Major bills passed as expected in the state Assembly and state Senate Tuesday, though the Assembly saw far more legislative maneuvering.
*Compassionate Care for
Rape Victims*
Assembly Bill 377, the Compassionate Care for Rape Victims Bill, received the majority of debate in the Assembly though little of the discussions focused on the actual bill.
The bill would mandate that all Wisconsin hospitals provide information and access to emergency contraceptives for all rape victims in the state, something bill supporters say is done in less than half of Wisconsin hospitals.
The majority of debate was centered on the various amendments to the bill, including an amendment that was added to the bill in the Assembly Judiciary and Ethics Committee that bill supporters say guts"" the bill.
Rep. Daniel LaMahieu, R-Cascade, said one amendment offered allowed doctors who were morally opposed to opt out of giving the drug.
Rep. Terry Musser, R-Black River Falls, said the attempted amendments were simply a stall tactic on the bill.
""Desperate people do desperate things,"" Musser said.
Bill supporters, like state Rep. Mark Pocan, D-Madison, said the debate Tuesday should not be focused on abortions or doctors' objections.
""This isn't a fight about abortions,"" Pocan said. ""This is about helping rape victims.""
At the end of the evening, none of the amendments to the bill passed, except the substitute amendment that canceled out the revision added in the Judiciary committee. The bill is essentially where it began when it passed the state Senate earlier in the year, and a full Assembly vote not yet taken place.
*Video Competition Act*
The Video Competion Act, which seeks to change statutes related to cable television providers in the state, passed the Assembly again Tuesday. It had already passed the Assembly earlier, but needed a vote on the amendments added to the bill in the Senate before going to the governor.
State Rep. Gary Hebl, D-Sun Prairie, offered several amendments to the bill, but all were defeated largely along party lines. He said the process was an ""exercise in futility"" early in the evening, but continued even as it appeared likely that each amendment would fail.
*Frankenstein Veto*
The state Senate unanimously passed a bill banning the ""Frankentstein"" veto power of the governor, limiting his ability to stitch together numbers, words or sentences to alter legislation.
The state Assembly must again approve the bill, which already passed the Assembly earlier in the year and is likely to do so again, according to past statements by Assembly Republican leadership. The legislation would be on the April 2008 ballot as a referendum when finished in the Assembly.
State Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, said in a statement that the bill would still allow the governor flexibility with the use of vetoes.
""Our governor will still retain one of the most powerful - if not the most powerful - veto pens in the entire country,"" Risser said.
*Fired Milwaukee
police officers*
Senate Bill 176, which bans pay for fired Milwaukee police officers who are appealing their cases, passed 30 to three. An amendment that would have increased the amount of the police and fire commissioners who can hear fired officer appeals in Milwaukee failed, as did another amendment relating to whether an officer was charged with a misdemeanor or felony.
The Milwaukee Police Association opposes the bill. MPA Vice President Thomas Fischer said the bill would not be acted upon in the Assembly if it was passed Tuesday. He said Assembly legislative leadership was more receptive to MPA concerns with the bill.
