[Wisc.] Assembly approves changes to voting hours, ID law [and recalls too]
Source: Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel
Madison — In a late-night session that stretched from Thursday into Friday, Republicans in the state Assembly approved measures to reinstate Wisconsin's voter ID law, tighten early voting hours, limit the ability to recall elected officials, create anti-abortion license plates and restrict access to the site of a proposed iron mine in the North Woods.
They also took a first step toward amending the state constitution to require members of the state Supreme Court to choose the chief justice, rather than having that post automatically go to the most senior justice.
Legislators from the two parties had been working together to move through a jam-packed agenda by midnight, but bitter disputes developed late Thursday that sent the session into the early morning hours.
Tensions flared after Democrats attempted to take up a bill honoring the children killed last year at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut. Republicans rejected taking that up and then advanced the bill on anti-abortion license plates, even though they had said earlier they wouldn't take it up.
Read more: http://www.jsonline.com/news/statepolitics/assembly-kicks-off-tense-session-on-recalls-early-voting-hours-b99142673z1-231963621.html
Rep. Evan Goyke (D-Milwaukee) argues for changes in how Wisconsin draws political boundaries on Thursday. Assembly Democrats tried to take up a bill to have a nonpartisan panel redraw legislative districts every 10 years, but Republicans rebuffed them. Currently, the lines are drawn by lawmakers.
The story continues:
Recall limits. The Assembly approved two proposals limiting recalls. One passed 54-39 along party lines and the other 53-39, with Rep. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) joining all Democrats in opposition.
One is a constitutional amendment that would restrict recalls for state and county officials to those charged with crimes or ethics violations. The other would put similar restrictions in state law for municipal and school officials.
The proposals are in response to a wave of recalls in 2011 and 2012 against Walker and state senators.
See also:
AP, Republicans pass photo ID, recall changes (republished in the J-S as "Assembly Republicans vote to limit recalls, require photo ID over Democratic objections "
= new reply since forum marked as read
but the repukes ..........drive me insane !!!! 
makes me want to have a beer or two...or three.....
