Wis. Stalemate: Deal Struck, Cops Sent To Dem Homes

Assembly agreement follows marathon session and more than 42 hours of debate

MADISON, Wis. — Wisconsin Democrats in the state Assembly agreed to a deal in the pre-dawn hours Thursday to limit debate and reach a vote, perhaps by midday, on a bill taking away public workers' collective bargaining rights.

Meanwhile, Republican leadership in the Senate dispatched police officers to the homes of some of the 14 Democratic lawmakers who have been on the run for a week to avoid voting on the proposal, to compel them to return.

The early-morning action Thursday was designed to force a vote on Republican Gov. Scott Walker's bill that has made Wisconsin the focus of a multiple state effort to curb union rights. The Assembly deal announced shortly after 6 a.m. followed more than 42 hours of debate that began Tuesday morning.

More