Illegitimate Grandson of TABOR Introduced at Bar Time

The Assembly Republicans wrote their newest version (#42?) of the Taxpayer's Bill of Rights at around bartime tonite (this morning?). The bill restricts only state spending, but passes the buck on to local taxpayer's to pick up the tab on all sorts of local services. Result: Increased local property taxes.

Further, it has holes in it that a truck could run through. The creation of new segregated funds are allowed, essentially sidestepping the spending "controls" created by the bill. Also, the legislature can include or not-include all sorts of funds to determine their spending level limits.

Ironically, the proposal works to stop transfers from segregated funds to the general fund. Yet the same Republican majority that wrote this voted to shift about $600 million from segregated funds to the general fund in the last budget, according to Fiscal Bureau Chief Bob Lang. Do what I say, not what I do?

Bottom line: Writing a brand new constitutional amendment at bartime and voting on it in the middle of the night, without a public hearing or public notice, serves the public poorly. I'll let you know how the vote turns out.

(This is written while on the Assembly floor debating the bill)



UPDATE: At 4:37 am, the Assembly voted 50-48 for the bartime TABOR amendment.

Ethics Meltdown in GOP Assembly Caucus

Ethics reform appears to be dead in Wisconsin.

Unfortunately, so does Rep. Republican Steve Freese.

Read this and wonder what the GOP was thinking.

Of course, that's assuming they were.


UPDATE: It appears Freese will live for now. But how many GOP Assembly caucus members will this fall?

A Marriage Made in Hell: TABOR and the GOP

Today the Republicans Assembly majority caucused for over five hours on TABOR/TPA. The result? We hear three or four new versions were circulated and another caucus was scheduled for Wednesday.

It appears the GOP leadership needs to save face by passing SOMETHING that they can call a success, despite the lack on enthusiasm from most GOP members.

Rep. Frank Lasse, one of the original TABOR proponents, is unveiling his new version tomorrow as well.

The Republicans have hours to get their act together and try to pass a bill, as they still claim there will be a vote on Thursday.

I wouldn't bet quite yet. Sounds like divorce court to me.

Democrats to Fight for Ethics Reform

Today, I joined State Representatives Joe Parisi (D-Madison) and Sondy Pope-Roberts (D-Verona) in calling for an Assembly vote on SB1, the state ethics reform bill.

We have vowed to do whatever it takes - including a filibuster if necessary - to get a vote on ethics reform for Wisconsin.

The State Senate passed the bill, and Governor Doyle has indicated his support for the measure. Only Republican leadership in the State Assembly seem to want to avoid it.

Gotta make you wonder, doesn't it?

Here a TABOR, There a TABOR, Everywhere a TABOR

You have to love the cluster-mess created by the Republicans in trying to pass something that meets their promise of passing a "Taxpayer Bill of Rights". They wrote the headline. That was the easy part. Now they all have to agree on a bill. That's not so easy.

Lately there have been more versions of TABOR proposed than reasons President bush has given why we invaded Iraq. They're just hoping one will stick.

The newest version comes from one of the brightest members of the GOP Assembly Caucus, Rep. Mark Gottlieb (R-Port Washington).

The rumor mill still says we are voting on a TABOR bill next Thursday.

With the constantly changing attempt at having a tax bill done for the fall elections, you would think that even Republican legislators have to be getting a bit uneasy with the public presentation of this failing legislation.

But one has to enjoy the GOP attacking the GOP. Maybe we should charge pay-per-view and use it to raise state revenue? Sort of a GOP bake sale. Or maybe better put, a half-baked sale.

My prediction? We pass a bill called "Taxpayer Protection Act" or the like but it is pretty meaningless in the end. The odds of a bill like the original TABOR passing both houses are about the same odds of me proposing marriage to Rep. Carol Owens.

Unlikely.


UPDATE: I missed Folkbum's great TABOR analysis. Check it out.

Is Reform Dead in Wisconsin?

Two newspaper articles today – one from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel about the possible death of ethics reform and one from the Wisconsin State Journal about the possible death of electoral reform – show that reform may be dead this legislative session.

Add that to another bill addressing election reform being pulled from the Assembly’s calendar on Tuesday (SB612), after passing unanimously in the Senate, and suddenly it seems that reform is on life support in Wisconsin a month after the last trial ended of a state elected official.

Does the public care or are their elected officials really out of touch? Or will that be decided this November?

TABOR III? TABOR IV?

Yesterday, Republican Senators Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls) and Ron Brown (R-Eau Claire) introduced a third version of TABOR – the “Tax Relief Today” plan. Their version touts a good title as well, but I’m sure the details are just as fuzzy as the first two TABORS.

And we hear there is a possible TABOR IV out there, reducing the TABOR II eight page document which would be added to our 52 page constitution to a paragraph. Yes, that is some editing job. The word is that the plan would ask if the legislature should have a spending cap, and if passed, require a future legislature to enact such a proposal.

Boy that sounds a lot like the Democratic health care proposal that the GOP has been trashing all session.

Rumor has it that it may be offered to the closed Assembly Republican caucus, reportedly meeting at 10:00am today.

