Posted on 02/28/2011 9:04:47 AM PST by fightinJAG
Reuters) - Wisconsin's Republican Gov. Scott Walker said on Monday that absent senate Democrats have 24 hours to return and vote on a measure to reduce the power of public sector unions or the state will miss out on opportunity to refinance its debt.
"Now they have one day to return to work before the state loses out on the chance to refinance debt, saving taxpayers $165 million this fiscal year," Walker's spokesman Cullen Werwie said in a statement.
"Failure to return to work and cast their votes will lead to more painful and aggressive spending cuts in the very near future," the statement said.
Walker's budget proposal has sparked nationwide protests from labor unions who fear it could be a harbinger of things to come in other states. To balance the state's budget, Walker wants to require public sector employees to pay more for pensions and health care, and to strip their unions of bargaining rights except for wages up to the rate of inflation.
(Excerpt) Read more at reuters.com ...
I think this is why there is a law that compels attendance at votes on fiscal legislation. This is why the sherrif can go out to the member’s home to get him or her.
Obviously, though, this is easily circumvented by the Senators simply leaving the jurisdiction.
Maybe WI should apply to IL for EXTRADITION of the Senators? They are, so far as I understand it, breaking the law of WI by fleeing their legislative duty.
Also there must be some law that allows for votes to go forward once vacancies have been established.
I believe most states have a process for declaring public offices officially abandoned and holding new elections.
I keep thinking the same thing. I guessed it has never occured to the WI Senate that a minority party would skip the state to avoid a vote. Afterall, Republicans have never tried it. It they had, you can bet there would be an precedent on how to AGGRESSIVELY handle the situation. (My guess is, they would have just voted without them, knowing the liberal WI courts would withhold the law. With Republicans, it would be the opposite, judge would declare law null and void.)
Didn’t they have a three day ultimatum last week?
According to the State Constitution the Senate can compel attendance AND define the punishment for refusing attendance.
Anybody know the options available per WI constitution for replacement of these laggards?? Cheeseheads, any knowlege of your state law that could be passed along?
Thanks in advance for anybody with understanding of the above.
We can thank our Founding Fathers for such a thoroughly BRILLIANT system. The Governors languished in the shadow of Big Brother for decades, but the power of their position in our government was always there for the taking.
When Big Brother got absolutely intolerable, WTP elected Governors who would use their power to protect their citizens.
Yes, we will go through, as Krauthammer terms it, a period of “magnificent turmoil.” But the end result may be a smackdown of an out-of-control Federal Leviathan and a reemergence of strong states that offer Americans choices as to how free or how enslaved to government they want to be.
Very nice Mr. Walker. Very nice.
I think he needs to add a little reverse psychology for the childish senators. Spread a rumor that in addition to giving them 24 hours or else, he is instructing law enforcement to prevent them from coming back!!
You know how little kids can be!
I hope all goes well for Walker, but I think he has to be careful to avoid any appearance of doubt, uncertainty or fear.
After he announces that the positions are vacant, by the State Constitution, he can call for elections to fill the vacancies.
And I wonder how those people who are in the derelict democrats’s districts feel about them right now?
>>Spread a rumor that in addition to giving them 24 hours or else, he is instructing law enforcement to prevent them from coming back!!<<
Oh, now that is just brilliant!!
It’s becoming VERY CLEAR, at least in Indiana, that the reason for the fleebaggers isn’t legislation, IT IS REDISTRICTING.....
A WHOLE BUNCH of Democrat seats are about to get deleted, in a whole bunch of states, so many that it’s putting Obama’s 2012 election at risk.
There is a REASON this stuff is being astroturfed out of Washington, folks.
“According to the State Constitution the Senate can compel attendance AND define the punishment for refusing attendance.”
How about this punishment: Make them PERSONALLY liable for the $165M their absence is about to cost the state!
See post 16.
There should be laws against this. These folks are duty bound by their oath.
Better yet. Say since the PUBLIC school system has failed the people of the state and it’s our duty to educate all the children of the state...we are now authorizing vouchers for kids impacted by the public union teacher work stoppage. If your child has been impacted and would like to go to private school please pick up your voucher today.
Those 14 senators are technically residents of another state, making them no longer eligible to be state representatives.
Why not require “representatives” to obtain permits to reside out of state when legislatures are in session?
None too happy, I would venture to guess.
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