In a bipartisan about face, the Wisconsin Senate passed a bill Wednesday that includes nearly $600,000 in funding for WisconsinEye, the state’s version of C-SPAN.
But before it can be signed into law, it needs to pass both houses of the Legislature. The state Assembly already passed a different bill to fund WisconsinEye last week, and it plans to adjourn for the year on Thursday.
The competing bills were introduced after WisconsinEye, which has been operating mostly on private donations since 2007, ran out of money and went off the air in December. Without the nonprofit broadcasting the Legislature’s hearings, some Democrats attempted to stream proceedings with their phones and said Republican committee chairs blocked them from doing so.
Last week, state Sen. Julian Bradley, R-New Berlin, introduced a bill requiring WisconsinEye and any other takers to submit bids for the right to broadcast the Legislature’s business. Senate Democrats initially balked at the legislation because it didn’t include any money.
Things changed Wednesday when Bradley amended his bill to include $585,630 over 12 months for WisconsinEye, while still requiring the nonprofit to submit a competitive bid to lawmakers.