The state budget repair bill is likely mired in legislative deadlock akin to last fall's, even as the bill is set for a vote in the state Senate Tuesday.
A finance committee in the Democrat-controlled Senate passed a version of the bill Thursday that differs from Gov. Jim Doyle's proposal and the plan passed Wednesday by the Republican-controlled Assembly.
The bill is needed to close an expected $428 million deficit in the state budget.
The Senate plan is a compromise of the two [earlier] versions,"" Senate Majority Leader Russ Decker, D-Weston, said in a statement. Decker said the bill includes an increased tax on hospitals from Doyle's version and a delayed school aid payment from the Assembly plan.
The hospital assessment is opposed by Republican leadership but supported by the largest business lobbyist group in the state, Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.
However, the Senate proposal also closes several tax ""loopholes"" not supported in the other versions.
""Closing loopholes that large, profitable businesses use to shove their tax bill onto the backs of small business owners in Wisconsin means we can lower taxes for those who play by the rules,"" Decker said.
Assembly Republicans said the Senate proposal would hurt the business climate in the state.
Officials in the UW System are waiting to see how the versions affect higher education around the state, according to UW System spokesperson David Giroux.
Giroux said the different proposals give state officials some leeway on where specific spending cuts would be placed, so UW System officials do not know yet how much spending they are expected to stop.
The proposals also differ in funds they would use to solve the shortfall. Legislative Fiscal Bureau Director Bob Lang said Doyle's proposal uses a larger pool of funds to move around to solve the deficit than the Assembly version.
