Story originally printed in the La Crosse Tribune or online at www.lacrossetribune.com

Published - Tuesday, May 20, 2008

Huebsch defends budget bill

By REID MAGNEY / La Crosse Tribune

Assembly Speaker Mike Huebsch defended himself Monday in the wake of criticism from Wisconsin’s senior Republican congressman at the state GOP convention this weekend. Speaking about the budget repair bill, U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner said:

“Unfortunately Speaker Huebsch decided to push it through the Assembly, and he did so in a manner that does not fix the problem of over-taxing and replaces transportation fees with more state borrowing. Exactly the same move that helped destroy the Republican brand nationally. Everyone sees this as a political shell game that simply postpones hard decisions.”

Sensenbrenner, R-Meno-monee Falls, is unhappy the budget repair bill removed $22 million earmarked to implement the federal Real ID Act, a bill he sponsored that puts tighter controls on state drivers licenses and ID cards.

Democratic Gov. Jim Doyle used his line-item veto power to restore the Real ID money.

In an interview Monday, the West Salem Republican said he’d heard before the weekend convention in Stevens Point that Sensenbrenner wasn’t happy the budget repair bill removed Real ID funding.

“I understand Congressman Sensenbrenner’s concerns, especially with Real ID. This is a law he worked really hard to pass. He considers that a certain part of his legacy,” Huebsch said.

But Washington has yet to give states final guidelines for implementing Real ID, and Huebsch said the Legislative Fiscal Bureau said that money could be redirected to the general fund. “So take it knowing you’re going to have to replace it,” he said. “But you can use it to get through this difficult economic time.”

Some observers, including the The Capital Times editorial page, have praised Huebsch for delaying Real ID. People at both ends of the political spectrum have concerns about Real ID’s constitutionality.

But Huebsch said he’s “a strong supporter of Real ID.” When guidelines are ready, “I’ll be leading the charge” to implement it, he said.

As far as the entire budget fix, Huebsch said he knows it’s not a good solution.

“A budget adjustment bill, especially when you’re in tough economic times, is by definition a bad document. If these were good ideas, we’d have done them already,” Huebsch said.

Reid Magney can be reached at (608) 791-8211 or rmagney@lacrossetribune.com.