Wisconsin Republicans look to Democrats to pass state budget deal

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Legislature pushed to pass a compromise state budget Wednesday, with Democratic votes expected to be needed to approve the deal reached between Gov. Tony Evers and majority Republicans.

The two-year spending plan would affect nearly every person in the battleground state. Income taxes would be cut for working people and retirees, sales taxes would be eliminated on residential electric bills and it would cost more to get a driver’s license, buy license plates and title a vehicle.

Evers, who has broad partial veto powers, has promised not to kill any portions of the budget he agreed to with Republicans.

In a concession to the Democratic governor, Republicans also agreed to spend more money on special education services in K-12 schools, subsidize child care costs and give the Universities of Wisconsin its biggest increase in nearly two decades. The plan would also likely result in higher property taxes in many school districts due to no increase in general aid to pay for operations.

The budget also calls for closing a troubled aging prison in Green Bay by 2029, but stops short of enacting a more broad prison overhaul plan put forward by Evers.

Fast-moving plan

Key details of the proposal were not released until early Tuesday morning, giving lawmakers and the public just over a day to understand the massive deal before the Legislature votes on it.

Republicans planned to vote on it in both the Senate and Assembly on the same day. In at least the past 50 years, the budget has never passed both houses on the same day.

There was urgency to pass the plan because of one part that increases an assessment on hospitals to help fund the state’s Medicaid program and hospital provider payments. Changes being discussed in Congress could prohibit or limit the state’s ability to do this in the future, Evers warned.

The new state budget was supposed to begin on Tuesday but under Wisconsin law — even though it’s late — the current spending plan continues and there is no government shutdown.

Evers, who is midway through his second term, said he would announce his decision on seeking a third term after he has signed the budget. He has 10 working days after the Legislature passes the budget to take action on it.

Republicans need Democratic votes

Democrats said newly drawn legislative maps, which helped them pick up seats in November and narrow the Republican majorities, led to greater compromise this year.

Republican Sen. Patrick Testin, a member of the budget committee, said the plan was far from perfect, but “this is where we’re at with divided government.”

While Republicans still hold majorities in the Senate and Assembly, they were expected to need Democratic votes to pass it in the Senate. Republicans have a narrow 18-15 majority there, and two Republicans have publicly said they planned to vote against the deal.

Democratic senators were brought into budget negotiations in the final days to secure enough votes to pass it.

Democratic criticism

But that didn’t stop some of the most liberal Democrats in the Legislature from speaking out against the plan on Tuesday, calling for more changes before a vote.

Democratic state Sen. Chris Larson, of Milwaukee, pledged to vote against the plan, noting that property taxes would go up and nearly two-thirds of K-12 school districts would see a drop in state aid.

In a social media post, Democratic state Rep. Francesca Hong, of Madison, urged voters to contact Evers and lawmakers to pressure them to reject the plan, which she said “fails to meet the needs of our children and working-class families.”

Democratic Sen. Kelda Roys, a member of the budget committee, said she was leaning toward voting against the plan. But fellow Democratic budget committee member Sen. LaTonya Johnson signaled that she would back it.

“It should be a bipartisan document of our values and of our priorities,” Johnson said. “And it was a bipartisan effort, not necessarily by choice, but by force, and that’s OK. We’ll take it any way we can get it.”