That committee, formed just hours earlier, quickly approved the bill as the lone Democrat at the meeting screamed that Republicans were violating the state's open meetings law.
The law requires most public bodies to give 24 hours notice before they meet. The conference committee met with about two hours notice. "This is a violation of law! It's not a rule!" Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) bellowed.
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) ignored Barca and ordered the roll to be taken. Republicans voted for the measure as Barca continued to plead with them to stop the vote. Republicans have not yet given an explanation of why they believe the committee could legally meet.
Minutes later, the Senate took up the bill and passed it without debate. "Shame on you!" protesters cried from the galleries.
Democrats decried the move and warned it could end the political careers of some Republican senators who are under the threat of recall. "I think it's akin to political hara-kiri," said Sen. Bob Jauch (D-Poplar). "I think it's political suicide."
State Sen. Chris Larson (D-Milwaukee) said Wednesday night he attempted to drive back from Illinois to Madison to get to the Capitol before Republicans passed the measure. "This is on the Republicans' heads right now. If they decide to kill the middle class, it's on them."
"This is a travesty is what it is," he said about the vote. "I can't sit by and let them kill the middle class." Larson said Republicans will pay a political price for curtailing collective bargaining for public-sector employees. "Everyone who is party to this travesty is writing their political obituary," Larson said.
Attorney Robert Dreps, an expert on the state open meetings law, said he did not believe the conference committee could meet with such short notice. State law generally requires a 24-hour notice for public meetings, but can be called with just two hours notice when more notice is impossible or impractical, said Dreps, who has represented the Journal Sentinel in the past. "I can't imagine how they can meet that standard," he said.
Demonstrations have rocked the Capitol for weeks as public workers have protested the changes to collective bargaining. Protests were quiet much of Wednesday, but grew louder as word of the conference committee meeting spread. Protesters were chanting, "Shame!" "This is not democracy!" and "You lied to Wisconsin!"
The people and papers in Wisconsin will not look favorably on this. Let the Recall Petitions begin!
