A SERVICE OF THE WISCONSIN TAXPAYERS ALLIANCE TheThe WWisconsinisconsin TTaaxxppaayyerer List of 2011 A monthly review of Wisconsin government, taxes, and public finance legislators and contact information inside New Legislature . New Direction? For the second consecutive legislative session, one party will be in charge of state government. This time, it is the Republicans’ turn to manage both legis- lative houses and the governor’s office. Although January will welcome a new party into power, the state’s fiscal outlook remains bleak. Two years ago, Democrats started work on a new state budget with an $800 million structural “deficit.” Now, Republicans face an imbalance of at least $1.2 billion in 2011-12. 2010 ELECTIONS After losing seats in both 2006 and 2008, Republicans picked up four senate and 14 assembly seats in 2010. Can- didates running unopposed or without major-party opposi- tion in November’s election included two Republican senators, and 23 assembly candidates—15 Republicans and eight Democrats. Senate IN BRIEF Republicans now have a 19-14 seat advantage in the A new legislature takes office in January 2011 and im- senate, defeating four incumbent Democrats—three of mediately faces a fiscal crisis. Republicans deprived Demo- whom were in their first term. The senate will have eight crats of their majorities in both houses of the state legislature new members when the 2011 session begins, six Republi- while also winning the governor’s race. This is the first cans and two Democrats. Seventeen of 33 state senators time in over five decades that one party controls the legis- were up for reelection in 2010, with terms of the remain- lature and governorship immediately following a census ing 16 ending in 2012. year. Assembly n Republicans now hold a 19-14 senate advantage. Republicans will hold a 60-38 majority in the assem- n The state assembly has 60 Republicans, 38 Democrats, bly, with one independent. There will be 30 newly elected and one independent. representatives who did not serve in the 2009 session. Five n Twenty-five senate and assembly candidates faced no of them are Democrats, while 25 are Republicans. major-party opposition in the 2010 general election. Ten incumbent Democrats lost reelection in 2010, in- cluding the speaker of the assembly and other members of Also in this issue: the Democratic leadership. Republicans gained four seats Taxpayer Index • Redrawing State and Congressional previously held by Democrats, and picked up an indepen- Legislative Boundaries • Legislative Directory dent seat. Democrats won in the 80th assembly district, a seat formerly occupied by a Republican. wis tax 79 Years of Research December 2010 Vol. 78 No. 12 & Citizen Education Gender Composition Table 1: Two new women were elected to the senate and six to Female Representation in Wis. Legislature Number of Female Legislators by Session, 1989-2011 the assembly. After accounting for retirements, however, the legislature will have a net increase of just two females. 37 36 35 35 Women will hold 31 (23.5%) of the 132 legislative seats 34 (see Table 1), a proportion slightly above the national av- 34 33 erage (23.4%) but below neighbors Minnesota (31.3%) 32 31 31 31 30 and Illinois (28.2%), according to the National Confer- 31 30 ence of State Legislatures. Female representation is high- 29 est in Colorado, where nearly four in 10 (39.0%) state 28 legislators is female, and in Vermont (37.8%). Legislative Leadership 25 With Republican majorities in both houses, leadership 89 93 97 01 05 09 and committee-chair positions change. In the senate, Michael Ellis (Neenah) is president, while Scott Fitzgerald Job Creation. With a goal of creating 250,000 jobs by (Juneau) is majority leader. Senate Democrats elected Mark 2015, the incoming governor says he plans to consider Miller (Monona) minority leader. targeted tax relief for small businesses, a state tax break In the assembly, former minority leader Jeff Fitzgerald for health savings accounts, and reversing individual in- (Horicon) is the new speaker, while Abbotsford’s Scott come tax increases included in the 2009-11 state budget. Suder becomes majority leader. Assembly Democrats are He and other Republicans have said they also want to reas- led by minority leader Peter Barca (Kenosha). sess aspects of Wisconsin’s new combined reporting law, LEGISLATIVE BUSINESS which requires multistate corporations operating here to State Finances. With a new state budget to be un- combine income from all subsidiaries and apportion a part veiled in February, much of the legislature’s early attention of it to Wisconsin. Opponents of the law argue it drives will be on state finances. New estimates from state bud- businesses to leave the state. get officials suggest that, without corrective