Legislation which would make state Senate recalls more difficult appears to be foundering, but the bill’s author hasn’t thrown in the towel yet. The bill from New Berlin Republican Mary Lazich would make it tougher to recall incumbent Senators by implementing redrawn legislative districts this month, rather than in November of 2012. “I think the bill promotes fairness, and without it we don’t have that fairness for all of Wisconsin’s voters in 2012,” Lazich said Tuesday. “I think we need to get it done, but there needs to be a caucus discussion and see where everybody is on it.” But Republican Senator Dale Schultz has already stated he won’t vote for the measure, which received a public hearing on Monday and was originally set for a committee vote on Tuesday. Lazich pushed that vote to Wednesday, following the Senate GOP caucus.
With Schultz making his objections known, Democrat Senator Jon Erpenbach wondered what there is to discuss. “Maybe it’s one last-ditch effort,” said Erpenbach. “We all know Dale. If he says he’s not going to do something, he’s not going to do something. And I would tend to think there’s some other Republicans within that caucus who might agree with Senator Schultz on this issue.” With a one seat majority in the Senate, Republicans would have to have Schultz’s vote to pass the bill. “You shouldn’t do things just because you can,” said Milwaukee Democrat, Senator Spencer Coggs. “Now they can’t and it’s a quandary for them.”
AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (:60)