Assembly Republicans: Votes Are There On Bucks Deal

Assembly Republicans say they have the votes to pass a deal that would partially subsidize a new arena for the Milwaukee Bucks.

Republican leaders introduced the details of the Bucks arena deal on Monday, nearly a month after they first discussed the broad strokes of the plan. It calls for $55 million in bonding from the state, $55 million from Milwaukee County, and another $93 million from the Wisconsin Center District, which runs a convention hall in Milwaukee. Interest costs would eventually hit nearly $380 million.

Marinette Rep. John Nygren, who co-chairs the Legislature’s budget committee, said it could pass the Assembly right now.

“We could pass the proposal as is to keep the Bucks in our state,” said Nygren.

The state Senate is another story. At least two Republican senators have said they won’t support a public subsidy for a new Bucks arena.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos helped announce the deal just three hours after he put forward a plan to scale back the state’s prevailing wage law. The Bucks arena and prevailing wage are two of the larger issues that have led to a month-long stalemate on passing a new state budget.

Editor’s Note: This article was originally an Associated Press story. It has since been updated with reporting by Wisconsin Public Radio.