Damage to Wisconsin Statehouse in question

MADISON, Wis., March 4 (UPI) -- Wisconsin officials conceded Friday round-the-clock protests in the Statehouse in Madison appeared to have done little damage to the building.

During a court hearing Thursday, Republican officials estimated repair costs at $7 million, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. State facilities administrator Jeff Plale, a former Democratic state senator, called that a "worst-case scenario" Friday.

Officials said protesters harmed the fabric of the Statehouse by using tape to post flyers on marble walls. The Journal Sentinel said in a number of places tape was removed Friday without any apparent harm.

A Dane County judge ruled Thursday the state could clear the building after regular office hours, making arrests if necessary. But he also said protesters could not be barred from the Statehouse during the hours it is open.

Public employees converged on Madison to protest Republican Gov. Scott Walker's budget bill, which restricts collective-bargaining rights for state and local workers. The Legislature has not yet passed the bill because 14 Democratic state senators exiled themselves to Illinois, denying Republicans a quorum in the upper House.