Madison - Resident deer hunting licenses would go from $20 to $24 under a proposal adopted Tuesday with intent to soften the $12 increase Gov. Jim Doyle recommended.

The Legislature's Joint Finance Committee also approved raising a host of other hunting and fishing fees in an effort to raise $13 million over two years. The increases for residents were generally smaller than those Doyle proposed, but the committee's changes are tougher on non-residents.

The committee also voted to move about $1.4 million from a fund to create habitat for wild turkey, pheasants and other species to the Department of Natural Resources' general fish and wildlife account - a transfer opponents called inappropriate.

To become law, the provisions need the approval of the Legislature - which, like the committee, is controlled by Republicans - and Doyle, a Democrat. The committee voted 12-4 along party lines to set the new fee structure, which would take effect with the adoption of the budget this summer or fall.

In the budget Doyle introduced in February, he proposed raising resident deer hunting fees from $20 to $32, a 60% increase. Republicans instead put forth a $24 license.

"The one thing I'm most proud of is we were able to do this without jacking up the deer permit by $12," said Sen. Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), committee co-chairman.

Some hunting groups backed Doyle's proposal, but Rep. Dan Meyer (R-Eagle River) said typical hunters wouldn't accept such a steep increase.

"They don't want the big increases," he said.

The committee went along with Doyle on raising the resident fishing license from $17 to $20. But unlike Doyle, the committee also moved to raise a host of non-resident hunting and fishing fees, which saw raises two years ago.

Taken together, the fee increases will bring in about $13 million more from this July 1 through June 30, 2007, according to the non-partisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau. Doyle's fees would have brought in about $15.75 million, the agency said.

Without the increases, the Department of Natural Resources' fish and wildlife account was expected to be more than $11 million in the red by mid-2007.

Doyle's office said Tuesday night the governor would likely find the restructured fee schedule acceptable.

"We'll certainly look through this, but we think we can work with this because the funding is there overall," Doyle aide Melanie Fonder said.

But Democrats on the committee attacked the Republican plan for transferring money out of the fund dedicated to developing habitat for waterfowl, wild turkey, pheasant, inland waters trout and Great Lakes trout and salmon. That account is funded with revenue from hunting and fishing stamps that range from $5.25 to $14 each.

The Republican plan would transfer about $1.4 million, or half the fund's balance, into the general fish and wildlife account to stem a shortfall.

"You're raiding from one pot to fill another one," said Sen. Russ Decker (D-Schofield). " . . . I think it's just misguided and sets the wrong priorities."

Republicans defended the move, saying it was not comparable to proposals by Doyle to use transportation funds for school costs.

"The stamp money is going into a like fund," said Rep. Dean Kaufert (R-Neenah), the other committee co-chairman. "It's the fish and wildlife account. It's not the education account."

The transfer will not stop or slow down any planned habitat restoration projects, estimated to cost about $440,000, Kaufert said.

Fees for two of the stamps - for pheasant and inland trout - are proposed to rise, from $7.25 to $10. Doyle and the committee endorsed those increases.

The committee also approved Doyle's proposal to raise the tax on rental cars to 5% from 3%, an increase that will bring in an extra $3.8 million over two years. That money will go toward promoting tourism.

If the proposal is approved by the full Legislature, people who rent cars in Milwaukee County will pay a 13.6% surcharge on their car rental bills when taking into account the 5.5% sales tax, 3% Wisconsin Center tax and the 0.1% stadium district tax. The lowest possible sales and rental tax in the state would be 10%.

That compares with a 6% to 8% sales and rental car tax in Michigan and one that is between 12.7% and 13.2% in Minnesota. In Illinois it ranges from a low of 5% to a high of 18% in Chicago.

ORIGINAL: bnhcomputing!

They are all crooks, and it is time to VOTE THEM OUT!