A Madison lawmaker will force a vote on a bill aiming to curb global warming Tuesday, though the bill is likely to face opposition from Assembly Republican leadership.
State Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, said he would motion to pull Assembly Bill 157, the Wisconsin Safe Climate Act, from committee when the full Assembly meets.
The bill would try to cut green house gases in the state to 1990 levels by 2020.
Black said he had spoken with several lawmakers, and support was almost unanimous from Democrats. More moderate Republicans, according to Black, might also be persuaded to vote for the bill.
He said polls showed the public supported the bill, and 84 percent of Wisconsin voters favor some sort of action against global warming.
Republicans should look at their own Presidential nominee, who is supportive of this type of proposal,"" Black said.
The Senate version of the bill is currently in the Joint Finance Committee, which must pass it before the full Senate votes on it. Black said the Senate version has not been allowed to pass out of the JFC because of opposition from the Republican co-chair of the committee.
Jim Bender, spokesperson for Assembly Majority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, said it was unlikely the bill would pass. Bender said bills taken to the Assembly floor that bypass committees are often defeated on a procedural vote.
The bill is supported by groups such as the Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, but opposed by the state's largest business group, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.
