The fall floor period of the Wisconsin legislature ended last Friday morning following some 13 hours of often acrimonious debate on numerous contentious bills. Lawmakers next regularly scheduled floor period isn’t until January, and leaders offered different perspectives on how the 2013-2104 legislative session has gone so far.
“This has been a session of many missed opportunities,” said Assembly minority leader, Representative Peter Barca (D-Kenosha). “This floor period could have been one in which he expanded the ideas that had been brought forth on workforce development. Clearly what’s on the minds of the people of Wisconsin is how people can be put back to work.”
“Two weeks ago we had an entire day focused on worker training. We passed a series of bills that are helping Wisconsinites get back to work,” said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Burlington). “I think it’s a good agenda. We’re going to come back in the spring with education reform, our efforts to go after those who abuse heroin, and even more opportunities to create jobs in Wisconsin.”
Lawmakers will be back in Madison before the end of the year for a special session to extend BadgerCare coverage for those due to lose it a year’s end – a fix necessitated by the catastrophic failures of the federal Obamacare exchange website, which has left thousands of state residents unable to complete the process of buying health care coverage.
