And thus concludes the 2009-2010 session of the Wisconsin legislature. Legislative business will continue in committees, however, there is no longer hope that any new bills will be passed before the legislature convenes again next year.
How did the Democrats do? That's up for debate. Most liberals are upset with the final product. They balked on the Clean Energy Jobs Act, as well as on a bill to set up Regional Transit Authorities in several areas of Wisconsin. They appear to have abandoned electoral reforms which would have automatically registered anybody who gets a driver's license to vote, among other measures. They did not address school funding (which I don't pretend to understand) and what they did do is probably going to piss a lot of Madisonians off.
What did they do? Well, besides keeping Rep. Jeff Wood out of a very select group of expelled Wisconsin legislators, they appear poised to approve crucial (albeit neutered) payday lending reforms, they implemented a couple much-needed reforms to the prison system last year and they finally passed BadgerCare Plus Basic, which establishes a minimal health care program for low-income adults who are on the waiting list for Badger Care Plus.
It's too early to truly assess what the Dems (and Republicans) have done over the last year and a half, however, I believe most analyses will conclude that their performance ranged from mediocre to very bad.
Better luck next year. What do you guys think?
