Lawmakers sue governor

Thursday, April 3, 2003 | 9:50 a.m.

MADISON, Wis. -- Republican lawmakers sued Gov. Jim Doyle on Wednesday over a gaming compact he negotiated with an Indian tribe.

The lawsuit asks the state Supreme Court to void the compact with the Forest County Potawatomi and block the governor from signing deals with any other tribes.

Lawmakers have twice passed bills to give them oversight on gaming deals, but Doyle has vetoed them both. The governor is counting on $237 million in additional gambling revenue to help balance the state's $3.2 billion budget deficit.

Democrats on the committee voted against suing the governor, also a Democrat.

"If what we're going to do is run off to the Supreme Court every time a political dispute between the governor and the Legislature doesn't work out the way the Legislature wants it, we'll be in for a long and very expensive time in this state," Doyle said on Wednesday.

Doyle and Republican lawmakers have been feuding since the Oneida Nation announced in February it had reached a tentative deal with the governor on a gambling compact with no expiration date. Current compacts expire after five years.

Republicans grew more incensed when Doyle announced he had signed a similar deal with the Potawatomi. Both deals call for higher payments to the state in exchange for expanded casino games and hours. He has said he hopes to strike similar agreements with the state's other tribes.