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Saturday, March 26, 2011 – Daily News – 5C Wisconsin union law published despite court order MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin officials couldn’t agree Friday about whether an explosive law taking away nearly all public worker collective bargaining rights was about to take effect after a nonpartisan legislative bureau published it despite a court order blocking implementation. The Legislative Refer- ence Bureau took the action at 3:15 p.m. Friday, sending confused lawmak- ers and legal experts scrambling to determine what’s next for the mea- sure that has brought waves of chaos to the state since it first was proposed by Republican Gov. Scott Walker. Legislative Reference Bureau director Steve Miller insisted the action doesn’t mean the law takes effect Saturday. He says that won’t actually happen until Secretary of State Doug La Follette orders the law published in a newspaper, and a judge ordered last week that La Follette not do anything. ‘‘It’s not implementa- tion at all,’’ Miller said. ‘‘It’s simply a matter of forwarding an official copy to the secretary of state.’’ La Follette said he did- n’t know what the action means, but he’s not doing anything given the court order. ‘‘I think we’re going to have to get some legal opinion on this,’’ he said. But Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, who said he went to the Reference Bureau with the idea, said the action means the law takes effect Saturday. ‘‘It’s my opinion it’s published, it’s on the leg- islative website, it’s law,“ Fitzgerald said. ‘‘It was clear to me after our dis- cussions this morning, if it in fact it is posted and it says published and there’s a specific date on it, it would be very hard to argue this was not law.’’ John Jagler, a spokesman for Republican Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, said he also assumed the action means the law takes effect Satur- day. Walker’s top aide Mike Huebsch, secretary of the Department of Adminis- tration, issued a statement saying he had been noti- fied that the law had been published. “The administration will carry out the law as required,” Huebsch said. Requests for additional clarification about whether the governor believed the law was indeed in effect were not returned. A judge last week issued a temporary restraining order blocking any further implementa- tion of the law while the court considers challenges to its approval. The order specifically blocked La Follette from publishing the law. But the Reference Bureau said it’s still required to publish every new law within 10 work- ing days after it’s signed by the governor, on the date designated by the secretary of state. Walker signed the col- lective bargaining measure March 11 and La Follette had designated Friday as the date of publication. But after the judge’s restrain- ing order, La Follette sent a letter to the Reference Bureau saying he was rescinding his setting of the publication date. The Wisconsin Depart- ment of Justice issued a statement saying it would evaluate how the publica- tion of the law, which it said was lawful, affects the pending lawsuit. The bureau’s action did not require anything to be done by La Follette and he was not in violation of the court’s order, the DOJ statement said. The statement did not say whether the action means the law takes effect Saturday. Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne, who filed the lawsuit chal- lenging the law that led to the restraining order, did not immediately return a message seeking com- ment. Ozanne’s lawsuit and two others allege lawmak- ers broke the state open meetings law by hastily calling a special committee meeting to put the bill in a form that the Senate could pass it without any Democrats present. All 14 Senate Democrats had fled the state three weeks earli- er to block a vote on the measure by preventing quorum. The new law requires nearly all public sector workers, including teach- ers, to contribute more to their pensions and health insurance, changes that amount to an average 8 percent pay cut. It also strips them of their ability to collectively bargain for anything except wages no higher than inflation. Consideration of the proposal spurred massive protests that grew to more than 85,000 people the day after Walker signed the measure and made Wis- consin the national focus the fight over union rights. Union leaders were out- raged with the latest twist in the ongoing saga. “This is another sign that the governor and Leg- islature are in a desperate power grab to take away the voice of teachers, sup- port staff, nurses, home health care workers and other public employees,” said Mary Bell, president of the statewide teachers’ union. “These tactics are not in the Wisconsin tradi- tion of open government and do not represent the will of the people.” for a mother of four diagnosed with a rare cancer Fingerlake MX Park Concession Stand Benefit MX Race RACE DATE: Sunday 4/3/11 (Weather permitting), practice Sat. 4/2/11, 9-2 p.m. RACE FEES: $25 1st , $20 2nd , $15 3rd ($5 extra non-members) SPECTATOR GATE FEES: Adults $7, Children $4 (ages 5-14 years) 4 & under free Taking donations for raffle Please call (530) 529-4777 Vanessa Wilson-Rodriguez 13751 Mendenhall Rd., Red Bluff www.FingerLakeMXpark.com All proceeds to help with Vanessa’s medical expenses. 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