Budget Stalemate Continues Into 93rd Day

MADISON, Wis. -- As the budget stalemate continues into the 93rd day, some state officials say there is likely no end in sight.

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Closed-door meetings continued for the second week at the state Capitol, but as they do, some are talking about measures that might have brought compromise long ago.

Gov. Jim Doyle's office said Monday that it has lawyers looking into emergency actions the governor could take to break the stalemate.

Some politicians are saying a government shutdown, like the one that threatened Michigan, or measures that hit even closer to lawmakers' wallets might be the only way to avoid a delay in the future.

"It shouldn't be necessary for there to be something as extreme as a government shutdown or docking the pay of elected state officials to get them to do their job," said Mike McCabe, of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign. "But maybe that's the kind of thing that has to happen."

McCabe and his political watchdog group said that there is simply no incentive for legislatures to crack down and actually finish the budget.

He suggested that new rules be put in place like the ones New York and California have which withhold pay if legislators fail to complete a budget. If it were in place now, he said, each lawmaker would be missing $11,000 already, WISC-TV reported.

McCabe said that lawmakers' fundraising is also partially to blame.

"I think the most powerful thing that we could do is ban campaign fundraising during the budget process because I guarantee you, if they couldn't raise campaign money right now, they'd have a budget done," said McCabe.

The governor said that he agrees with the groups' sentiments while discussing budget consequences in Appleton on Monday.

Doyle said that the budget would create a delay in transportation in bridge rehabilitation throughout the state. He said that the University of Wisconsin will be short by $96 million -- creating a possible $800 tuition surcharge or hundreds of layoffs.

He said Senior Care projects would also be short about $9.3 million, meaning the state will no longer be able to pay for prescription drugs for participants.

Lawmakers like Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch said he didn't see a compromise happening before Oct. 15.