Wisconsin Republicans are trying to lure Senate Democrats back to the state capital by scheduling a vote Tuesday on a controversial bill that would require voters to show photo ID before casting a ballot.
Democrats have fought the bill for years, arguing it would make it more difficult for minorities and elderly people to vote. But Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, a Republican, planned to push forward on the bill in Democrats’ absence, scheduling a committee vote on the measure.
The gambit was a taunt aimed squarely at the 14 Senate Democrats who fled the capital last week to prevent Republicans from voting on a budget-fix bill which would cut deep into union benefits and rights. Republicans, who have 19 members in the Senate, would need 20 lawmakers present to have a quorum to pass a spending bill, so the Democratic boycott effectively halted debate on the budget bill. But they only need a simple majority of 17 lawmakers to pass non-spending items, such as the voter ID bill.
Meanwhile, Democrats retain some leverage in the fight. Wisconsin has until Friday to pass the budget legislation or it could face $165 million in additional expenses associated with missing a deadline to restructure its debt.
Republican Gov. Scott Walker is urging lawmakers to take action but at the same time rejected calls to let union workers keep collective bargaining rights. Walker wants to strip those rights, as well as require public employees to pay more into their health care and pension plans.
Thousands have converged on the state capital over the past week to protest the budget plan, while supporters of Walker have also trekked out to the Madison streets to hold counter-protests.
It’s unclear how long the stand-off will last. One of the truant Democratic senators, Lena Taylor, told Fox News that the governor has “overreached,” claiming he’s already gotten the concessions he wants.
“If you have what you need to address the budget issues then you need to come to the bargaining table and give people their rights,” she said, referring to collective bargaining rights. Taylor spoke with Fox News Monday night from an undisclosed location in Illinois.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that amid the protests, the National Guard toured at least one state prison, potentially in preparation for a possible takeover — though correctional officers said they did not plan to strike.
Democrats have fought the bill for years, arguing it would make it more difficult for minorities and elderly people to vote. But Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, a Republican, planned to push forward on the bill in Democrats’ absence, scheduling a committee vote on the measure.
The gambit was a taunt aimed squarely at the 14 Senate Democrats who fled the capital last week to prevent Republicans from voting on a budget-fix bill which would cut deep into union benefits and rights. Republicans, who have 19 members in the Senate, would need 20 lawmakers present to have a quorum to pass a spending bill, so the Democratic boycott effectively halted debate on the budget bill. But they only need a simple majority of 17 lawmakers to pass non-spending items, such as the voter ID bill.
Meanwhile, Democrats retain some leverage in the fight. Wisconsin has until Friday to pass the budget legislation or it could face $165 million in additional expenses associated with missing a deadline to restructure its debt.
Republican Gov. Scott Walker is urging lawmakers to take action but at the same time rejected calls to let union workers keep collective bargaining rights. Walker wants to strip those rights, as well as require public employees to pay more into their health care and pension plans.
Thousands have converged on the state capital over the past week to protest the budget plan, while supporters of Walker have also trekked out to the Madison streets to hold counter-protests.
It’s unclear how long the stand-off will last. One of the truant Democratic senators, Lena Taylor, told Fox News that the governor has “overreached,” claiming he’s already gotten the concessions he wants.
“If you have what you need to address the budget issues then you need to come to the bargaining table and give people their rights,” she said, referring to collective bargaining rights. Taylor spoke with Fox News Monday night from an undisclosed location in Illinois.
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that amid the protests, the National Guard toured at least one state prison, potentially in preparation for a possible takeover — though correctional officers said they did not plan to strike.
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