With the Republican-led state Assembly adopting their version of Gov. McCallum's budget plan Friday morning, the Democrats in the Senate will finally get its shot at the proposal 'and the chance to come up with ideas for eliminating the $1.1 billion budget deficit.
The plan as it now stands balances the state budget through two primary means; a short-term plan of cutting spending and using money from the state's tobacco settlement, and a long-term plan of reducing shared revenues, the system that the state uses to give aid to local governments.
State Senate Majority Leader Chuck Chvala, D-Madison, said there will be significant changes, particularly in funding for the UW System.
\We're going to restore money for the University of Wisconsin,"" Chvala said. ""We want students to be able to get access to the university, and right now, of course, admissions have been stopped, and I think that that has to change.""
Chvala added that the Democrats would also reconsider the proposal's cuts to shared revenues and some of what he called bill's ""abortion politics,"" included in the bill
George Twigg, of the Senate Democratic Policy and Budget Office, said in addition to the changes in funding for the UW System and shared revenues, the Democrats are concerned about cuts in funding for environmental programs.
""The Assembly Republicans drastically reduced the amount of money in the stewardship fund, which is used to preserve open spaces and delicate natural resources,"" Twigg said.
According to a statement released by Rep. John Gard, R-Peshtigo, the Assembly bill balanced the budget by cutting state government spending instead of raising taxes.
""In a state with the third-highest tax burden in the nation, the Democratic solution to the budget is higher taxes,"" the statement said. ""They want to force taxpayers to make the tough choices in their family budgets because they're not willing to make tough choices in the state budget.""
Chvala and Twigg said that the Democrats would stand strong on any proposed changes.
""The future of our state is at stake, and if it's that important, you've got to stick to your guns,"" Chvala said.
After holding several public hearings on the matter, the Senate will draft and vote on an alternative budget, which will then go to a conference committee and finally to the governor.
""The Republicans control one house of the Legislature and there's a Republican governor, so it's an uphill fight,"" Twigg said. ""But we feel that the public is on our side.\
