- IT'S A SPRINT TO THE FINISH FOR LAWMAKERS AS THEY TRY TO
PASS MAJOR PIECES OF LEGISLATION BEFORE THE SESSION ENDS IN MARCH.
IN TONIGHT'S CAPITOL INSIGHT WE CHECK IN WPR'S SHAWN JOHNSON
WHO'S BEEN RUNNING AS FAST AS HE CAN TO COVER THE BILL PASSING
DASH.
SO DESCRIBE WHAT THAT BILL PASSING DASH IS LIKE UP THERE.
- IT'S KIND OF CRAZY.
THERE WAS A DAY LAST WEEK WHEN YOU TAKE EXECUTIVE SESSIONS OF
COMMITTEES, THE TIMES WHEN THEY VOTE ON BILLS, PUBLIC HEARINGS,
WHEN THEY TAKE PUBLIC TESTIMONY ON BILLS, THERE WERE LIKE 30 OF
THOSE IN ONE DAY LAST WEEK.
SO PRETTY MUCH IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP TRACK AT ALL OF THEM.
LOOK AT THE THURSDAY SESSION DAY, THEY HAD ONE COMMITTEE
WHERE THEY FORMALLY INTRODUCED A BILL, HELD A PUBLIC HEARING ON
IT AND VOTED ON IT IN THE ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE.
THEN THEY DASHED OFF TO THE FLOOR AND THEY RIPPED THROUGH
THE ASSEMBLY CALENDAR THERE AND A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT TOPICS.
THAT'S KIND OF WHAT IT'S LIKE.
- YOU JUST MENTIONED THE LINCOLN HILLS BILL.
WHAT ELSE ARE THEY DOING?
- YOU'VE GOT THE GOVERNOR'S WELFARE SPECIAL SESSION BILLS.
THE ASSEMBLY WENT THROUGH TEN OF THOSE.
THE SENATE HASN'T TAKEN THOSE UP YET.
BUT THEY'RE OUT OF THE ASSEMBLY NOW.
A BUNCH OF FOSTER CARE BILLS THAT HAD BIPARTISAN SUPPORT ALSO.
YOU HAD A BIG WETLANDS BILL THAT WOULD MAKE IT EASIER FOR
DEVELOPERS TO FILL STATE WETLANDS.
THAT'S PRETTY CONTENTIOUS AS WELL.
THAT PASSED THE ASSEMBLY.
- THE JUVENILE CORRECTION BILL CALLS FOR CLOSING LINCOLN HILLS
AND COPPER LAKE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES AND REPLACING THEM
WITH FACILITIES IN COUNTIES ACROSS THE STATE.
THE PLAN IS BIPARTISAN.
IT WAS ANNOUNCED THIS WEEK BY ASSEMBLY SPEAKER ROBIN VOS..
EVAN GOYKE WORKED ON THAT BILL AND WAS THERE FOR THE
ANNOUNCEMENT AS WELL.
- THE BASIC IDEA IS TO SAY THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A FACILITY THAT
CONTINUES TO TAKE CARE OF THE WORST OF THE WORST BUT OUR GOAL
HAS ALWAYS BEEN TO MAKE SURE THAT ANY JUVENILE WHO COMMITS AN
OAFS AN OFFENSE HAS A CHANCE TO
REHABILITATE THEMSELVES.
- WE'RE AT THE END OF THE SESSION,
SO TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE
TO GET THIS SIGNED INTO LAW BEFORE WE RECESS.
THERE'S NO DOUBT THAT WE CAN GET THIS DONE.
THE ONLY DOUBT IS IF WE WILL GET IT DONE.
IT TAKES THE POLITICAL WILL OF THE MAJORITY PARTY.
YOU SAW TODAY THE ASSEMBLY HAS A BIPARTISAN GROUP PUSHING THIS.
WE NEED TO GET IT THROUGH THE ASSEMBLY, SENATE AND SIGNED BY
THE GOV.
- AND AS TO WHETHER IT WILL GET DONE, LEADER SCOTT FITZGERALD
THREW A LITTLE COLD WATER ON THAT THIS WEEK.
WHEN HE WAS ASKED ABOUT LINCOLN HILLS, HE SAID THAT WOULD BE A
BIG LIFT.
- I MEAN, IN CONCEPT I AGREE WITH IT.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF CAN YOU --
THAT'S A BIG LIFT BEFORE THE END OF SESSION.
AND WE'VE HAD THESE DISCUSSIONS DURING THE BUDGET ABOUT JUST NOT
JUST JUVENILE, BUT ALSO DOC AND NEW FACILITIES.
- ADD TO THAT SPEAKER VOS THREW A A LITTLE OF HIS OWN SHADE.
- EVERY MAJOR PROPOSAL IS A BIG LIFT.
THAT WAS THE WHOLE POINT.
FOR US, WE HAVE BEEN WORKING ON IT FOR A WHILE.
WE'VE HAD AUTHORSHIP.
I GUESS IN MY EXPERIENCE IF YOU HAVE THE BUY-IN FROM ALL FOUR
CAUCUSES, IT SEEMS LIKE IT SHOULD MAKE IT A LIFT,
BUT MAYBE NOT AS BIG.