action, the Other Items. The legislature may also pursue voter- mid-2013 general fund deficit will likely top $2 billion and identification and concealed-carry legislation. Both mea- could exceed $3 billion. sures received Republican support in past legislative ses- Recent legislatures and governors—of both parties— sions but failed to become law. o have repeatedly addressed state financial problems with temporary budget solutions. Some of the tactics included accounting maneuvers, use of one-time money, segregated The Wisconsin Taxpayer fund raids, and sale of tobacco bonds. December 2010 Vol. 78 No. 12 Publication Number USPS 688-800 2010 Wisconsin Taxpayer Index (Vol. 78) Periodical postage paid at Madison, Wisconsin Month Title Subscription Price: One Year, $17.97; Three Years, $36.97 January Municipal Fees and Charges Published each month, except July, by the Wisconsin Taxpayers Alliance, 401 North Lawn Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53704-5033 February Wisconsin’s Public Workforce Postmaster: March The Unemployment Reserve Fund Send address changes to The Wisconsin Taxpayer, 401 North Lawn Avenue, Madison, Wisconsin 53704-5033 April The Cost of Corrections: Wisconsin & Minnesota phone: 608.241.9789 fax: 608.241.5807 e-mail: [email protected] Web site: www.wistax.org May Wisconsin’s Rising Public Sector Debt Officers and Board of Directors: Carol Ward Knox, Chair, Jefferson; J.R. Riordan, Vice-Chair, Madison; June/July Challenges Facing State Voters in 2010 Jere D. McGaffey, Secretary-Treasurer, Milwaukee August How County Admin. and Finances Stack Up J.L. Adams, Beloit; M.D. Bugher, Madison; C.D. Fortner, Milwaukee; S.D. Loehr, La Crosse; J.D. Quick, Manitowoc; D.R. Schuh, Stevens Point; September Wisconsin Jobs and Wages: A Wake-Up Call? T.L. Spero, Milwaukee; J.B. Williams, Milwaukee October Electricity: Competitive Advantage Eroding? Staff: Todd A. Berry, President; Kyle Christianson, Research Analyst; Dale J. November Wisconsin’s Total Taxes: 2010 Knapp, Research Director; Sandra Mumm, Business Manager; Kelly Pfeifer; Susan Ryan; Sharon Schmeling December New Legislature . New Direction? Page 2 The Wisconsin Taxpayer Redrawing State and Congressional Legislative Boundaries As required by the U.S. Constitution, cen- lines. In January, the number of congressional sus counts are completed once every 10 years. seats due Wisconsin (currently eight) will be de- Used to distribute federal funds for education, termined, as seats in the 435-member U.S. transportation, infrastructure, and other pro- House of Representatives are apportioned using The Wisconsin grams, the census also impacts political repre- new Census figures. Each state receives at least legislature is sentation at all levels. One of the most important one representative. charged with tasks awaiting the 2011 legislature is the redraw- With new population counts available, the redrawing ing of congressional and state legislative bound- legislature will begin redrawing both state and congressional aries. congressional districts. If history is predictive, and legislative the debate will largely focus on state legislative districts. PROCESS districts. Members of Congress have histori- In Wisconsin—like most states—this task cally drawn their own lines, which were then is left to legislators. Because the job can be approved by the legislature. driven by self-interest and partisanship, federal and state statutes require districts to be drawn New district maps need to be approved by in specific ways. However, observers of the the legislature and the governor by the spring of process often question the extent to which the 2012, if candidates are to circulate nomination rules are followed. papers in their new districts. Requirements HISTORY The Wisconsin Constitution limits the num- Because sitting state legislators are charged ber of assembly districts to no fewer than 54, with redistricting, the political parties often dis- and no more than 100. Since 1973, the assem- agree over what is, and is not, fair. These dis- bly has had 99 districts. The state senate is agreements have led to costly court battles. divided into 33 districts, each comprising three Reportedly, the state spent over $1 million in assembly seats. attorney fees during the 2000-02 redistricting New legislative cycle. These single-member districts are required districts need to to be as equal in population as possible—what Past Cycles be approved by political scientists refer to as “one person-one 1960s. Redistricting is particularly difficult the legislature vote.” Because each senate district is composed when control of state government is split be- and governor. of three assembly districts, state senators have tween the two major parties. This was the case about three times as