Once again lawmakers stumble at the finish line

This is why Wisconsin lawmakers need to give themselves more time to get their work done. Time has again run out, well before lawmakers could even consider the bills before them. The state Senate held its final day of the session yesterday, but a number of bills weren’t even taken up by that body. Of course, for most of us, if we don’t get all our work done one day, we work on it the next. Our lawmakers simply pack their bags and go home. Among the bills the Senate allowed to die is one which would take the driver’s license from repeat drunk drivers. Other bills not being considered by the Senate this session are bipartisan bills addressing heroin and opiate addiction. The Senate also ran out of time to pass part of Governor Walker’s idea for reducing student debt, a token gesture which would have eliminated the cap on how much tax deductions students can claim for their student loan debt. It didn’t even come up for debate in the Senate, even though Governor Walker stopped in La Crosse and elsewhere to tout his plan. The Senate did manage to find time on their final day to debate legislation preventing governments from banning natural Christmas trees in churches. Once again, our lawmakers have put off the hard decisions, left a flurry of work for their final day, then left town. They should stay on the job until they actually get their work done, just like the rest of us.