicans took less than 30 minutes to vote to end collective bargaining rights for public employees that have existed in Wisconsin for more than 50 years. He called it a disrespect to the people of Wisconsin that will not be forgotten, promising there will be political consequences. "It’s time for us to join the fight back in...

Pro-union demonstrators plan to rally outside the Wisconsin capitol Thursday -- the morning after the state's Republican-led Senate passed Gov. Scott Walker's proposed restrictions on collective bargaining for public employees. "Working families, labor leaders and concerned Wisconsinites will gather outside the Capitol to let Gov. Walker know the fight will continue," a statement from the Wisconsin AFL-CIO said. Sentate Republicans got around a long-running Democratic walkout on Wednesday evening by stripping financial provisions from the bill. "Tonight, the Senate will be passing the items in the Budget Repair Bill that we can with the 19 members who actually do show...

Senate Minority Leader Mark Miller (D-Monona) reversed course in a statement at 8:15, announcing the 14 Democratic senators will not return from Illinois on Thursday. Earlier Wednesday Miller said they would be back...

After nearly a month of debate on the budget repair bill, nearly three weeks of childish stunts and delay tactics from the Democrats, the longest public hearing in state history and the longest Assembly debate in state history, the Senate met tonight to pass the non-fiscal items in the Budget Repair Bill. Sen. Fitzgerald released the following statement: "Before the election, the Democrats promised "adult leadership" in Madison. Then a month and a half into session, the Senate Democrats fled the state instead of doing their job. "In doing so, they have tarnished the very institution of the Wisconsin state...

Too late.

Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate voted Wednesday night to strip nearly all collective bargaining rights from public workers after discovering a way to bypass the chamber's missing Democrats. All 14 Senate Democrats fled to Illinois nearly three weeks ago, preventing the chamber from having enough members present to consider Gov. Scott Walker's so-called "budget repair bill" — a proposal introduced to plug a $137 million budget shortfall. The Senate requires a quorum to take up any measures that spend money. But Republicans on Wednesday split from the legislation the proposal to curtail union rights, which spends no money, and a...

Madison — The Senate abruptly passed a controversial budget-repair bill Wednesday night – without Democrats – and sent the measure to the Assembly, which is expected to pass it Thursday. The bill eliminates almost all collective bargaining for public workers. It passed18-1, with Sen. Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) casting the no vote. The Assembly passed an almost identical version of the bill Feb. 25.

Still having never learned to be calm, retract their claws, and sit around and act rationally in a situation that calls for panic, Wisconsin’s Republicans and their Corporate Puppeteers tonight guaranteed themselves an unprecedented and disastrous recall next January. More over, they also guaranteed themselves that any cloak of stealth under which they have operated in their attacks on teachers, firefighters, policemen, unions, and the settled law of collective bargaining, has been stripped away. If you pass a supposedly urgent “budget repair” bill with key budget components cut from it, you forfeit the fiction that you are doing anything remedial,...