Here & Now

Fitzgerald Describes GOP Efforts To Wrap Up The Budget

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WE SAT DOWN WITH REPUBLICAN SENATE MAJORITY LEADER SCOTT FITZGERALD. ONE OF THE THINGS THAT GOT PULLED FROM THE GOVERNOR’S BUDGET PROPOSAL WAS THE FINANCING PACKAGE FOR A NEW MILWAUKEE BUCKS ARENA. SENATOR FITZGERALD SAYS HE WILL NEED MILWAUKEE SENATE DEMOCRATS TO PASS THAT IN A SEPARATE BILL. JOINT FINANCE REPUBLICANS HAVE DESCRIBED THE GOVERNOR’S BUDGET AS QUOTE – VERY CHALLENGING, SAYING THE LEGISLATURE IMPROVED IT SIGNIFICANTLY. I STARTED BY ASKING THE MAJORITY LEADER WHAT HE’S TOLD THE GOVERNOR ABOUT HOW TOUGH HE MADE IT FOR LAWMAKERS.

SCOTT FITZGERALD:

OH, I THINK HE KNOWS THAT. YOU KNOW, HE DIDN’T TAKE LIGHTLY AND CERTAINLY WE’RE NOT TAKING LIGHTLY CHANGES THAT WERE MADE SPECIFICALLY TO THE UW SYSTEM OR TO TRANSPORTATION ACROSS THE STATE OR TO K-12 EDUCATION, ALTHOUGH I THINK WE DID A PRETTY GOOD JOB IN SIGNIFICANTLY PUTTING MORE RESOURCES IN THERE. SO NO. I DON’T THINK THE GOVERNOR WAS UNDER ANY ILLUSION THAT IT WASN’T A VERY DIFFICULT BUDGET. WE ALSO HAD THE BENEFIT OF A LITTLE BETTER SNAPSHOT OF PUTTING TOGETHER A BUDGET LATER IN THE YEAR THAN MID-FEBRUARY. SO AT THE END OF THE DAY I THINK WE FEEL MUCH BETTER ABOUT WHAT THE BUDGET LOOKS LIKE AFTER THE LEGISLATURE HAS TAKEN ACTION IN THE FINANCE COMMITTEE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

HOW DIFFICULT HAS IT BEEN TO HAVE TO SCALE BACK ON HIGHWAY PROJECTS BECAUSE OF HAVING TO SCALE BACK ON BONDING?

SCOTT FITZGERALD:

THIS IS A CRISIS. I MEAN, IT’S BEEN THERE. EVERYONE’S AWARE OF IT. BUT THE TRANSPORTATION FUND IS STRUGGLING. AND IN THIS ENVIRONMENT, CERTAINLY THERE HAVE BEEN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT NEW REVENUES THAT COULD MAKE THEIR WAY INTO THE TRANSPORTATION BUDGET. BUT WE DON’T HAVE THE SUPPORT FOR THAT RIGHT NOW. WHEN YOU’RE TALKING JUST ABOUT VEHICLE REGISTRATION FEES OR GAS TAX INCREASES, IT DOESN’T SEEM TO BE ENOUGH TO GET THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE REPUBLICAN CAUCUSES TO THAT PLACE. SO IT MAKES IT MORE DIFFICULT. AND I THINK WE MADE SOME DIFFICULT CHOICES IN SAYING, LISTEN, IF THE REVENUE’S NOT THERE, WE’RE NOT GOING TO MOVE FORWARD WITH PROJECTS THAT ARE GOING TO EXCLUSIVELY BE FUNDED WITH BORROWING, WITH BONDING. SO IT’S PRETTY TOUGH DECISIONS IN AND AROUND THE TRANSPORTATION FUND THIS TIME.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

BECAUSE EVEN WITH THE MOTION IN THE JOINT FINANCE COMMITTEE, I UNDERSTAND THE DEBT SERVICE WILL REPRESENT 20.6%, AND THAT’S TOUGH BUSINESS.

