MADISON, Wis. -- Gov. Jim Doyle said that he might have to partially shut down Wisconsin's state government if lawmakers don't pass a new state budget soon.

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He said University of Wisconsin campuses might not be able to open for the second semester and state employees might have to be temporarily laid off. The state Department of Corrections will run out of money in April, WISC-TV reported.

"To me, it is absurd that innocent hardworking people in Wisconsin get hurt because we have to shut down services that they rely on because the Legislature won't do its job. So, I would like to put that off as long as is possible," Doyle said.

Republicans are trying to dismiss the warnings as a scare tactic by the Democratic governor meant to pressure them into passing a budget with more taxes and spending than they would like.

But the warning comes more than three months after the new two-year budget was supposed to take effect on July 1.

Funding continues at levels of the past budget, but the governor said expenses are higher for salaries, utilities and other costs, so his administration will have to take steps to make sure money is available for the most important services.

Doyle had called the Legislature into special session Monday and the Democratic-controlled Senate passed a revised budget bill he had offered, but the Republican-led Assembly rejected it.

"The governor and Senate Democrats are on the same page and we believe we can get a budget done given that final compromise. All we need is five votes to end this impasse," said Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson, D-Beloit.

Legislators agree that a compromise must be reached but disagree on how to get there.

"We want less taxes and lower spending, and as long as we can try to arrive at that point we will be able to bring Republican votes and Democrat votes to pass a bipartisan budget," said Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch, R-West Salem.

Meanwhile, Huebsch is circulating a petition to call an extraordinary session of the Legislature to get the Senate to take up a bill to pass the school funding portion of the budget and stop a property tax increase. On Tuesday, he only had a majority of signatures in the Assembly and would need a majority to sign in both houses.

Huebsch said he has asked the governor to re-consider his last offer. But Doyle and Senate Democrats said it wasn't clear the offer had the votes to get it through either house.

As of Tuesday, no budget negotiation meetings had been set.

With the budget still in limbo, spending for state, regional and local governments and agencies are in flux. School districts are expected to turn to property tax payers to make up $80 million in state aid, which could cost an average of $27 on the owner of a home worth $170,000.

Legislators said that once a budget is passed, they should be able to alter deadlines and other provisions to make sure the additional money gets to schools.

Budget Impasse Stalls Tax Forms

The state Department of Revenue has missed the deadline for sending tax instructions to the printer because of the state budget impasse.

The instructions are part of the one million state tax form booklets needed for next year's filing season.

Because the budget is stalled as the state Senate and Assembly disagree, the revenue department isn't sure how to draw up the instructions. Differing budget proposals have a number of changes to tax law, which affect the instructions.

Department spokeswoman Meredith Helgerson said that the original deadline was on Monday. She said that the printers are willing to wait it out for now.

"This year being a budget year, not only will some figures change but there are some tax credits and deductions that the governor has proposed in his budget that would have to be included in the tax booklets as being new or radically different from what they were before," Helgerson said.

If lawmakers still don't come up with a budget by mid-November, the department will use existing forms and make needed adjustments later.

Currently, the state budget is 108 days late.