MADISON, Wis., March 27 (UPI) -- Wisconsin's anti-union bill has not become law, the Democratic secretary of state says, but Gov. Scott Walker's administration disagrees.
Secretary of State Doug La Follette told the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Saturday that the so-called budget-repair bill, which curtails public employees' collective bargaining rights, is "still an act of the Legislature that has not yet become law because I have not yet designated a publication date."
Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne, a Democrat, has filed a complaint to block the law, charging the Republicans passed it in violation of the open meetings law.
On March 18, Dane County Circuit Judge Maryann Sumi issued a temporary restraining order to block La Follette from publishing the law. A hearing on the case is set for Tuesday.
On Friday, however, the bill was published by the Legislative Reference Bureau, which was not named in the restraining order.
Bureau director Stephen Miller said it still had to be published in the Wisconsin State Journal, the official state newspaper, to become effective.
On Saturday, Secretary of Administration Mike Huebsch said the law was "lawfully published," and enforcement will begin.