- AND THEN YOU HAD THIS FROM THE GOVERNOR, WHO WANTS THIS
DONE THIS SESSION AND BEFORE THE ELECTION.
- I THINK SO FAR THE RESPONSE HAS BEEN POSITIVE, BUT I WANT TO
MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S ENOUGH TIME TO GET THIS THROUGH NOT
JUST THE ASSEMBLY, BUT THE SENATE, AND IT'S SOMETHING WE
STRESS TO SENATOR FITZGERALD AND OTHERS.
WE WANT TO GET THIS DONE.
WE THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO GET THIS DONE YET THIS SESSION.
- FOR HIS PART, THE ASSEMBLY MINORITY LEADER DESCRIBED THE
BREEK BREAKNECK PACE OF TRYING TO PASS
A BUNCH OF LEGISLATION IN THE GOVERNOR'S AGENDA, LIKE THE $100
CHILD TAX CREDIT.
HE CALLED THIS PART OF THE REPUBLICAN 2018 REGRET AGENDA.
AND YET IS THE MINORITY BEING A LITTLE BIT MARGINALIZED NOW
BECAUSE THEY HAVE THESE PRETTY MAJOR BILLS, THE FOSTER CARE
BILL AND THE JUVENILE CORRECTIONS REFORM BILL, THAT
ARE BIPARTISAN.
WHERE DOES THAT LEAVE KIND OF THE MINORITY WHEN THAT'S THEIR
ROLE, TO KIND OF NOT LIKE THE STUFF IN THE GOVERNOR'S AGENDA?
- YEAH.
ESPECIALLY WITH THE LINCOLN HILLS, THE JUVENILE CORRECTIONS
BILL, THAT IS ABOUT AS BIPARTISAN OF ANY BILL THAT
WE'VE SEEN UP THERE IN SOME TIME IN THE ASSEMBLY.
YOU LOOK AT THE PUBLIC HEARING ON THAT ISSUE.
THAT IS A POTENTIAL POLITICAL LIABILITY FOR THE GOVERNOR IN AN
ELECTION YEAR AND YET POLITICS REALLY DID NOT SEEP INTO THAT
PARTICULAR HEARING.
THEY'RE DEFINITELY ONBOARD WITH THAT.
THAT SAID, WE COULD GO THROUGH PROBABLY A MUCH LONGER LIST OF
BILLS WHERE THE MINORITY PARTY HAS BEEN MARGINALIZED, THEIR
VOICE HASN'T BEEN HEARD AND THEY CAN SAY WE ARE AT ODDS WITH
REPUBLICANS ON THIS STUFF.
- IN TERMS OF THE GOVERNOR'S AGENDA, WHETHER THE ASSEMBLY AND
THE SENATE CAN PASS THIS IN THE REMAINING DAYS, DOES IT MATTER
ALL THAT MUCH POLITICALLY?
BECAUSE THE GOVERNOR COULD ALWAYS SAY, WELL, I WANTED THIS,
RIGHT?
IF IT DOESN'T GET TO HIS DESK AND HE DOESN'T GET TO SIGN IT,
POLITICALLY MAY NOT BE AS IMPORTANT AS KNOWING HE WAS
PUSHING FOR IT.
- YEAH.
WE'VE TALKED ABOUT THAT BEFORE.
HE PLANTED THAT FLAG, SAID THIS IS MY AGENDA.
WHETHER OR NOT THE LEGISLATURE GOES ALONG, SO WHAT.
THIS IS WHAT GOVERNOR WALKER STANDS FOR.
IT KIND OF DEPENDS ON ISSUES, RIGHT?
WHEN IT COMES TO THE LINCOLN HILLS ISSUE, YOU KNOW, IF THEY
DON'T DO ANYTHING ON THAT, WE LOOK AT RECENT HISTORY THERE,
AND THERE HAVE BEEN YEARS OF REPORTS OF ABUSE THERE.
THEY DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S NOT GOING TO STOP.
THAT'S A FACILITY THAT'S BEEN UNDER INVESTIGATION.
- RIGHT.
- SO JUST SAYING YOU WANT TO DO SOMETHING THERE
IS NOT GOING TO FIX A PROBLEM.
WHEN IT COMES TO SAY THE TAX CREDIT, THOUGH, THE GOVERNOR HAS
SAID HE WANTS A CHILD TAX C REDIT, HE'D LIKE TO SEE A SALES
TAX HOLIDAY ALSO, BUT SEEMS TO BE ALLUDING THAT THAT'S NOT
GOING TO HAPPEN.
BUT IF HE WANTS TO GET $100 CHECKS INTO THE HANDS OF PARENTS
IN AUGUST IN AN ELECTION YEAR, THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO PASS
SOMETHING THERE.
- YEAH. SO WHAT ABOUT NEXT WEEK?
WHAT'S UP? - MORE CHAOS.
THE SENATE IS IN FOR THEIR ONLY DAY IN FEBRUARY.
YOU GOT THE ASSEMBLY COULD POTENTIALLY BE IN THREE DAYS
NEXT WEEK AND BASICALLY WRAP UP THE REST OF THEIR JOAND. AGENDA.
- SHAWN JOHNSON, THANKS A LOT.