Public resistance to some contentious bills won’t be enough

One bill to dump board that oversees
elections, other reforms campaign finance rules

MADISON, Wis. – After reaching internal party compromises, state senate republicans in Madison will now vote Friday on a couple of contentious bills.

One would dump the state’s board that oversees elections. The other would make reforms to campaign finance rules.

While the proposals have been pushed through in a hurry, says Jay Heck with Wisconsin Common Cause, that hasn’t kept the public from growing increasingly vocal in opposition

“There’s just a lot more resistance than anybody thought they were going to have,” Heck said.

That opposition won’t be enough to derail either bill, apparently, after republicans met for hours in closed-door meetings this week to work out differences in the proposals. Heck says the need to have those meetings points to deeper divisions within the party.

“There’s a lot of disarray,” he said. “Even though the republicans still have pretty big numbers, especially in the assembly, it’s not going smoothly for them.”

Changes in the bills voted on by the senate Friday would have to go back to the assembly for another vote before the bills head to the governor for a signature.