SCOTT FITZGERALD:

YEAH. AND IT’S BEEN GROWING SIGNIFICANTLY FOR THE LAST TEN YEARS. THAT’S BECOMING A BIGGER AND BIGGER CONCERN FOR MANY LEGISLATORS, IS THAT, YEAH, EVERY 20 CENTS OF EVERY DOLLAR THAT’S RAISED FOR TRANSPORTATION IS BEING USED FOR DEBT SERVICE. THAT’S A BIG CONCERN AND THAT’S SOMETHING THAT WE’RE WATCHING VERY CLOSELY. IT ALSO DEMONSTRATES I THINK THE NEEDS OF THE HIGHWAY PROGRAMS AND THE LACK OF REVENUE. NOW, ON THE FLIP SIDE OF THAT, I WILL SAY THIS. THERE ARE SOME MEMBERS OF MY CAUCUS, THOUGH, THAT STILL FEEL WE NEED A BETTER GAME PLAN WHEN IT COMES TO TRANSPORTATION AND SPENDING. WHETHER DOT, WE HOLD THEIR FEET TO THE FIRE AND SAY, LISTEN, WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO DO AUDITS AND TAKE A LOOK AT THE PROGRAMS TO MAKE SURE WE’RE GETTING THE BEST BOTH BRIDGES AND HIGHWAYS FOR OUR DOLLAR, BUT ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YOU’RE GOING TO BE KIND OF RESPONSIVE TO SOME OF THE REQUESTS FROM THE LEGISLATORS ON MANY OF THOSE PROPOSALS. SO I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY IT’S A PRETTY TOUGH BUDGET, BUT IT’S PRETTY RESPONSIBLE AS WELL.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

WHAT ABOUT THE PREVAILING WAGE BILLS? WHAT IS THE STATUS WITH THOSE? AND HOW IS THAT GOING TO GO IN THE SENATE?

SCOTT FITZGERALD:

WELL, THE FIRST THING TO REMEMBER IS PREVAILING WAGE IS NOT PART OF THE BUDGET. IT IS NOT PART OF GOVERNOR WALKER’S BUDGET. SO THIS IS AN ISSUE, THOUGH, THAT CERTAINLY KIND OF EMERGED RIGHT AFTER THE RIGHT TO WORK LEGISLATION WAS SIGNED BY THE GOVERNOR. AND IT HAS MADE ITS WAY INTO THE BUDGET. I MEAN, IT’S SOMETHING THAT SOME OF THE MEMBERS OF MY CAUCUS ARE SAYING IT WOULD BE VERY DIFFICULT TO VOTE FOR A BUDGET THAT DIDN’T INCLUDE SOME SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO THAT. SO WE’RE STILL WORKING ON IT, BUT I THINK AT THE END OF THE DAY THERE’S GOING TO BE SOME SIGNIFICANT CHANGES TO PREVAILING WAGE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

JUST HELP ME OUT ON THIS AGAIN. YOU’VE SAID THAT YOU WANTED TO GET THIS BUDGET THROUGH JOINT FINANCE THIS WEEK, YOU KNOW.

SCOTT FITZGERALD:

RIGHT.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

AND NOW THAT HAS HAPPENED. SO THAT YOU CAN WORK ON GETTING THE VOTES FOR IT IN THE SENATE, BUT YOU SAID YOU DON’T HAVE THOSE VOTES. HELP US UNDERSTAND WHY NOT.

SCOTT FITZGERALD:

WHEN WE GET TO THE FLOOR OF THE SENATE, THAT’S WHEN YOU’LL KNOW I HAVE THE VOTES FOR THE BUDGET ITSELF. IT’S ALWAYS THAT WAY. RIGHT UP UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE, THERE ARE SOME MEMBERS THAT STILL WOULD LIKE A PROVISION REMOVED FROM THE BUDGET OR ADDED TO THE BUDGET TO EITHER GAIN THEIR SUPPORT. JUST SOMETHING — NOT THAT EVERYONE IS BOTTOM LINING ME ON THEIR BUDGET VOTE, BUT JUST THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT YOU WANT TO TWEAK RIGHT UP UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE. UNTIL YOU GET THERE, YOU’RE NOT THERE.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

IS IT AROUND PREVAILING WAGE?

SCOTT FITZGERALD:

PREVAILING WAGE IS ONE OF THOSE ITEMS, CERTAINLY, BUT I HAVE CERTAIN REQUESTS RELATED TO CHANGES TO EDUCATION, CHANGES TO THE DEPARTMENT OF NATURAL RESOURCES, CHANGES THAT WERE MADE TO THE UW SYSTEM, AND SOME OF THEM MIGHT NOT BE HEADLINE GRABBERS. THEY MIGHT BE SMALLER ITEMS, BUT STILL IMPORTANT TO THE INDIVIDUAL SENATORS IN MAKING SURE THAT THOSE THINGS ARE DONE BEFORE THEY’LL SAY YES, I’M AN AYE ON THE BUDGET. THAT’S KIND OF THE JUNCTURE WE’RE IN RIGHT NOW IS TRYING TO GATHER THOSE VOTES.

FREDERICA FREYBERG:

SENATOR FITZGERALD, THANKS VERY MUCH.

SCOTT FITZGERALD:

THANK YOU.