Senate Republicans don’t have budget votes yet

MADISON - Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate don’t have the votes for the state budget yet, even as the Assembly prepares to approve it Wednesday.

The GOP controls the Senate, 20-13, and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) can’t lose more than three votes on the budget vote because all Democrats are opposed to the legislation.

Four senators said Tuesday that they’re still considering whether to vote for the budget and a fifth declined to say.

None of those senators, however, has said they will oppose the bill for certain, and Fitzgerald said he still hoped to negotiate an amendment to the budget with holdout senators and pass the bill by Friday.

“I’m hopeful that that will come together before Friday,” said Fitzgerald, declining to say what the changes to the budget might be. “It’s hard to say right now. It could include a number of different provisions.” Opposition to the budget from conservatives could force changes to the deal brokered last week between the Assembly and Senate. The Assembly is also controlled by the GOP, but Republicans in the two houses have disagreed all year over parts of the state spending plan.

The budget was supposed to be put in place by July 1, but Republicans missed that deadline because of differences over tax cuts and transportation funding. Legislative leaders hope to win final passage of the bill this week or next and GOP Gov. Scott Walker has said he hopes to sign it by Sept. 21.

GOP Sens. David Craig of the Town of Vernon, Stephen Nass of Whitewater and Chris Kapenga of Delafield said they were still considering whether they would vote for the budget. Sen. Duey Stroebel (RSaukville) also hasn’t made up his mind, according to a spokesman.

A fifth Republican senator, Rob Cowles of Allouez, declined to say whether he would support the budget. For years he has opposed or expressed reservations over budgets for spending too much and including too much pork and policy.

“I’m still looking it over. I still have several concerns,” said Nass, who declined to name the issues.

For Craig, the problem was the growth in state government in the bill. “Overall spending is still a concern,” Craig said.

The two-year, $76 billion budget bill would raise spending by 3.1%.

Kapenga said he was concerned about the amount of spending in the budget and wants it to include more reforms for the Department of Transportation. Stroebel shares those concerns, said Stroebel spokesman Ethan Hollenberger.

The Assembly is to take up the budget Wednesday.

Senate leaders have said they could take up the budget as early as Friday, but others cautioned they may need until next week to gather enough votes to pass it.