WI Senate Passes Budget

The Wisconsin State Senate passed the budget, 19 Republicans voting for it and 14 Democrats against.

The Democrats actually voted. They didn't flee the state and head to Illinois this time.

From the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

The Legislature on Thursday handed Gov. Scott Walker his budget remolding government at every level, even as new details emerged on how it could lead to the expansion of the state's school voucher program to many districts around the state.

The Assembly passed the measure 60-38 at 3 a.m. Thursday, and 19 hours later the Senate approved it 19-14. All Republicans were in favor of it, and all Democrats were opposed.

Because senators made no changes to it, it will go straight to the Republican governor without having to return to the Assembly. Walker is expected to sign the bill soon, and he will have the ability to reshape it with his vast partial-veto powers.

Walker can "reshape it with his vast partial-veto powers."

Reporters Patrick Marley and Jason Stein make it sound like Walker has some evil powers that the previous governor, Democrat Jim Doyle, did not.

Although the spin is predictable, that makes it no less annoying.

The legislative approval cemented Walker's bid to solve a $3 billion two-year shortfall by cutting spending on schools, local governments and public workers' benefits rather than raising taxes. The approval would end one chapter in one of the most tumultuous legislative sessions in decades that opened in February with Walker's legislation ending most union bargaining for public workers.

In the budget, Racine would begin a school choice program right away, but other school districts could eventually meet the criteria to be folded into the program. A Senate leader, however, said Republicans would accept the expansion of school choice, but then change it soon with separate legislation so vouchers cannot go beyond Racine.

State Superintendent Tony Evers denounced the Assembly for adding the choice expansion to the budget at 2:30 a.m. Thursday , saying the proposal could eventually lead to voucher programs in Green Bay and then possibly Appleton, Eau Claire, La Crosse, Madison, Oshkosh, Sheboygan, Superior and West Allis.

"Once again in the middle of the night, the majority party in the Assembly voted to expand taxpayer-funded vouchers for religious and private schools. This time the result is a hidden expansion of vouchers statewide," Evers said in a statement. "Wisconsin is now set to expand vouchers for private and religious schools, while making a catastrophic . . . cut in funding for public schools."

But Republicans, including an aide to Walker, said they would take action to ensure that voucher programs would be available only to students from Milwaukee and eastern Racine County.

...The details of the voucher expansion became clear just before protesters disrupted Senate proceedings by chanting "Kill the bill!" and locking themselves to the railings in the public galleries. Also Thursday, the Department of Administration and the Wisconsin State Employees Union reached an agreement that will open all eight entrances to the Capitol beginning on Monday, ending months of restricted access.

After the 10 p.m. Senate vote, Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) urged senators to leave quickly because of "security concerns." Some senators were escorted away by law enforcement.

...Small protests broke out throughout the Senate proceedings. In the evening, a group of demonstrators bellowed at senators from just outside the chamber while state troopers lined up in front of them.

What? No zombies?