MADISON, Wis. (AP) -- The Legislature's budget committee has approved a contentious bill that would reform Wisconsin's iron mining permit process.
The Joint Finance Committee passed the measure 12-4 along party lines. The vote clears the way for the full Senate to take up the bill.
The Senate will hold a vote on the plan Tuesday, but the measure looks doomed.
Senate Republicans hold a 17-16 majority and need every member of their caucus to pass the measure. Republican Sen. Dale Schultz of Richland Center has vowed not to vote for the bill, saying it doesn't provide an adequate path for the public to challenge permitting decisions and doesn't protect the environment.
Republicans have tried to persuade Schultz to support the bill by offering a number of revisions, but Schultz hasn't budged.
