GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – Many Democratic state leaders are left frustrated after an extraordinary session, originally called so the Senate could vote on a Kimberly Clark tax incentives package, featured no such vote at all.
One of those frustrated Dems is Senator Jon Erpenbach, who joined the John Muir Show on Thursday.
He says Senate passage of the 70 million dollar tax incentives package for Kimberly Clark was Governor Walker’s only reason behind an extraordinary session, but things quickly changed.
“We were there for Kimberly Clark, then Tony Evers wins [and] two days later bills are being drafted to deal with the attorney generals authority and the governor’s authority,” says Erpenbach.
He wonders where the concern over legislation changed this week was prior to November’s election.
“You question the motives that after the election happens we’re dealing with things that nobody even thought of dealing with November 4, or November 3, or October, or whenever,” he explains.
Erpenbach notes that changes made this week ended up being far removed from what was originally intended.
“As a result of being in the lame duck session, they [Republican leaders] expanded the call of the session to include these four or five other pieces of legislation,” he explains.
He thinks leaders wouldn’t have even gathered this week had the November election gone differently.
“Had Scott Walker won I really, truly, doubt that we would have gone into session at all,” says Erpenbach.
The author of the tax incentives bill, Representative Jim Steinke, made his disappointment known yesterday.
“I am afraid politics played a role. I was hoping once we got past the politics of the election that there would be more support for it,” he says. “Obviously, we could not get support from the Democrats.”
The Assembly passed the 70 million dollar tax incentives package last spring, but a vote never took place in the Senate.
