(Favorable on Motion to Reject Resolution) This resolution was a statement of support for the negotiation of a free trade agreement between the U.S. and Taiwan. Trade agreements are hundreds of pages of regulations that specify exactly how trade will be conducted. There is no such thing as free trade. There are specific interests served by trade rules and, under the current negotiation process, these rules serve corporate interests by protecting patents, copyrights, property and capital. Labor rights and environmental standards are ignored. The recorded vote of 38 to 59 was on a motion to reject Assembly Resolution 21 and the vote to reject is a "right" vote. The motion to reject AR 21 failed and the resolution passed. AR 21 expresses the position of the Assembly but does not go to the Senate or the Governor for action.

(Unfavorable on Concurrence with Senate Substitute Amendment 1) This bill changed financial regulations for banks, commercial lending institutions (high-risk lenders) and credit unions. It also included a provision that gives the wage claim liens of workers a superpriority over other creditors—up to $3,000. Wage claim liens are filed when workers are left unpaid, usually when an employer closes. The cap of $3,000 did not exclude penalties for employers that violate Wisconsin’s laws concerning Advance Notice of Plant Closing or Cessation of Medical Coverage, so it provides a significant disincentive for employers to observe these laws since their financial liability is limited. The Wisconsin State AFL-CIO tried to protect enforcement of these laws by excluding violations from the cap in SSA 1, but an exclusion was not included in the final version. The recorded vote of 64 to 33 was to concur with the version passed by the State Senate and a vote in favor was a "wrong" vote. AB 2 passed the Legislature and was signed by the Governor.

(Unfavorable on Passage) This bill would require voters to be able to produce a valid Wisconsin driver’s license or photo identification card issued by the Department of Transportation before they are allowed to register to vote or cast a ballot. Currently, other types of identification can be provided. The effect of this legislation is to construct intentional barriers to registration and participation, especially for some 85,000 senior citizens who lack a photo ID. It would also disenfranchise the disabled and low-income individuals who rely on public transportation and who would need to get separate ID cards. There is no evidence that identification fraud is a major problem in Wisconsin elections. The impact of a photo ID requirement would be to give greater voice in our elections to the affluent and the privileged, which is the intent. The recorded vote of 60 to 34 was on passage and a vote in favor was a "wrong" vote. AB 111 passed the Legislature but was vetoed by Governor Doyle.

(Unfavorable on Passage) This bill would have limited property tax increases according to a set formula. This was promoted as a "property tax freeze" and it would have removed local control from officials elected by the people at the local government level. Working families rely on quality public education and dependable public services, both of which were at risk from this proposal. The recorded vote of 62 to 31 was on passage and a vote in favor was a "wrong" vote. AB 466 passed the Assembly but died at the end of the session.

(Favorable on Motion to Withdraw Bill from Committee) This bill would require every school board to include the history of organized labor in America and the collective bargaining process in its instructional program. AB 564 directs the Department of Public Instruction to develop a curriculum on labor history and provide it to school districts upon request. It does not require any additional teachers, courses or textbooks. This would help restore a balance that is lacking in our history books where the perspective of business dominates. The recorded vote of 41 to 58 was on a motion to withdraw

AB 564 from the Assembly Education Committee where it was being allowed to die and hold a floor vote on the bill. A vote in favor of the motion was a "right" vote. The motion to take up the bill failed and AB 564 died at the end of the session.

(Unfavorable on Passage) The Municipal Employment Relations Act (MERA) governs the collective bargaining relationship between labor and management in local units of government in Wisconsin.

AB 598 would amend MERA to make the privatization or contracting out of work and its impact a "permissive" subject of bargaining. This means that a local government would not be required to even discuss the effect of such a major decision on its employees. The recorded vote of 51 to 44 was on passage and a vote in favor was a "wrong" vote. AB 598 passed the Legislature but was vetoed by Governor Doyle.

(Unfavorable on Passage) This bill bans a specific kind of living wage ordinance at the local government level. It would prohibit an ordinance that requires, at a minimum, that a certain wage be paid to all public and private sector workers employed in the jurisdiction of the local government. The City of Madison is the first local unit of government in Wisconsin to enact this specific type of living wage ordinance. AB 633 would deny the people of the City of Madison or any other community from making their own decisions on this issue. Living wage ordinances of various kinds are being advocated by labor, community and religious groups as a way to raise low-wage workers out of poverty, since the federal and state minimum wage has been stuck at $5.15 since 1997. The recorded vote of 55 to 40 was on passage and a vote in favor was a "wrong" vote. AB 633 passed both houses of the Legislature but was vetoed by Governor Doyle.

(Unfavorable on Passage) This bill restructured the way Wisconsin businesses are taxed. The new formula will result in tax breaks for large corporations that total approximately $45 million each year, and still another shift of the tax burden to working families. SB 197 changed the formula for calculating the corporate tax from one based on sales, property and payroll to a formula based only on sales (called "single sales factor"). The position of the Wisconsin State AFL-CIO was that this change should be considered only if the state also implemented "combined reporting" so that business profits could not be hidden from taxation in out-of-state subsidiaries and it would help balance the substantial loss of revenue. The recorded vote of 67 to 24 was to concur with the Senate version and a vote in favor was a "wrong" vote. The bill passed both houses and was signed by the Governor.

(Favorable on Passage) This is the agreed-upon bill negotiated by labor and management representatives on the Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council. It included improvements that will help low-income workers who are involved in training programs, plus other changes. The recorded vote of 99 to 0 was to concur with the Senate version and a vote in favor was a "right" vote. The bill passed both houses and was signed by Governor Doyle.

(Unfavorable on Passage) Health Savings Accounts are being pushed as part of a major campaign for "consumer-driven health care", which simply means that more health care costs are being shifted to individuals and working families. SB 568 would use state tax credits to subsidize individual Health Savings Accounts tied to high-deductible, catastrophic insurance policies. This subsidy is estimated to cost Wisconsin taxpayers close to $40 million dollars in lost revenue over the first few years to encourage a health policy that will undermine existing comprehensive, employment-based insurance. The recorded vote of 57 to 36 was to concur with the Senate version and a vote in favor was a "wrong" vote. The bill passed the Legislature but was vetoed by Governor Doyle.

Note: AB 669 Workers Compensation Bill was approved by the Assembly on a voice vote, which means that individual votes are not recorded and the bill cannot be included in this record. AB 669 did pass the Legislature and was signed by Governor Doyle.