Here & Now

Erpenbach Discusses Last Week Of State Budget In Legislature

ZAC SCHULTZ:

WE MOVE TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE AISLE NOW TO SPEAK WITH A DEMOCRATIC MEMBER OF THE JOINT FINANCE COMMITTEE, SENATOR JON ERPENBACH. THANKS FOR YOUR TIME TODAY.

JON ERPENBACH:

SURE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

A NUMBER OF DEMOCRATS ARE CALLING THIS THE WORST BUDGET EVER. IS THAT HYBERBOLE OR DO YOU HAVE AN ACTUAL RANKING SYSTEM FOR BUDGETS?

JON ERPENBACH:

NO, WE DON’T. NOT LIKE FOR SCHOOLS WHERE THEY START RANKING THEM ON STARS HERE, LIKE MOVIES. THAT’S IN THE BUDGE. IT’S A BAD BUDGET. IT DOESN’T REFLECT THE PRIORITIES WE BELIEVE OF THE STATE. THE $250 MILLION CUT IN UW IS BAD. FLAT LINING K-12 EDUCATION FUNDING IS BAD. OUR ROADS, THEY DID NOT EVEN BEGIN TO ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS WITH TRANSPORTATION FUNDING. AND IT’S A BUDGET OF MISSED OPPORTUNITIES. WE HAD THE MONEY. WE CERTAINLY HAD THE MONEY TO NOT ONLY NOT CUT THE UW SYSTEM, BUT ACTUALLY GIVE THEM A LITTLE BIT OF AN INCREASE, GIVE K-12 MORE MONEY. BUT IT’S JUST A MATTER OF CHOICES AND PRIORITIES. THE REPUBLICANS CHOSE TO GO A DIFFERENT WAY. AS FAR AS WORST BUDGET EVER, IT’S BAD. ON A SCALE OF ONE TO TEN, CERTAINLY A NINE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

THEY DID MAKE SOME CHANGES IN THE LEGISLATURE TO WHAT GOVERNOR WALKER’S ORIGINAL PROPOSAL WAS. DO THEY GET CREDIT FOR THAT?

JON ERPENBACH:

THEY JUST BORROW LESS YOU KNOW FOR TRANSPORTATION. GOVERNOR WANTED TO BORROW $1.3 BILLION. WE HAVEN’T TOUCHED THE GAS TAX IN NINE YEARS. WE HAVE MAJOR TRANSPORTATION PROJECTS THAT WILL BE PUT ON HOLD AS A RESULT OF THE INABILITY TO COME TO ANY SORT OF CONCLUSION WHEN IT COMES TO FUNDING TRANSPORTATION. THE UW OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF BUDGETS HAVE TAKEN OVER A HALF A BILLION DOLLAR HIT. AGAIN, WE HAD THE MONEY IN THIS BUDGET TO TAKE CARE OF SOME THINGS. WE EVEN LEFT SOME MONEY SITTING OUT IN WASHINGTON D.C. WITH THE MEDICAID EXPANSION, WHICH WAS $360 MILLION BECAUSE THEY DIDN’T WANT TO TAKE IT BECAUSE GOVERNOR WALKER IS RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. SO IN THE END IT DOESN’T REFLECT THE PRIORITIES OF THE STATE AND I THINK SOME PEOPLE WILL END UP PAYING FOR THIS COME ELECTION TIME.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

NOW AT THE LAST MINUTE THEY DID REMOVE THE CHANGES TO THE OPEN RECORDS LAWS THAT WERE PROPOSED THAT GOT QUITE A BIT OF ATTENTION AND ACTUALLY SOME BIPARTISAN OPPOSITION IN THE END. BUT SENATOR FITZGERALD SAYS THE ISSUE IS GOING TO COME BACK. IS THERE REAL NEED TO UPDATE THOSE LAWS IN THE DIGITAL AGE?

JON ERPENBACH:

JUST THE FACT THAT THEY DID THIS, THE WAY THEY DID IT – AFTER MIDNIGHT IN THE DARKNESS OF NIGHT – AND THERE WASN’T BIPARTISAN SUPPORT TO GET RID OF IT BECAUSE THE REPUBLICANS ON THE FINANCE COMMITTEE WHO DIDN’T LIKE IT AND WHO’VE ALL SAID THEY DIDNT’ LIKE IT COULD HAVE STOPPED IT THERE. THIS NEVER HAD TO COME TO A VOTE, BUT IT DID AND THEY ALL VOTED FOR IT. AND THAT’S ON THEIR RECORD. THEY CAN’T REMOVE THAT. BUT YOU’RE RIGHT, BY THE END OF THE WEEKEND GOVERNOR WALKER SAID WE HAVE TO TAKE THIS OUT EVEN THOUGH IT WAS HIS IDEA TO PUT IT IN IN THE FIRST PLACE. HE’S BEING SUED RIGHT NOW. AND THE LANGUAGE WE USED ON FINANCE AS MUCH AS I DISAGREED WITH IT, ALMOST WORD FOR WORD, IS WORDS THAT HE USED TO DENY AN OPEN RECORDS REQUEST, WHICH IS WHY HE’S IN COURT RIGHT NOW. SO AS FAR AS REVISITING OPEN RECORDS, IF WE DO IT, YOU DO IT IN THE DAY LIGHT. YOU DO IT WITH REPORTERS. YOU DO IT WITH LAWYERS. YOU DO IT WITH LEGISLATORS. AND YOU DO IT WITH PEOPLE FROM THE PUBLIC. AND YOU SIT DOWN AND YOU TALK ABOUT IT AS OPPOSED TO LET’S JUST PUT IT IN THE BUDGET AND PRETEND HOPEFULLY NOBODY’S WATCHING.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

AND HOW MUCH OF THIS RUSH TO PASS THE BUDGET THIS WEEK HAS TO DO WITH GOVERNOR WALKER’S ANNOUNCEMENT ON MONDAY NIGHT?

