MacIver News Service | January 20, 2011
[Madison, Wisc…] Just over two weeks after he was sworn in as Wisconsin’s 45th Governor, Scott Walker enjoyed his first legislative victories. On Thursday two of his seven proposals to improve Wisconsin’s business climate passed in the special session.
Those bills included a sweeping tort reform proposal and a bill to give tax credits for health savings accounts. The HSA bill passed the Senate on a bipartisan 21-12 vote.
“The cost of health care is one of the top impediments to creating jobs, and I’m proud that one of the first things we did this session will help tackle that problem,” Scott Fitzgerald, Senate Majority Leader, said. “The other side still seems to think the government is the only one that can create jobs, but that’s simply not how it works in the real world.”
The Assembly debate over the tort reform legislation went well into the evening. It approved the Senate version of tort reform by a 57-36 vote around 7 pm.
“Improving our state’s legal climate is important to creating an environment that allows the private sector to create jobs,” said Walker. “The lawsuit reform package passed by the legislature will bring much needed reforms to our legal system, so we are no longer known as the ‘Alabama of the North.’”
The Assembly also took up the Senate Bill concerning health savings accounts, tabling its own bill. That bill was passed on a bipartisan vote of 66-28, around 8:15 pm.
Earlier that afternoon the Assembly also passed two other bills. Assembly Bill 3 gives tax breaks to businesses moving to Wisconsin, and Assembly Bill 4 increases economic development tax credits. The Senate could take up those bills when its back in session next week.
Assembly Democrats generally argued against the bills claiming they had nothing to do with job creation. They also tried to make the case that the bills were being rushed, even though they were introduced over two weeks ago.
“Bills that address the economic emergency in this state, bring it on immediately,” said Assembly Democratic Leader Representative Peter Barca (D-Kenosha). “But bills that have nothing to do with job creation in February, March, and April. They should not be before us.”
Assembly Democrats introduced dozens of amendments to the bills on Thursday, all of which failed.
There are still three more special session bills awaiting legislative action, including proposals to replace the Department of Commerce with the new Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, and another requiring a supermajority vote from the legislature to raise taxes.
Both houses of the legislature are back in session on Tuesday.
