The budget crisis may be one step closer to being resolved as the state Assembly and Senate will launch an informal conference committee today to work out differences between the two houses' budget repair bills.
The conference committee, chaired by Senate Majority Leader Chuck Chvala, D-Madison, and Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen, D-Waukesha, is intended to bridge the gap between the two versions of the bill so that a viable budget can be sent to the governor.
While both the Assembly and the Senate agree that they do not want to raise taxes, the houses have different ideas about how to solve Wisconsin's $1.2 billion budget deficit.
The Republican-controlled Assembly's budget proposed trimming shared revenue, the money the state gives to city governments, and cutting $108 million in UW System funds. The Democratic Senate passed a bill that maintains shared revenue and most of the UW cuts while using money from the state's tobacco settlement to balance the budget.
According to Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, it is necessary for the conference committee to meet now.
\The budget crisis is extremely severe,"" Nass said, ""and if they put it off it would be a tremendous mistake.""
Senate President Fred Risser, D-Madison, said that the conference committee will be different from a official committee.
""We could always set up a formal conference committee later,"" Risser said. ""But with an informal conference committee ... they're going to be involved in trying to come up with some ideas, but those ideas are not submitted to the Legislature in a non-amendable form, and they're not necessarily organized by a structure where both parties are involved in both houses.""
According to Assembly Minority Leader Spencer Black, D-Madison, the committee will consist of four people from each house in addition to Chvala and Jensen: three from each chamber's majority party and the minority leaders, in addition to Jensen and Chvala.
Nass said he believes that the Republicans would fight hard for their version of budget reform and focus on not raising taxes for Wisconsin residents.
""The taxpayers have realized that government is bloated,"" he said. ""It has increased dramatically over the last 10 years, in spending and in workers, and we have to control that rise.""
According to Nass, the cuts to the UW System may end up closer to the $108 million Assembly figure than the $20 million proposed by the Senate, something he said he feels is appropriate.
""It's no question that the university is going to incur some cuts, and they should,"" he said. ""They have a $6 billion budget. ... They're the largest state agency that we have. And for them to think that they should get away unscathed is ridiculous.""
According to Black, he will personally try to push for sufficient funding for the UW System, protecting the environment and campaign finance reform as a member of the committee, but he said he had no knowledge of his party's agenda.
He added that he hoped Gov. Scott McCallum would become more involved in the budget process.
""It's hard to figure out what this governor is leaning towards,"" Black said. ""He has not been especially a part of the process, and recently, he's been absent without leave. ... We're not going to have a solution to this until the governor starts being a leader.\
