MADISON, Wis. (WTAQ) - The Wisconsin Assembly worked into the night, after discussing key bills in closed party caucuses until 9:30 p.m. One of the first things they did in public was to give final legislative approval to the bill that punishes school districts which don’t drop their Indian team names and logos. The vote was 53 to 45 with no debate. The Senate passed the same bill last week, so it now goes to Governor Jim Doyle.
The state superintendent would investigate complaints, and could order school boards to drop their Indian monickers if it’s found at a hearing that they’re discriminatory. Those school boards would have a year to change their names and logos or be fined $1,000 a day – but they could get extensions for certain things. Wisconsin still has about 3 dozen school districts with Indian team names, after a number of other districts changed their names and logos in recent years.
Also, the Assembly voted 71 to 27 for a bill sought by AT&T to deregulate land line phones. But Senate leader Russ Decker says his house won’t consider it unless the Joint Finance Committee reviews it first – and there’s no time for that, since the current session ends in 2 days.
Under the bill, the state Public Service Commission could no longer review land-line rates or investigate customer complaints – although the state’s consumer protection bureau could still do that. Supporters said it would put land line regulation on par with cell and Internet-based phones.
