Senate Committee OKs Democrats' Budget Plan

Bill Differs From Republican Proposal

UPDATED: 8:05 am CDT March 21, 2008

MADISON, Wis. -- The state Senate Democrats' plan for solving the current budget shortfall was voted out of the Senate budget committee on Thursday and is expected to be debated by the full Senate Tuesday.

However, the legislation is entirely different from the budget fix backed by the Republican-controlled Assembly.

The Senate version includes a tax on hospitals and the closing of tax loopholes corporations use. It also would authorize a car rental tax increase to pay for a three-county rail line.

All three ideas are opposed by the Assembly's Republican leaders.

Only one of the three -- the hospital tax -- is included in the plan offered by Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle to plug a $527-million shortfall.

Doyle spokeswoman Jessica Erickson said that that with the Senate and Assembly plans now on the table, it's time to get to work on a compromise.

Previous Stories:

March 20, 2008: Third Proposed Budget Solution Pending
March 19, 2008: Officials: Doyle's Budget Plan Could Cost $94M In Tobacco Payments
March 17, 2008: Dane County Outlines New Traffic Safety Patrols
March 14, 2008: Doyle Blasts Assembly GOP Plan To Repair Budget
March 13, 2008: Wisconsin Legislature Leaving Number Of Issues Undone
March 13, 2008: Assembly Passes GOP Plan To Bridge Budget Gap
March 13, 2008: Lawmakers Work In Final Hours Of Legislative Session
March 13, 2008: Assembly Budget Plan Would Drain Reserves, Cut Money For Raises
March 12, 2008: Issues Unresolved As Legislative Session Winds Down
March 11, 2008: Governor Outlines Plan To Contend With Budget Shortfall
March 11, 2008: Senate Committee Revives Universal Health Care Proposal
March 10, 2008: Doyle Proposes Hospital Tax, Other Cuts To Balance Budget
March 6, 2008: Doyle Calls Special Session To Deal With Budget
February 15, 2008: Democrats Consider Hospital, Estate Taxes To Plug Budget Gap
February 12, 2008: Huebsch: Size Of Budget Shortfall Expected To Be Known This Week
February 8, 2008: Speaker Orders Freeze On Hiring, Travel In State Assembly
January 30, 2008: Doyle Wants To Tackle Budget Problem This Year
January 28, 2008: State Faces $400M Budget Shortfall