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Wisconsin bill vote could be today
Posted: 02.24.2011 at 7:46 AM
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MADISON, WI (AP) -- UPDATE

One of the 14 Wisconsin state Senate Democrats who fled the state last week says they all are out of state and will not be swayed by police showing up at their doors.

The Republican-controlled Senate convened at 7 a.m. CST Thursday and ordered a call of the house, which allowed Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald to dispatch the state patrol to the homes of missing senators.

Republicans are trying to vote on Governor Scott Walker's proposal that would take away collective bargaining rights from public employees.

Fitzgerald says the police can't arrest the missing senators, but he hopes the officers' presence will pressure at least one of them to return to vote.

Democratic Senator Jon Erpenbach says all 14 are out of state and won't be returning Thursday.

UPDATE

State patrol officers are being dispatched to the homes of multiple Democratic Wisconsin state senators in the hopes that will force them to come back in session.

The Senate met at 7 a.m. CST Thursday to issue a call of the house, which allows for law enforcement to be sent to find missing members.  The fourteen Democrats skipped town last week to avoid voting on a bill taking away collective bargaining rights from public workers.

Police can't arrest absent members, but Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says he hopes one or more of them will feel compelled to come back with a police officer at their door.

Republicans need at least one Democrat to be present to take up the bill.

==

Republicans and Democrats in the Wisconsin Assembly have agreed to a deal that will limit further debate on a bill taking away collective bargaining rights for public workers and lead to a vote on the measure later Thursday.

The deal was announced shortly after 6 a.m. CST Thursday, following an unprecedented 40-hour debate that began Tuesday morning with only short breaks inbetween.

Democrats agreed to limit further amendments to just 38 with a 10-minute time limit on each one.  If they take the maximum time for each, with no breaks, that would put the vote around noon.

(Copyright ©2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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