Budget committee removes 83 Scott Walker budget proposals
In another sign of trouble for Gov. Scott Walkers plan to borrow more and delay road construction projects, the Legislatures Republican-controlled budget committee announced Thursday it would start its negotiations from scratch rather than from the governors road-funding proposal.
The procedural decision announced by co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee is significant because it means they are ignoring Walkers much-criticized approach to solving a projected $1 billion Department of Transportation shortfall. The panel could still go along with Walkers call to borrow half a billion dollars and delay projects to plug the gap, but it will be harder than the usual practice of working off the governors proposal.
Doing what Walker wants on roads will now require a majority vote to add it to the budget, rather than a majority vote to remove it. That is an unusual break from tradition, and especially noteworthy that the 16-member committee is controlled by Republicans the same party as Walker.
Walker, in a prepared statement, ignored the committees decision to remove his roads plan and cut dozens of other proposals. Instead, he thanked them for not changing for now his plan to increase funding for K-12 schools by $649 million.
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