Wisconsin

After Months-Long Battle, Wis. Anti-Union Law Officially Takes Effect

Eric Kleefeld | June 29, 2011, 5:50AM

Demonstrators outside the Wisconsin state Capitol, March 12, 2011.

Today is a big day in Wisconsin, which has been rocked by protests, legislative boycotts, ongoing recall elections, litigation and some associated chicanery, and possibly even a physical altercation at the state Supreme Court, centered around Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation. After all of that...the law is now finally set to kick into effect.

Two weeks ago, when the state Supreme Court upheld the law by a 4-3 margin, against a lawsuit challenging a procedure used to pass it, it then fell to Secretary of State Doug La Follette, a Democrat, to formally publish the act in the Wisconsin State Journal, which acts as the state's official newspaper for the purpose of giving the public official notice of new laws. This is normally to take place 10 business days after passage -- though Republicans insisted it should happen immediately, after it was bottled up for three months in litigation. But instead, La Follette declared a new 10-day period, and the act is taking effect today.

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Wisconsin State Legislature

Wis. GOP Leader: Change The Recall Law!

Eric Kleefeld | June 21, 2011, 4:41PM

Wisconsin state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R)

Wisconsin is now undergoing a novel summer election season for the state legislature, with six Republican and three Democratic state senators facing recall elections as a result of the political battle over Republican Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation. Indeed, the Republican-controlled state Senate could potentially see a Democratic takeover, depending on how the elections turn out -- and after that, the Dems have vowed to wage a recall drive against Walker himself next year.

So in response, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R) says he would like to introduce legislation later this year, making it harder to recall state officials.

To be clear, this could have no effect on the recalls that have already been certified to go. And what's more, the state GOP leaders would be unable to simply pass a bill to get rid of recalls in Wisconsin. The right of recall and the procedures involved are very clearly spelled out in the state constitution, and can only be changed via a long and slow amendment process -- which would require that the legislatures chosen in two consecutive election cycles both pass an amendment by simple majorities in both houses, and then submit the amendment to a statewide referendum.

But that doesn't mean that state GOP leaders wouldn't like to try. And they're even publicly speculating that they could get Dems on board for it, though a Democratic leader is saying quite the opposite.

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Wisconsin

Wisconsin Supreme Court Reinstates Union-Busting Bill

Eric Kleefeld | June 14, 2011, 6:29PM

Gov. Scott Walker (R-WI)

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has now ruled against a challenge to Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation, which had been mounted against the law based on the procedures used to pass it.

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports:

The court found a committee of lawmakers was not subject to the state's open meetings law, and so did not violate that law when they hastily approved the measure and made it possible for the Senate to take it up. In doing so, the Supreme Court overruled a Dane County judge who had struck down the legislation, ending one challenge to the law even as new challenges are likely to emerge.

The full opinion can be read here. As a very quick review shows, the court's 4-3 conservative majority eviscerated Dane County (Madison) Judge Maryann Sumi, who had blocked the law: "This court has granted the petition for an original action because one of the courts that we are charged with supervising has usurped the legislative power which the Wisconsin Constitution grants exclusively to the legislature."

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Wisconsin

Wis GOP Prepared To Reintroduce Collective Bargaining Bill In Budget Negotiations

Eric Kleefeld | June 14, 2011, 5:45AM

Wisconsin GOP leaders are gearing up to pass the state's controversial anti-union law again, after it was struck down in court thanks to the way it was passed. Or to be exact, they are now declaring that could pass it in the state budget process beginning Tuesday -- if the state Supreme Court doesn't rule in their favor and restore the law first.

If such a vote were taken, it would likely have two main effects: 1) Shutting off the current litigation that has revolved around the procedural manner under which the law was passed the first time; and 2) Provide a new political kickoff for the wave of state Senate recalls throughout the state.

The Wisconsin State Journal reports:

"If need be, we are going to have to pass collective bargaining again because it is such an integral part of not having those services slashed and those people laid off," Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, said of the provisions, currently held up in court.

Fitzgerald said he expects the state Assembly to take up the two-year budget plan in an extraordinary session and may add collective bargaining as a floor amendment as soon as Tuesday afternoon.

He said lawmakers would only do so if the Wisconsin Supreme Court does not act by Tuesday afternoon. The court last week heard oral arguments on whether a legislative conference committee violated the state's open meetings law when it rushed passage of the provision in March.

"I'm an optimist. I still think they might rule yet," Fitzgerald said. "They still have some time,"

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Wisconsin

Progressives Get Their Wish, GOP WI State Senator Expresses Love For Paul Ryan (VIDEO)

Evan McMorris-Santoro | June 13, 2011, 2:40PM

Sen. Alberta Darling (R-WI)

Progressives were hoping to turn the recall battle against Wisconsin state Sen. Alberta Darling (R) into a referendum on Rep. Paul Ryan's (R-WI) unpopular plan to end Medicare as we know it.

