Separating Collective Bargaining from the Budget Repair Bill

A New Strategy for Wisconsin - James Lindgren - National Review Online

On February 17, the 14 Democratic members of the Wisconsin senate fled across the state line to the Best Western Clock Tower Resort in Rockford, Ill., the city in which I grew up. They were denying Republicans a three-fifths quorum on a bill that would restrict public unions in Wisconsin. They are believed to be still wandering about the Midwest, on an odyssey that poses problems for democratic government.

One potential solution that has not received enough attention is dividing Wisconsin Senate Bill 11 into several separate bills, and passing the parts that do not require a three-fifths quorum. The most controversial provisions — the restrictions on collective bargaining — are subject to a quorum of only a majority of elected senators, and Republicans hold 19 of the Wisconsin senate’s 33 seats.

This author is not the first to suggest such a strategy. While it may make perfect legal sense, it may be a tough sell politically. Governor Walker has argued that collective bargaining is a fiscal matter since he sees removing it as critical to returning the state to fiscal health.

On the other hand, if we see any more stories about efforts to thwart democracy by the Mayor of Madison's office, perhaps voters will be fed up enough to allow Walker to get creative in passing his budget repair bill.