JON ERPENBACH:

I THINK IT HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH IT. THE GOVERNOR INTRODUCED THE BUDGET EARLY. THE FINANCE COMMITTEE TOOK IT UP EARLY. WHOLE IDEA BEHIND THIS TIME LINE WAS TO GET IT DONE BEFORE MEMORIAL DAY. AT LEAST OUT OF FINANCE SO THE LEGISLATURE COULD DEAL WITH IT AND THE GOVERNOR HAD A COUPLE WEEKS. BUT YEAH, THE BUDGET, THE PROPOSALS IN THE BUDGET, WHETHER THEY START WITH THE GOVERNOR AND END WITH THE LEGISLATURE AND THE TIME LINE HAS EVERYTHING TO DO WITH SCOTT WALKER RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT AND NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THIS STATE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

ANOTHER BILL THAT WAS RUSHED TO COMPLETION THIS WEEK IN REGARDS TO GOVERNOR WALKER ANNOUNCING FOR PRESIDENT WAS THE 20-WEEK ABORTION BAN. IS THERE A DIRECT CONNECTION THERE TO GETTING THAT ON THE BOOKS BEFORE HE ANNOUNCES?

JON ERPENBACH:

IF YOU LISTEN TO HIS CAMPAIGN COMMERCIALS, NO, HE DIDN’T WANT ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT. BUT YEAH. THIS IS ANOTHER ONE OF THOSE ISSUES WHERE SCOTT WALKER CAN GO TO IOWA AND NEW HAMPSHIRE AND TRY AND OUT-CONSERVATIVE HIS CONSERVATIVE OPPONENTS. EVERYTHING IN THIS BUDGET HAS BEEN SET UP TOWARD THAT. INDIVDUAL PIECES OF LEGISLATION HAVE BEEN SET UP TOWARD THAT. HE NEEDS TO BE THE MOST CONSERVATIVE PERSON IN ORDER TO GET THROUGH THE PRIMARY AND AGAIN, I CAN’T STRESS ENOUGH. AS A RESULT 5.5 MILLION WISCONSINITES ARE WONDERING WHAT HAPPENED TO THEIR FUNDING FOR ROADS? WHAT HAPPENED TO THEIR FUNDING FOR THE UW SYSTEM, AND SO ON AND SO FORTH?

ZAC SCHULTZ:

WE HEARD THIS WEEK THAT THE NEXT BUDGET WILL START WITH A STRUCTURAL DEFICIT. WILL THAT BE ANY BETTER? WILL THE NEXT BUDGET BE ANY EASIER?

JON ERPENBACH:

IF OUR ECONOMY KEEPS GOING THE WAY IT’S GOING, NO, IT WON’T BE. IT WILL BE DIFFICULT. BUT WE SPENT ALMOST $3 BILLION MORE THIS BUDGET THAN WE DID LAST BUDGET. SO SOME MONEY WAS THERE. WE CONTINUE TO LAG DESPERATELY WHEN IT COMES TO JOB CREATION. WE CONTINUE TO LAG DESPERATELY, 50TH IN THE NATION, WHEN IT COMES TO NEW BUSINESS START-UPS. EVERYTHING THE GOVERNOR SAID HE’S NEEDED, HE’S GOTTEN OVER THE COURSE OF HIS TENURE IN THE GOVERNOR’S OFFICE, BUT WE STILL CONTINUE TO LAG AND EACH BUDGET BECOMES MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT. BUT AGAIN, IF YOUR PRIORITY IS TO FUND EDUCATION UP AND DOWN THE STATE OF WISCONSIN, THE MONEY IS THERE TO DO IT. IF YOUR PRIORITY IS TO FIX OUR TRANSPORTATION BUDGET, THEN YOU NEED TO HAVE THE BACKBONE TO STAND UP AND SAY HOW YOU WOULD DO IT AS OPPOSED TO JUST BORROWING MONEY. THERE’S WAYS TO DO A GOOD BUDGET, EVEN IN A TOUGH TIME, THERE’S WAYS TO DO A GOOD BUDGET FOR THE STATE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

DO YOU THINK GOVERNOR WALKER WILL BE THE ONE INTRODUCING THE NEXT WISCONSIN BUDGET?

JON ERPENBACH:

YES, I DO. AND THEN I DON’T THINK HE CAN RUN FOR REELECTION IN THIS STATE AGAIN BECAUSE I DON’T THINK HE’D WIN. THE BUDGETS HE’S INTRODUCED DO NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES HERE OF THE STATE OF WISCONSIN. PEOPLE WANT TO GIVE OUR KIDS AN OPPORTUNITY. MY PARENT’S GENERATION WORKED REALLY HARD TO GIVE ME OPPORTUNITIES. AND OUR JOB AS A LEGISLATURE IS TO KEEP AN EYE ON THE NEXT GENERATION. AND WE HAVEN’T DONE IT IN THE PAST COUPLE OF BUDGETS. WE CERTAINLY DIDN’T DO IT IN THIS BUDGET. AND THE NEXT GENERATION COMING UP BEHIND US WON’T HAVE THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES THAT I DID OR THAT YOU DID HERE IN THE STATE. SO THAT’S REALLY FRUSTRATING. THIS BUDGET HAS- ALL ABOUT SCOTT WALKER RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT. IT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH WHAT PEOPLE WANT IN THE STATE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

JON ERPENBACH:

ALL RIGHT.