Latest: Wisconsin Senate approves trooper deal, comp plan
MADISON — After five months of debate and revisions, Wisconsin's full Legislature was set to vote on the 2015-17 state budget, a $70 billion spending plan that divvies up how much money state agencies receive and how they can use it.
Here's a rundown on debate developments Tuesday, July 7th:
12:56 p.m.
Senate Republicans have prepared a budget amendment that would repeal at least a large portion of language rolling back the state's open records law.
The Legislature's finance committee added provisions to the budget Thursday that would shield nearly everything created by state and local government officials from the open record law, including drafts of legislation and staff communication. They also inserted a provision that would require records of nonviolent criminal cases where charges were dismissed prior to trial for anyone under age 25 to be deleted from the state's popular online courts site.
The moves generated a stinging backlash from open government advocates. On Saturday Gov. Scot Walker and GOP leaders said the language would be removed from the budget.
Republicans introduced the amendment Tuesday afternoon shortly before debate on the spending plan was set to begin.
11:22 a.m.
The state Senate has approved a raise for state troopers and a new compensation plan for other state workers but has delayed debate on the state budget.
The Senate's Tuesday agenda included the budget, a bill that would give the troopers a 6 percent raise and a bill laying out a new two-year compensation plan for 31,000 other state workers that includes no general wage increases. Republican Gov. Scott Walker pushed through a state law in 2011 that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers over anything beyond wage increases to account for inflation. The troopers were exempted from the law.
The Senate passed the troopers' raises 33-0 with no debate and passed the compensation plan 19-14, with all 14 Democrats voting against it.
Republicans who control the chamber then recessed to continue discussing the state budget. They planned to reconvene at 1 p.m. but caucus discussions can run later than stated end times.
9:56 a.m.
It's not clear whether Assembly Republicans support a state budget with a prevailing wage repeal attached to it.
Republicans have been arguing among themselves about whether to include language in the budget that would repeal Wisconsin's prevailing wage law, which guarantees construction workers on public projects a minimum salary. Some conservative lawmakers have said they won't vote for the budget unless it contains some form of repeal. Both Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald have said they don't have the votes to support a full repeal.
The Senate plans to attach language to the budget Tuesday that would eliminate prevailing wage requirements for only local governments. Vos said last week that he wanted to amend the budget to include the local prevailing wage repeal but his spokeswoman said Tuesday that Assembly Republicans plan to discuss the local repeal during a meeting Tuesday.
9:39 a.m.
The state budget isn't the only legislation the Senate is scheduled to consider Tuesday.
Lost in the budget drama is a bill that would give state troopers a 6 percent raise in exchange for higher health insurance premiums. The troopers were exempted from Gov. Scott Walker's 2011 law that effectively ended collective bargaining for most public workers over everything except raises to offset inflation but haven't gotten a raise since 2009.
Another bill on the Senate agenda would set up a new two-year compensation plan for about 31,000 other state employees. That plan contains no general wage increases. Most state workers got 1 percent raises in both 2013 and 2014.
9:18 a.m.
The state Senate is expected to take up the state budget Tuesday morning.
The body is set to convene at 11 a.m. Republicans wrote the budget and control the Senate, but minority Democrats are expected to stall votes as long as possible. That means debate could last until late Tuesday night or early Wednesday morning.
Senate Republicans plan to amend the budget to repeal prevailing wage requirements for local governments but keep them in place for state projects. Those requirements guarantee minimum salaries for construction workers on public projects.
Republicans have been squabbling among themselves over whether to completely eliminate the prevailing wage law but GOP leaders in both the Senate and Assembly say they don't have the votes to support a full repeal.