Senate rejects TABOR 21-11

Steve Walters of the Journal Sentinel writes through his tears that there has been progress on the issue and all but says TABOR will rise again. You can almost hear him gnashing his teeth. He even totes up the spending, just to give the idea a little push:

By Steven Walters

Spending constitutional amendment dies

Madison - A three-year push in the Legislature to amend the Wisconsin Constitution to control government spending died in the Capitol tonight.

On a 19-13 vote, the Senate killed a constitutional amendment that would have tied state spending to inflation and population growth - the latest of about 10 proposals floated the past week by Republicans, who control the Legislature. The Senate also discarded a similar amendment passed by the Assembly, 50-48, last week. [The vote on the Assembly version was 21-11 with Brown, Cowles, Harsdorf, Kepanke, Olsen, Roessler, Lasee and Ellis joining all Democrats in voting no. -- Xoff.]

Plans to limit government spending have made slow progress in the Capitol, however. The Assembly and Senate votes were the first time the full Legislature seriously considered constitutional limits on about $42 billion a year in government spending - $20 billion by state government and $22 billion by local governments.