As the state Senate debates the budget today, advocates drop off petitions with 25,000 signatures of persons asking for Wisconsin to accept federal money to expand BadgerCare.
Kevin Kane of Citizen Action of Wisconsin says six Republicans in the GOP controlled chamber have made public statements critical of Governor Walker’s plan to reject the federal funds. With the Democrats expected to vote in support of the Medicaid expansion, Kane says, “We only need two state Senators to stand with their convictions and to move forward and actually vote the way that they know is moral.”
Although the Assembly has already passed the budget which rejects the Medicaid money from Washington, Nina Amato of Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups says this 11th hour push is “politically doable” as he cites the SeniorCare proposal during debate of the last state budget.
The petitions went to the office of Senate President, Republican Mike Ellis.