Thread: SENATE DEMOCRATS FOUND -- AT A RESORT IN ILLINOIS!

Budget Battle: Democrats Who Left State are Located

By The WTMJ News Team

MADISON - Democratic State Senators who protested the budget repair bill by leaving the state have been found.

The lawmakers are in the Best Western Clock Tower Resort in Rockford Illinois.

Law enforcement officials have been looking for at least one Democratic senator to bring in for a quorum required for a fiscal measure, but Democratic Senator Jon Erpenbach confirmed to Newsradio 620 WTMJ that he and all of his Democratic colleagues boarded a bus and left the state.

"We're not in Wisconsin right now," Erpenbach said. "The reason why we're doing this is because there are some jurisdictional issues that we'd be dealing with."

The Senate's Sergeant at Arms cannot compel Senators' attendance in an open session if they are outside of state lines.

According to the Twitter account of Democrat State Senator Chris Larson from Bay View, "For those looking for us, we are right here, standing with the people of Wisconsin."

When asked by TODAY'S TMJ4's Tom Murray why he would not divulge his location, he said "I don't want those details to take away from the message being sent by the people of Wisconsin."

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• Barrett: "Never Seen Anything Like This"
• Majority Leader Explains Need for 'Flexibility'
• Gov. Walker on Budget Bill, In His Own Words
• Budget Repair Bill Supports Less Vocal Than Opponents
• Archbishop Listecki Weighs In on Repair Bill
• President: Walker Bill "Seems Like More Of An Assault on Unions"

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• Click here for school district closings

Related audio: Click on the links below to hear Newsradio 620 WTMJ "Wisconsin Afternoon News" exclusive interviews about the budget/union bill
• Governor Scott Walker
• Madison Democratic State Senator Jon Erpenbach
• Madison Teachers Union Executive Director John Matthews
As observers in the senate chamber were shouting over the microphoned senators, a roll call was happening with no Senate Democrat in the chambers, and the discussion, debate and vote cannot occur because a 3/5ths quorum cannot be reached.

"The senate is now under a call of the house, and we will try to find the members who decided not to show up for work today. We will stand informal pending the resolution of the call of the house," said State Senator Mike Ellis.

A staff member for Senator Lena Taylor (D.-Milwaukee) said that office staffers cannot even leave their office because of the commotion inside the Capitol.

With the Democrats gone, not enough Senators are available for a quorum to vote on the bill.

"We do not have the three-fifths" said Ellis to cheers in the crowd.

"We will leave the call of the house on until we receive enough members to continue to do business. I don't know how long that will take."

"Once we have enough people to continue to work, if they're still in the building, you will hear this bell and the Senate will be reconvened."

The wait could happen for as long as hours, or even days, until a Democratic senator comes in.

The proposal has been the focus of intense protests at the Statehouse for three days. As Republicans tried to begin Senate business Thursday, observers in the gallery screamed "Freedom! Democracy! Unions!"

Republicans hold a 19-14 majority, but they need at least one Democrat to be present before taking a vote on the bill.

Democratic Minority Leader Mark Miller released a statement on behalf of all Democrats urging Gov. Scott Walker and Republicans to listen to opponents of the measure and seek a compromise. His statement did not address where Democrats were or when they planned to return.

Bill opponents in the Senate gallery cheered when Senate President Mike Ellis announced that there were not enough senators present to proceed.

The bill came to the Senate after the Legislature's budget committee endorsed it just before midnight Wednesday.

Walker and Republican leaders have said they have the votes to pass the plan.

That didn't stop thousands of protesters from clogging the hallway outside the Senate chamber beating on drums, holding signs deriding Walker and pleading for lawmakers to kill the bill. Protesters also demonstrated outside the homes of some lawmakers.

Hundreds of teachers called in sick, forcing a number of school districts to cancel classes. Madison schools, the state's second-largest district with 24,000 students, closed for a second day as teachers poured into the Capitol.

Hundreds more people, many of them students from the nearby University of Wisconsin, slept in the rotunda for a second night.

"We are all willing to come to the table, we've have all been willing from day one," said Madison teacher Rita Miller. "But you can't take A, B, C, D and everything we've worked for in one fell swoop."

The head of the 98,000-member statewide teachers union called on all Wisconsin residents to come to the Capitol on Thursday for the votes in the Senate and Assembly.

"Our goal is not to close schools, but instead to remain vigilant in our efforts to be heard," said Wisconsin Education Association Council President Mary Bell.

