Negotiations on the budget repair bill and Great Lakes Compact continue to progress, and the bills will likely be voted on concurrently in the near future, according to spokespersons of several state lawmakers.
Details of the bills are all that remain up for debate, and the bills will be acted on once lawmakers agree on these details, according to Eric Peterson, legislative director for state Sen. Lena Taylor, D-Milwaukee.
Carrie Lynch, spokesperson for state Sen. Russ Decker, D-Weston, said she expects both to be voted on and passed next week.
According to Lynch, the Great Lakes Compact, a bill to protect the lakes as a resource shared by mid-western states and Canada, will definitely pass.
The Great Lakes Compact is for sure a slam dunk. Once we get a deal worked out for the budget I'm sure it will pass too,"" Lynch said.
Lynch said Decker and state Assembly Speaker Michael Huebsch, R-West Salem, are working together on the budget repair bill and are making significant progress.
Peterson also said the bills will likely be voted on next week.
According to Peterson, opposition to the Great Lakes Compact stems from concerns for how the Midwestern states and Canada will interact, not from the bill itself.
Peterson said the debate on the budget repair bill revolves around what cuts or revenue enhancements need to be made, not whether they must be made.
""It's not a for-or-against situation, it's how to get to the end,"" Peterson said.
Mike Tyritz, spokesperson for state Rep. Jeff Stone, R-Greendale, said heavy debate is still slowing progress on the budget repair bill. He said it might be voted on anytime from now until November, depending on how the negotiations continue.
Anderson Johnson, spokesperson for state Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona, said the state Senate and Assembly are working very closely ,and he expects the budget repair bill and Great Lakes Compact to be voted on the same day in several weeks.
