Capitol Capsules

Capitol Capsules provides a quick overview of state-government activities of interest to UW–Madison employees.

State employee contracts clear committee hurdle
The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Employment Relations (JCOER) Monday approved by a 7-1 vote all 19 contracts negotiated with various state employees’ unions. The Legislature was expected to consider the contracts during the floor period on Tuesday, May 6.

JCOER rejected the contracts in February on a 5-2 vote, saying the state could not afford them, given the $3.2 billion budget deficit.

The contracts cover 5,000 classified staff members on the UW–Madison campus for the 2001-03 biennium.

Joint finance approves elimination of electronic government department
Last week, the Joint Finance Committee approved Gov. Jim Doyle’s recommendation to eliminate the Department of Electronic Government and merge its function into the Department of Administration. In addition, the committee reduced the appropriation for the functions by $262,600.

The committee has not yet scheduled a hearing on the UW System budget. The committee is scheduled to take up the State Historical Society budget on Wednesday, May 7.

Democrats win special legislative elections
Democrats kept two open Senate seats and one Assembly seat in special elections last week. Reps. Julie Lassa, D-Plover, and Jeff Plale, D-South Milwaukee, won election to the 24th and 7th Senate Districts, respectively. Democrats now have 15 of the 33 Senate seats. Democrat Lena Taylor of Milwaukee, who was unopposed in the special election, won the 18th Assembly District. Democrats now have 39 of the 99 seats in the Assembly. Special elections will be held to fill the Assembly seats vacated by Lassa and Plale.

Tuition voucher bill advances
The Assembly passed Assembly Bill 74, which provides tuition vouchers at UW System or Wisconsin Technical College schools for students who sound Taps at military honors funerals. The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.

Open records bill up for full Senate vote
The Senate Committee on Judiciary, Corrections and Privacy met two weeks ago and heard testimony on Senate Bill 78, which clarifies laws related to public access to public employee records. John Dowling, UW–Madison senior university legal counsel, testified in support of the bill, which unanimously passed the committee. The bill now goes to the full Senate for consideration.

The Assembly Committee on Government Operations and Spending Limitations held a hearing on SB 78’s companion bill, Assembly Bill 196. Dowling submitted testimony in support of this bill. No executive action on AB 196 has been reported.

The text and history of all legislation is available at http://www.legis.state.wi.us/billtext.html.

For more information on state-related issues, visit http://www.staterelations.wisc.edu. Contact: Charles Hoslet, senior special assistant to the chancellor director of state relations, 263-5510, hoslet@mail.bascom.wisc.edu.