They thought their chance would come at a Friday fundraiser for the embattled Darling, which her campaign told TPM they expected Ryan to attend. Ryan subsequently told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel he wasn't going, potentially closing the door on a juicy opportunity for opponents to tie Darling to Ryan's plan.

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Wisconsin Protests

Feingold Addresses Anti-Walker Protesters: 'We Will Not Stop Until We Win'

Eric Kleefeld | June 13, 2011, 10:17AM

Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), June 12, 2011.

Former Sen. Russ Feingold (D-WI), who was defeated for re-election in the 2010 Republican wave after three terms, has now begun to re-emerge into the public eye -- taking part in the protests against Republican Gov. Scott Walker that have been going on pretty much non-stop for the last few months at the state Capitol.

Earlier this month, the protests took their newest form with a tent city around the Capitol, dubbed "Walkerville" as a word-play on how shantytowns became known during the Great Depression as "Hoovervilles." As the Wisconsin State Journal reports, Feingold spoke on Sunday at a Walkerville event:

"Why are we in a place called Walkerville today?" he asked the energized crowd at the corner of State and West Mifflin streets, amid the tent village that sprang up earlier this month to protest the state budget bill and will remain through June 20 while lawmakers debate the bill.

"Because we will not stop until we win."

Feingold, who lost his seat in November to Oshkosh businessman Ron Johnson, outlined necessary actions for the near future: taking back the majority in the state Senate and Assembly, and -- drawing big applause -- defeating Gov. Scott Walker, who he called a tool of the Republican party.

During the speech, chants of "run, Russ, run," could be heard, but Feingold didn't mention his own political future.

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Wisconsin State Legislature

Tape: Wis. GOPers Sought Spoiler Candidates Against Dems For Senate Recalls

Eric Kleefeld | June 2, 2011, 11:20AM

State Sen. Dan Kapanke (R-WI)

Wisconsin Republicans now have another mess to deal with in the state Senate recalls: Reports of a taped conversation in which a county GOP official is apparently heard discussing the possibility of recruiting spoiler candidates to mess with the Democrats.

The La Crosse Tribune reports on a meeting last week of Republicans in La Crosse County, in the western Wisconsin district of GOP state Sen. Dan Kapanke, who is being challenged by Dem state Rep. Jennifer Shilling:

On the recording obtained by the Tribune, party vice chairman Julian Bradley says he just spoke with Mark Jefferson, executive director of the state GOP, and "we are actively keeping our ears to the ground and if anybody knows anybody for a candidate that would be interested on the Democratic side in running in the primary against Jennifer Shilling.... So if anybody knows any Democrats who would be interested, please let us know."

...

Should a primary be necessary, the general election would be pushed back, according to scenarios proposed by the Government Accountability Board.

That, Bradley said on the tape, "would give the state senator an extra month to campaign in. The opposition would obviously have to spend more time and more money."

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Wisconsin State Legislature

Wis. GOPer: 'Tons' Of Govt. Workers In My District -- And I Hope They're Asleep On Recall Day

Eric Kleefeld | June 1, 2011, 6:20PM

State Sen. Dan Kapanke (R-WI)

Wisconsin state Sen. Dan Kapanke, a Republican facing a recall election in the battle over Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation, might come to regret some of the language he used to fire up local Republicans in his western Wisconsin district.

As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports, a secret audio recording of a talk that Kapanke gave on May 25 reveals Kapanke bemoaning the presence of a large number of public employees in his district -- and his tongue-in-cheek hopes that they'll be asleep on election day:

"So, we're going with our campaign, we're doing whatever we can. But we've got tons of government workers in my district -- tons, from La Crosse to Prairie du Chien and to Viroqua and to Ontario and to Hillsboro, you can go on and on and on. We have to overcome that. We gotta hope that they, kind of, are sleeping on July 12th, or whenever the date is."

Hmm, with remarks like that about the unions, they'll probably be setting their alarms early.

Wisconsin State Legislature

Wis. Elections Board Seeks Extension On Recalls Against Dems, While GOPers Seek To Stop Their Own

Eric Kleefeld | June 1, 2011, 1:33PM

The Wisconsin State Capitol, March 10, 2011.

The wave of Wisconsin state Senate recalls, which were launched in the political battle over Gov. Scott Walker's anti-public employee union legislation, are now headed back to the courts.

As WisPolitics reports, the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections in the state, has asked Dane County (Madison) Circuit Court Judge John Markson for an extension from their current deadline to certify or reject recalls by June 3, this Friday, in the three recalls targeting Democrats Dave Hansen, Jim Holperin and Robert Wirch. A hearing with Markson has been set for the day itself, this Friday, June 3.

The GAB has already certified the recalls against six Republicans, and rejected challenges by those incumbents that were made to the validity of the petitions. However, the GAB's filing says that it has had to delay action on the three remaining petitions (that is, the ones against the Dems) because the sets of challenges that have been filed are so much more vast, with many more thorough details for the board to have to examine and address.

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