MADISON, Wis. â?? Gov. Jim Doyle said Tuesday he would try to force action on the overdue state budget by calling lawmakers into a special session next week.
Doyle said he would ask lawmakers to consider a plan on Monday that increases the cigarette tax by $1.25 per pack, starts a new tax on hospital profits and cuts spending across state agencies $430 million from his original proposal.
Despite Doyleâ??s call for a special session, lawmakers do not have to act. Democrats in the Senate said they were ready to pass Doyleâ??s plan as early as Monday but Republicans who control the Assembly dismissed it as a political ploy.