For days, it has been a stalemate here in Madison. This morning, things began to move:
Members of the Wisconsin Assembly struck a deal early Thursday that will limit further debate over Republican Gov. Scott Walker’s budget bill proposal and should lead to a vote on the measure by the end of the day.
The deal, aimed at ending the 40-hour long debate that began Tuesday morning between state Democrats and Republicans, was announced after 6 a.m. on Thursday.
Democrats have agreed to debate only 38 more amendments, with a 10-minute time limit on each argument. Wisconsin Senate Democrats were seeking more than 200 amendments on the bill, according to the WisPolitics Web site.
If the assembly uses the maximum time for each issue at hand, the vote could come as soon as midday.
More:
The state Assembly reached a deal this morning on additional amendments that could wrap up its marathon session some time after noon today.
Meanwhile, the Senate came in unexpectedly at 7 a.m. to issue a call of the house and send law enforcement to the homes of missing Dem senators.
Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald has acknowledged Dems cannot be forced to come back to the chamber. Still, he said Republicans believe some Dems are sleeping in their own beds at night and then leaving the state before the call of the house is issued each day and hoped this move would compel at least one to return.