After Weeks Of Delay, Budget Clears Committee

Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal cleared its first major hurdle last night, passing the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee on a party-line vote.

While issues like transportation spending and restricting open records were front and center in the Finance Committee Thursday, lawmakers focused most of their closing remarks on budget votes they took more than a month ago. Republican Assembly Co-Chairman John Nygren said the budget was good for the people who fund state government.

“There’s no new taxes. There’s no tax increases,” he emphasized.

But Madison Democrat Chris Taylor said Republicans ignored their constituents pleas to adequately fund public schools and reverse a massive cut to the UW.

“It seems like you all really just follow this governor off a cliff, and he lands in another state every day, but you’re still here,” said Taylor.

The budget could still undergo changes in the full Legislature next week.