Assembly Passes Budget-Repair Bill; Senate Democrats Still Out of State

The state Assembly early this morning passed Gov. Scott Walker's budget-repair bill, the much-controversial proposal that would drastically alter collective bargaining for many of the state's unions.

As expected, Republican Mark Honadel, whose district includes Oak Creek, voted in favor of the bill. Honadel his reasoning behind supporting the governor's proposal.

Debate on the bill in the Assembly lasted a staggering 61 hours. Chaos ensued afterward, with Democrats chanting "shame" at the Republicans leaving the chamber (see the video to the right). The bill was passed abruptly after debate ended; many Democrats did not even realize what was happening and did not cast a vote. 

The Senate vote is still delayed as the 14 Democratic senators (including Chris Larson, who represents Oak Creek) remain out of state. 

More coverage:

• JSOnline
• WISN
• Wisconsin State Journal