Finally, a small patch of common ground in Madison

It is hardly worthy of celebration. But given the circumstances, it must at least be pointed out. For the first time in ten months, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers signed into law a bill passed by the Republican Legislature. It was long overdue. The bill that now becomes law had bipartisan support, something we haven’t seen much of in Madison. And it provides some hope that as the Governor and Legislature work to find agreement on a new state budget that there may be room for compromise on other issues. The bill the Governor signed Thursday benefits the many Wisconsin businesses that took Payroll Protection money from the federal government. Without passing this law, those struggling businesses would have had to pay taxes on the bailout money. Evers’ signature brings Wisconsin tax laws in compliance with federal laws. There may be other issues, although perhaps not many, where democrats and republicans can find common ground, such as expanding broadband access and upgrades to the state’s unemployment system. Let’s hope so.  It shouldn’t take ten months for the two parties to find just one thing they can agree on. Let’s hope it isn’t another 10 months before they find important issues both sides can support.