The proposal marks a dramatic shift for Wisconsin, which passed a comprehensive collective bargaining law in 1959 and was the birthplace of the national union representing all non-federal public employees.

But so far, Democrats have been powerless to stop the bill.

"The story around the world is the rush to democracy," said Democratic Sen. Bob Jauch of Poplar. "The story in Wisconsin is the end of the democratic process."

In addition to eliminating collective bargaining rights, the legislation also would make public workers pay half the costs of their pensions and at least 12.6 percent of their health care coverage -- increases Walker calls "modest" compared with those in the private sector.

Republican leaders said they expected Wisconsin residents would be pleased with the savings the bill would achieve -- $30 million by July 1 and $300 million over the next two years to address a $3.6 billion budget shortfall.

"I think the taxpayers will support this idea," Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said.

Wisconsin has long been a bastion for workers' rights. It was the first state to grant collective bargaining rights to public employees more than a half-century ago. And the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees was founded in 1936 in Madison.

But when voters elected Walker, an outspoken conservative, along with GOP majorities in both legislative chambers, it set the stage for a dramatic reversal of the state's labor history.

Under Walker's plan, state employees' share of pension and health care costs would go up by an average of 8 percent.

Unions still could represent workers, but could not seek pay increases above those pegged to the Consumer Price Index unless approved by a public referendum. Unions also could not force employees to pay dues and would have to hold annual votes to stay organized.

In exchange for bearing more costs and losing bargaining leverage, public employees were promised no furloughs or layoffs. Walker has threatened to order layoffs of up to 6,000 state workers if the measure does not pass.

The Associated Press contributed to this report

http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/116390569.html

http://drudgereport.com/

'Day of Rage' Hits Wisconsin over state unions... http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_wisconsin_budget_unions

Madison schools closed; 1,100 teachers call in 'sick'... http://host.madison.com/wsj/news/local/ ... 002e0.html

Obama: 'Assault on Unions'... http://realclearpolitics.com/video/2011 ... nions.html

Obama-founded OFA spearheading effort to defeat bill... http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/ ... ml?showall

Boehner: 'Suspend these tactics'... http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing- ... p-governor

SENATE DEMOCRATS FOUND -- AT A RESORT IN ILLINOIS! http://www.todaystmj4.com/news/local/116390569.html

Gov. Walker calls on Dems to return, vote... http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolit ... 81289.html

Protesters, supporters clash in Ohio over union bill... http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/lo ... ml?sid=101

As I said... friggin cowards..

These democrats have become like 2 year olds (no offense to you real two year olds out there). Some dialogue they want to have.

Dems: If I can't have it my way, I'm not going to play... what an embarrassment. If the people haven't awakened yet to these criminals who are taking their money to not do their jobs, they never will...

Wish I lived closer, I could go egg their windows... friggin cowards...

I say fire 'em all, including the absent teachers. I'm sure there are people that would love to have those jobs.

If you dig deep enough you will find an entire network on the left that will show ties of the Zetas drug cartel, the Muslim Brotherhood, etc (through cash contributions) to radical leftist/communist groups like the ACLU and SPLC, and even the Democratic Party itself...

The entire LEFT is one huge network with ties spanning the entire globe and linked together, with the goal of undermining and destroying the U S, Europe, and Western Soeciety in general...

Just follow the money around as it flows from East to West, to South etc.

We are being gradually set up and now is the time for them to play their cards. This is the beginning of the end...

hmm i think ending collective bargining is rather extream ... the state could simply pass a law that says the unions cannot strike .. then they could pass another law giving them the power to make unliateral changes to any state union contract due to an economic emergency ....


I think what the state representives have done is pretty bad thou .... even if your going to lose , you should still stand your ground rather than flee ... they were elected to do a job .. their not doing it .

What exactly is bad?

Should Public Unions be able to keep bad employee's from being fired because they are Union members?

Should Public Unions be allowed to strike hurting citizens?

Should Public Unions be able to demand whatever they want on the table or they don't work.... but still have to get paid?

Should Public Union members be able to be eligible for a pension after only 5 years of work in some places?

Should Public Union members be able to retire at 50 collecting a full pension for often 20 years of work and collect full pay from the last year for life estimated at another 30 years?

Should Public Unions be able to expect the taxpayers to pay them often twice what the private sector union employee gets?

Should Public Unions be allowed to force all workers to pay Union dues?

Should Public Unions once put in be unable to be removed or altered by their own members they are meant to represent?

Whats the reason for Unions again?

So what is so BAD about this bill? better to just fire thousands of public employee's?