Gov. Jim Doyle said Thursday he would rather solve the state's projected $342 million deficit in the 2009-2011 budget bill next year, instead of an emergency repair bill some lawmakers are favoring.
My preference is probably to put it in a single budget bill, [and] get the bill passed really quickly,"" Doyle said in an interview posted on wispolitics.com. ""Get it done '¦ a couple of months after I've introduced it '¦ and be able to move on.""
When the fiscal year ends June 30, 2009, the state is required by law to ensure the budget balances.
John Anderson, spokesperson for state Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Finance, said the committee would deal with the deficit, but the governor wants to address the situation.
If a budget repair bill were introduced, ""It would be a smaller version of the budget,"" Anderson said. ""It would go through the same process: introduced by the Joint Committee on Finance at the request of the governor, then deliberated out of committee '¦ and be effective as soon as the governor has signed it.""
Jim Bender, spokesperson for Assembly Minority leader Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, agreed.
""Everything really depends on what the governor decides to do with the budget,"" Bender said.
Despite Doyle's comments, Bender said the chances of him introducing a budget repair bill are ""very good.""
University of Wisconsin Political Science professor John Witte is of the same opinion, stating in order to repair the deficit, ""he'll do it for sure.""
The introduction of the bill would require calling the Legislature into special session, said Bender, and could be passed as early as February 2009.
