March 09. 2011 2:00AM - Last modified: March 14. 2012 1:14PM

Republicans ram through bill to revoke collective bargaining

  

Republicans in a hastily called state legislative conference committee approved a resolution Wednesday night to revoke the collective bargaining rights for thousands of public employees in Wisconsin, leaving Democrats and thousands of screaming protesters outside the Capitol to cry foul.

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) and his brother, Jeff Fitzgerald (R-Horicon) led the committee, which met for less than five minutes and then approved the resolution.

Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) protested that he had not had a chance to even see what was in the resolution before the vote was taken.

"I need to know what was removed. I need to know that," Barca said.

The public, the media and the Democrats were not allowed to see the resolution before the Republicans voted on it.

"This is clearly a violation of the open meetings law," Barca yelled, as Scott Fitzgerald called for the vote and struck the gavel to adjourn the meeting.

Barca said state law requires at least 24 hours notice before a conference committee hearing can be convened.

Some Democrats speculated that the committee hearing was a Republican trick to convince at least one of the 14 Democratic Senators into showing up at the Capjtol to protest the conference committee resolution. If one Senator had shown up, the Senate could attain the quorum it would need to approve Gov. Scott Walker's budget repair bill, and the committee vote would not even be needed.

The conference committee resolution may need to go back for debate in the State Assembly, where the first bill was approved 17 seconds after a vote was called.

Moments after the committee hearing, Scott Fitzgerald called the Senate back into a special session. No Democrats were present at the session.

The Senate Republicans called for a vote without discussion on the bill, and the Senate Republicans approved, 18-1, with Sen. Dale Schultz (R-Richland Center) casting the only no vote.


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