The Wisconsin State Senate passed Tort Reform legislation Tuesday that would decrease business liability.
The bill, aimed at protecting businesses from frivolous lawsuits, includes caps on punitive damages and limitations on what constitutes an ""expert opinion"" in court.
Voting went down party lines, with the 19 senate Republicans voting in favor of the bill and the 14 Democrats voting against it.
State Sen. Rich Zipperer, R-Pewaukee, an author of the bill, said Wisconsin's current liability standards are too flexible and out of line with the mainstream. ""No other state in the union has chosen to follow our lead,"" he said on the Senate floor Tuesday.
Although Republicans say the bill will create a better business climate, state Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, said the bill is not the fiscally responsible thing to do, and will place greater financial burden on District Attorney offices statewide.
The bill, Erpenbach told the Senate, ""is going to cost our counties a lot of money. And for those of you who ran on fiscal conservatism and fiscal spending … this legislation does not do that.""
Walker praised the passing of the bill as part of a larger plan to make Wisconsin more business-friendly.
Democrats voiced their opposition to the bill, claiming it hampers victims' ability to hold businesses accountable for any damages they may have caused.
State Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, took particular issue with the component of the bill limiting expert opinion. He said he supports the current system, and said the bill is ""an example of legislative malpractice.""
""We said there were going to be some changes to the way Wisconsin does business,"" state Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, R-Juneau, said in a statement, ""but the Democrats made it clear today they won't let the status quo go without a fight.""
The state Assembly will review the bill Thursday.
