Thursday, March 10, 2011

Believing I have pinned down text of the union-busting stealth bill the Wisconsin Senate recently passed, to be returned to the Assembly, one detail beyond union busting deserves mention.



As best as I am able to navigate the less than fully intuitive Wisconsin http://legis.wisconsin.gov/ legislative website:

The 144-page union-busting Bill the GOP-controlled Wisconsin Assembly passed is online, here.

In the course of avoiding 3/5 quorum requirements, the GOP-controlled Wisconsin Senate did not pass the same identical bill via its very recent all-Republican junta putsch, but substituted this 138-page union-busting bill.

Because Senate union-busting wording differs from the Assembly passage, the new Senate version now goes to the Assembly.

As I understand things, if the GOP controlled Assembly passes the Senate union-busting version intact it is a legislatively done deal, going to junta leader [aka Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker] for his willing union-busting signature.

We have to presume GOP Assembly whip actions will get the Wisconsin Senate's monstrosity to the Guv's desk, intact.

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Rortybomb, among other websites, noted the unique wording of Sect. 19.896 in the Assembly's version, with speculation being how such privateering/privatization might be of interest and potential future benefit to the Brothers Koch. Of interest to their bottom line, since selling off state-owned utility assets in crony terms and at less than fair value seemed feasible under the noted language:

16.896 Sale or contractual operation of state−owned heating, cooling, and power plants. (1) Notwithstanding ss. 13.48 (14) (am) and 16.705 (1), the department may sell any state−owned heating, cooling, and power plant or may contract with a private entity for the operation of any such plant, with or without solicitation of bids, for any amount that the department determines to be in the best interest of the state. Notwithstanding ss. 196.49 and 196.80, no approval or certification of the public service commission is necessary for a public utility to purchase, or contract for the operation of, such a plant, and any such purchase is considered to be in the public interest and to comply with the criteria for certification of a project under s. 196.49 (3) (b).

It appears that between the Assembly's passage, and changes made by the Senate to advance junta union-busting, that additional offensive cronyism-privatizaton thing was dropped.

Doing a text search of each bill for "solicitation" and "19.896" gave one hit in the Assembly version, no hits in the Senate version, indicating that for the present, crony benefits were less a hot-button junta objective than union-busting was.

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__________UPDATE___________
Leave a comment. Anon did, on the following post, and on point enough and not too crass, so as to pass moderation.

Tell me -- What's Walker's next move? Trying to get Wisconsin law altered by his Republican junta to name him governor-for-life? The next logical step? Aim for a forty year emergency status, the way Hosni Mubarak did? He's fit for recall, that is a certainty. Obama must view this, however, as Walker assisting his getting the Wisconsin electoral votes in 2012 in Wisconsin. Guaranteeing a large union turnout. Etc.