But what have they done with that power? Have theyenacted progressive policies to help close the disparities between the havesand the have-nots? And will they make the most of the last weeks of thesession, when a flurry of stalled bills competes for floor time before thesession ends on April 22?
To be sure, the Democrats have been able to makegood on some of their campaign promises, whether it was during budgetnegotiations or through the legislative process. Perhaps most important, theychanged tax policies to make them more fair for the average Wisconsinresident. The Las Vegas loophole was closed, sobusinesses that earn money in Wisconsin nowhave to pay income taxes in Wisconsin.The capital gains tax exemption was cut back, and taxes for those who earn morethan $225,000 (or $300,000 for families) was increased. Those changes helpedGov. Jim Doyle and the Democratic majority craft a budget that was far betterthan it could have been for the majority of the state's taxpayers.
The state also boosted access to health care throughthe expanded BadgerCare Plus program, which now covers low-income individualswithout children; the contraceptive equity provision in the budget, whichrequires insurance policies that cover prescriptions to include birth control;and a requirement that all pharmacies have on staff someone who is willing todispense birth control.
That said, there's still a lot of work to do. Andwith so many offices up for grabs in the November election, it seems that it'snow or never for progressives to enact change. Capitol insiders told us whichbills are likely to pass, which ones have a fighting chance, and which billswill be left to die on the Legislature's floor.
Done Deals
A Scaled-BackClean Energy Jobs Act (AB 649/SB 450)
A lot of bargains went into the Governor's TaskForce on Global Warming, which formed the basis of this bill. But nobody seemsto be terribly happy with the resulting legislation and Gov. Doyle isn'texactly championing it, either. Naturally, there are a lot of worries about thecost to consumers and businesses, even though utilities and some majorbusinesses signed on to the package and independent reports show that it wouldcreate jobs and keep future energy costs in check. Environmentalists seem to behappy with the increased investment in Wisconsin-grown, clean, renewable energysources, but not so happy with the proposed change in the state's nuclearmoratorium, which may weaken the current state standards.
So how will it play out? Although Doyle initiallycame out strong for it, his lame-duck status and lack of sustained effort topromote it will help to doom it. The bill will be gutted to ensure safepassage. Expect a radically scaled-back bill to be delivered to the governorjust in time for the 40th anniversary of Earth Day.
PaydayLending Regulations (Various Bills)
It would seem that cracking down on unregulatedpayday lenders would give Democrats a perfect opportunity to protect consumerswithout busting the state's budget. But appearances can be deceiving, becausethis legislation got very complicated very quickly. First, there were competingbills. The toughest bill, which would set a 36% interest rate cap on short-termloans, similar to many other states, had the support of almost half of theLegislatureand that was even before it was introduced. But the industry wasflush with money and spent more than $669,000 on lobbying in 2009 alone toprotect its $124 million annual profits in the state. And with tough racesexpected in the fall, money may prevail. Add to that Assembly Speaker MikeSheridan's relationship with a payday-lending industry lobbyist, and you've gota PR nightmare.
Expect something to pass. It's anybody's guess ifit'll be an industry-friendly bill that looks like reform but isn't actuallyreform or, instead, a tough bill that truly protects consumers from predatorylenders.
Passage Possible
Jacki RickertMedical Marijuana Act (AB 554/SB 368)
Although an astounding 80% of Wisconsinresidents want to legalize medical marijuana in the state, legislators havebeen reluctant to do so. It's time to act on the responsible and compassionateJacki Rickert Medical Marijuana Acta bill that the governor said he'd sign ifit were sent to him. So what's the problem? Legislators fear looking likethey're soft on drugs, although medical marijuana is legal in 14 other statesand the Obama administration seems willing to respect state-regulated programs.
This may be one bill that can move forward if thepublic raises a fuss about it. So call and make your legislator act on thisbill before it's too late. If Republicans gain control of one legislative houseor the governor's mansion in the fall, the opportunity to legalize medicalmarijuana for seriously ill people will be gone for a long, long time.
Mental HealthParity Act (AB 512/SB 362)
This bill passed the Senate with a bipartisan 20-13vote and has already been approved by one Assembly committee. Will it moveforward in the state Assembly? That's not certain, but shame on the Assembly ifit doesn't schedule a vote and pass this bill. Mental health parity is longoverdue and it's the right thing to do. There simply is no reason whyindividuals with an illness that affects their brain should be treateddifferently than those who have an illness that affects their heart, lungs orlegs.
Minimum WageIncrease (SB 1/AB 41)
The Senate approved raising the minimum wage from$6.50 an hour to $7.60 an hour way back in February 2009. So why isn't theAssembly acting on it? Raising the minimum wage would pay off profoundly, andnot just for those who are in entry-level jobs. Businesses would see a boostsince low-wage workers, who by necessity spend almost every dollar they earn,could afford more purchases. Studies show that minimum wage increases lead tomore productive workers and less absenteeism. Plus, workers who can supportthemselves are less of a burden on the state's safety net and communityresources. Assembly leaders need to do the right thing and pass this bill.
RegionalTransit Authorities (Various Bills)
Talk about a mess. Regional transit authorities(RTAs) in any form would allow designated communities to choose to raise fundsfor local and regional mass transit. The problem is that it would involve a taxor fee on something (rental cars, perhaps) or someone (shoppers). That can be aproblem in an election year, when no one likes to vote for legislationinvolving taxes; however, this legislation has support across the entirepolitical spectrum. But many GOP leaders would rather remain ideologically pureand not sign on to any tax increase than solve problems that benefit the publicgood (and are supported by their contributors, the major business groups). Sodespite business leaders' support for mass transit, which would give theiremployees a reliable way to commute to work, RTA legislation is stalled. As aresult, expect Milwaukee County's transportationservices to deteriorate even further if this legislation is not enacted.
Dead as a Doornail
MPS TakeoverBill (AB 615/SB 405)
The issue of mayoral control of the Milwaukee PublicSchools took the Capitol hostage for a few months and split the Milwaukee delegation (andvoters) into highly polarized camps. But its grip was broken when MPS hiredincoming Superintendent Gregory Thornton in February while the governor-calledspecial session yielded no results, only acrimony. Gov. Doyle will make noisesabout resuscitating the bill, but it won't happen. A lame duck doesn't havethat kind of power over increasingly independent legislators.
Sales TaxIncrease to Support Milwaukee'sParks and Recreation (AB 504)
This is a worthy bill that unfortunately never gotmuch attention, although it should, since Milwaukeevoters approved raising the sales tax to pay for parks, cultural assets andtransit. This bill would only cover parks and recreation, two assets criticalto our quality of life. But since the business community doesn't seem to carefor this as much as it does transit, it has even less chance of passing thanthe RTA package. Not acting on this bill will only mean more problems for ourunder-funded parks in the years to come.
