Sen. Jeff Smith Calls Out GOP for Bait-and-Switch on State Budget

Two out-of-state residents with property on a lake up north are suing a Burnett County town over a ban on wake boats—vessels designed to make waves that are large enough to surf.

The pair say the town board in Scott rushed to pass a ban last November before they could make their case.

Wake boats are an unwelcome addition to some lake residents, who are concerned about the noise and the impact on shoreline erosion and the bottoms of shallow lakes.

Founding Editor Pat Kreitlow says small towns trying to protect their natural resources run the risk of large legal bills unless the state legislature steps in and puts rules in place to establish where and how these large-impact boats can operate.

A whole lot of Wisconsinites are cheesed off over how the state budget is coming together.

Here’s the deal:

The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee — made up of the senators and representatives who will write a state budget bill — recently held four, day-long public hearings across Wisconsin.

The overwhelming amount of public comments supported funding for programs that have bipartisan support, but are not likely to be included by majority Republicans in the final bill.

In response, a coalition of groups sponsored a lobbying day at the Capitol to remind lawmakers of what they should be supporting and to ask Gov. Tony Evers to veto the full budget bill if the GOP version fails to provide adequate support for things like public schools, health care, child care, and more.

“Stop playing political games” — that’s the message Heather DuBois Bourenane delivered to the Wisconsin Legislature on our radio show this week.

DuBois Bourenane spoke to us after a few hundred citizen-lobbyists roamed the state Capitol on Tuesday with messages of support for public schools, health care, child care, and other priorities that were repeatedly mentioned during last month’s public hearings before the Joint Finance Committee.

A coalition of groups organized the event, centered on a request of Gov. Tony Evers: If the Republican version of a state budget bill doesn’t adequately fund these important public services, veto the entire budget bill instead of trying to fix it with partial vetoes.