Senate Republicans blocked an attempt by Senate Democrats Tuesday to force a vote on raising the state's minimum wage from $5.15 to $6.50.
Democrats tried to act on the bill, which has been sitting in the Senate Labor Committee, but the GOP defeated those efforts by an 18-14 vote.
Republicans in the Legislature are unwilling to raise the state's minimum wage unless it can also pass a law that stops local governments from setting higher minimum wages. The Assembly passed a bill Tuesday that does this.
The state dealt a setback to Madison's efforts to establish a $7.75 minimum wage by 2008 when the Assembly passed a bill Tuesday that prohibits local governments from raising their minimum wages above the state level.
The Senate has already passed a similar bill, but Gov. Jim Doyle cannot act on the legislation until both houses pass the exact same bill.
Wisconsin's minimum wage has been at $5.15 since 1997 and will rise to $6.50 by the end of 2006 unless the Legislature acts sooner. However, Republicans blocked Doyle's attempt to increase the state wage through administrative rules last year. This inaction has spurred Madison, Milwaukee and La Crosse to independently raise their minimum wages, although only Madison went above the $6.50 threshold.
The Wisconsin state Senate unanimously approved Senate Bill 121 Tuesday, which calls for adding a second student to the UW System Board of Regents, according to a United Council of UW Students release.
The bill would add a non-traditional UW student, appointed by the governor, to the Board of Regents. Non-traditional students are defined as at least 24 years old and would represent students who, among other criteria, are also employed or have children.
The bill, which was accompanied by the committee-approved Assembly Bill 158, has yet to be scheduled for a vote in the state's other chamber.
UW-Madison experts in geospatial science and engineering will present more than 50 historic World War II maps and air photos to the U.S. Department of Defense National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency Friday, according to a UW-Madison release.
The collection includes invasion maps for Mediterranean islands and North African beaches and a photo taken in northeastern France just before the Battle of the Bulge.
The documents were photographed by Allied reconnaissance pilots, made by the U.S. Army Topographic Mapping Battalion in the field or captured from the enemy.
Deceased UW-Madison Professor Emeritus Eldon \Red"" Wagner was an officer in the Mapping Battalion and compiled maps for the Allied forces.