Hey GOPpers, I have a suggestion for a version of TABOR for you. How bout you just close the state coffers to every special interest that winks at you and limit spending in the next budget? Or is that hard to do in an election year?

Legislature to Get Back to Work….Sort Of

The Wisconsin State Assembly is back at work soon. Hurray!

After a month-and-a-half of hibernation, it appears the State Assembly is going to put on their pre-fall election show.

And a show it is. It is unlikely that many of the bills we take up will go anywhere, as the State Senate may not be in until May for a week of action. And, the Senate has shown a bit more responsibility in not passing some of the more sensationalistic or damaging bills the Assembly has. After all, if every Republican passes a bill or two to show how “effective” they are, the Assembly has more members thus more bills. We have to turn them out to appease the special interests. Who cares if they become law?

Look for TABOR II, or the Taxpayer Protection Act, to come up next week, likely on Thursday. After all, it is “Tax Freedom Day” on Friday. You need the extra points for style, since the bill has little substance.

What else will come up? SB1 the bill to merge the Ethics and Elections Board is a possibility. The Death Penalty referendum? That isn’t dead yet, is it? Gas prices too high or just right for big oil and their benefactors? Health care? Huh, what?

And will an ethically-challenged legislature pass meaningful campaign finance reform? Or will we pass a bill that does nothing or contains a poison pill requiring a gubernatorial veto? I guess we’ll just wait and see.

But get ready. The show is about to begin. And I’m sure it will be brought to you by some of the biggest lobby groups in the state. After all, who can operate without commercial sponsors? Certainly not this legislature….

TABOR Dead or Only Dying?

The state Ways and Means Committee is scheduled to vote on the most recent version of TABOR (AJR 77) – most recently called the Taxpayer Protection Act (TP Act).

While opposition grows, the support for the bill seems to be dwindling faster than a martini at the Inn on the Park on a session night.

Unfortunately for its supporters (both of them?), it is getting attacked from the right and left and in directions that only physics could explain.

Most recently, Rep. Frank Lasee (R-Far Right) who is one of the original “fathers” of TABOR, criticized today’s vote as rushed since the newest version of TABOR was introduced only two days earlier. He further questions what the newest version actually does.

And Rep. Steve Nass (R-Even Farther Right) sent a memo to the bill’s author Rep. Jeff Wood criticizing the bill and the process as well.

On the left, the sentiment is pretty unified against the bill as it does more to make state government act like “Big Brother” than providing any real tax relief.

And local units of government hate the impact on police and fire protection, garbage pick up, education and more. Even the Greater Madison Chamber of Commerce opposes the bill.

Watch for today’s vote, if there ultimately is one. In the mean time, you can start learning the lyrics, “another one bites the dust.”

Fraley's Scores One, But For The Wrong Team?

OK, credit to Brian Fraley for this one. He caught me being a part-time legislator going to a convention on a Friday for my personal business. Big scoop. Well, at least it was a break from his postings on the Milwaukee County Board, anyway....

Seriously, Brian has one of the few conservative blogs that are occasionally worth reading. And he's not afraid he will lose all credibility by attaching his name to his postings, unlike some ethically-challenged Vikings....

But Brian, keep talking about the lazy and dysfunctional legislature. I will. The Republicans have sixty (well now 59) members to justify inaction on ethics reform, healthcare and tax relief. They set the calendar and the agenda. Do you really think the GOP agenda this year was strong enough to get reelected on? My guess is that you will have to help many of them find new careers. In advance, thanks.

And keep reading my blog. You might eventually change your ways.

Wait, I think I saw a Milwaukee County Board member, Brian, quick...post!

Off For A Few Days

I'm off for a few days with a work-related convention.

See you all on Monday!

Shhhhhhhhhhh! Legislators At Sleep

In case you couldn’t tell, not much is going on at the State Capitol these days.

Sure school groups are still marching through the building. And there are some occasional hearings, mostly for show. But by and large, business is done for 2006.

You see, John Gard (R-Sun Prairie/Peshtigo) and legislative majority leadership have kind of quit working for the year. After all, March 9th was a busy day for us all - that was the last day we met in session. We had ninety bills up, cleaning up the calendar so John could find his way around his place in Peshtigo (its been a while since he’s actually LIVED there). Oh, and he’s got that pesky Congressional race too….

So the lobbyists told us that was the end of session. After all, with a Republican majority the lobbyists always knows what’s going on before the minority party does…after all, the checks cleared. But other than a few “for show” issues, Wisconsin legislators quit work on a record early end date of March 9.

That doesn’t mean that the $45,569 annual salaries stop or the per diem faucet is turned down. It just means some legislators need to campaign and can’t be bothered by that pesky job of legislating.

To be fair, our offices still field a lot of constituent issues. Some of us still work, since the majority party agenda isn't much of an agenda for real people anyway.

But for GOP leadership to end our work in early March, despite not having done anything sustentative about property tax relief, affordable health care or ethics/election reform, means the public is not going to be happy with the Legislature. My guess is that more than a few GOP members are not happy with Gard’s call on ending session so early.

We’ll know soon. My hunch is that we will see a record number of legislative contests, with a whole lot of explaining to do by incumbent majority party legislators.

Happy April's Fool Day!

Hope you all have a happy April Republican day!

Here's my contribution.