Wisconsin Assembly Reaches Deal – Debate on Budget Bill Will End Today

Wisconsin Assembly Democrats reached a deal with Republicans early this morning.
Debate on the budget bill will end today around noon.
The AP reported, via Free Republic:

Republicans and Democrats in the Wisconsin Assembly have agreed to a deal that will limit further debate on a bill taking away collective bargaining rights for public workers and lead to a vote on the measure later Thursday.

The deal was announced shortly after 6 a.m. Thursday following an unprecedented 40-hour debate that began Tuesday morning with only short breaks in between.

Democrats agreed to limit further amendments to just 38 with a 10-minute time limit on each one. If they take the maximum time for each, with no breaks, that would put the vote around noon.

#1 February 24, 2011 at 8:12 am
RexRedbone commented:

Why do I feel like we have been down this road before ?I wonder if the FleeBaggers have run out of public money from hiding in Illinois?
#2 February 24, 2011 at 8:18 am
patman commented:

At the end a camel will be slaughtered and all will be joyous.
#3 February 24, 2011 at 8:19 am
Bill Fabrizio commented:

Let’s hope the republicans have not made any other deals with the dems which guts the teeth in the originally proposed legislation!
#4 February 24, 2011 at 8:29 am
freedm_fighter commented:

@#3 – Bill: I hope you’re right. This smells like the GOP caved.

#5 February 24, 2011 at 8:33 am
mark commented:

Dems only talk negotiation when they cannot force it on their own. And then again, only after they have fled like convicts and then been found.

And a heads up, word is that a number of California union buses will be departing to WI. They must have too much money and too much time off of work.
#7 February 24, 2011 at 8:45 am
karinee commented:

Guys get real. They are cutting off debate so the governor can begin to get the notices out
to those people who will be laid off.

It is also a vote to end collective bargining for public employees in the state. It is not a budget
issue, so therefore they do not need the dems to return for this vote.
#8 February 24, 2011 at 8:59 am
bigred commented:

Karinee, this is the Assembly, not the Senate. Dems don’t have the numbers to stop it like in the senate. No amendments have been passed so there is no cave yet.
#9 February 24, 2011 at 9:03 am
Granny commented:

#7 karinee -

Please. It is NOT a vote to “end collective bargaining.” If you bother to read the bill, it LIMITS collective bargaining to the salary issue only. Benefits are not negotiable. This applies in particular to the employees of the various school districts, which have been held hostage by the union to participation in a very expensive “health insurance” company that is (SURPRISE!) owned by the union! There are two other limitations being put on collective bargaining -

1. The unions will henceforth be responsible for collecting their own union dues and bearing the expense of that collection themselves.

2. The bill ends the “closed shop.” No public employee will be required to join a union.
#10 February 24, 2011 at 9:07 am
bigred commented:

The assembly has made no changes yet and shows no willingness to do so. The vote should come around noon today, as all debate will be finished. This would have taken place anyways and now leaves it up to the senate. If not passed there by tomorrow, Walker will start sending out pink slips. By the way, for all their bitching, this law will not affect the teachers union. That will happen when their contract expires.
#11 February 24, 2011 at 9:10 am
tarpon commented:

Look for the union label, if found put it back on the shelf.
#12 February 24, 2011 at 9:16 am
Paul in N. AL commented:

I have no doubt the GOP probably caved and gave in to all the Dem’s demands.
#13 February 24, 2011 at 9:18 am
Granny commented:

#10 – bigred

Actually it does affect the Teacher’s union. The teacher’s union will no longer be able to bargain for those health insurance benefits, so they will lose their stranglehold on the school districts. In fact, I would bet that is virtually the entire crux of the matter. The insurance company the districts are forced to insure their teachers through is owned/run by the union. As they say – follow the money.
#14 February 24, 2011 at 9:20 am
Conservative to the Core commented:

Ohio RINOs caved:

❝COLUMBUS, Ohio – Republican state senators said Wednesday they will support allowing unionized state employees to collectively bargain for their wages, a reversal of a bill provision that had drawn thousands of protesters to the Statehouse as part of a wave of demonstrations against similar legislation in Wisconsin and other states.❞

*sigh*
#15 February 24, 2011 at 9:29 am
bigred commented:

That’s the same as the Wis. deal, not really a cave. More like a sop.
#16 February 24, 2011 at 9:33 am
bigred commented:

Granny, yes. But this is the state employees contract. Teachers contract is not up yet. This is a pre-emptive strike because they know this will happen when it’s their turn. Also, state employees are not pulling this crap because Walker can fire them. Teachers are employed by local school boards.
#17 February 24, 2011 at 9:38 am
Frank H commented:

To follow up with Granny, #9,

3. No employee will be prohibited from joining a union.
#18 February 24, 2011 at 9:47 am
tj commented:

Remind me again why we needs unions for government workers?

corruption, corruption,corruption…

So much corruption.. so few elected officials… you gotta have somebody help.. is that why we have the unions?
#19 February 24, 2011 at 10:00 am
Valerie commented:

Unions to serve a proper purpose, even unions for government workers. However, union membership must be voluntary, or else the leadership will start treating the dues as their own personal piggy bank. In my opinion, limiting bargaining rights to specific subjects simply misses the point. The better solution is to empower the individual workers by passing a right-to-work law. That will keep the unions honest.
#20 February 24, 2011 at 10:12 am
srhoades commented:

Why do Republicans always feel the need to capitulate and make “deals” when they hold all the cards? I won’t be surprised if they (the Republicans) sell the people of Wisconsin down the river in the name of “tone and civility”.
#21 February 24, 2011 at 10:21 am
Oldpuppymax commented:

I’m getting the sick feeling that limp-wristed, spineless RINOs have sold us out yet again. I hope I’m wrong, because a sell-out loss here would TRULY be devastating.
#22 February 24, 2011 at 10:24 am
Granny commented:

#16 February 24, 2011 at 9:33 am
bigred commented:

Granny, yes. But this is the state employees contract.

_________

It is not actually ANY contract. The bill covers changes to the state rules concerning unions of public employees, not changes to specific contracts.
#23 February 24, 2011 at 10:41 am
bigred commented:

Granny, the dems tried to ram through the state employees contract in the lame duck session last month. They failed when one honest dem didn’t go along with the scam. That would have tied Walker’s hands for four years. The change for teachers will come when their contracts come due. State employees will start immediately because they have no contract now.
#25 February 24, 2011 at 12:59 pm
Palatable Patience commented:

Wow… I am a TRUE conservative, born and raised in small-town Iowa and I am appalled by these gleeful GOP Sheeple-Fan-boy responses. Be warned, what we have here today is not conservatism. How can you NOT see that this bill is the result of very intelligent, successful, millionaires/billionaires securing their future at your expense with your blind support. Seriously people I don’t mean to offend but it totally floors me how you guys think Walker-Wisconsin-Budget-Ranger has your best conservative interests at heart. People are defined by their actions, not their words. Someone please explain to me why ANY honest republican conservative would provide a $100+ million tax break to corporations and THEN claim that the budget shortfall of $137 million needs to be fixed by preventing humble public servants from begging for their benefits?
#26 February 24, 2011 at 4:32 pm
Larkin commented:

dems declare a “hudna”, and we all know what THAT means.

Meanwhile, is the G.O.P. preemptively raising the white flag?