MILWAUKEE (AP) - The Archdiocese of Milwaukee said Wednesday that it was prepared to set aside $4 million in its bankruptcy reorganization plan to compensate clergy sexual abuse victims, an amount one victim called “obscene” in its stinginess.
Milwaukee is one of 11 Roman Catholic dioceses nationwide to file for bankruptcy in the past decade. If approved by a judge, Milwaukee’s reorganization plan would provide the smallest per-victim payments yet in these cases - roughly $32,000 each for 125 victims. The actual amount each victim receives would be based on individual circumstances.
Other Catholic dioceses have paid victims hundreds of thousands of dollars, and Milwaukee victims said they thought $400,000 per person would have been a reasonable offer. Of the seven dioceses to resolve their bankruptcies thus far, all have had per-victim payments of more than $100,000, according to BishopAccountability.org, which collects data and documents related to clergy sexual abuse. Only Fairbanks, Alaska, paid less - about $38,000 per victim.
In addition, more than three-fourths of the people who filed claims against the Milwaukee archdiocese in bankruptcy court would receive no compensation, either because they previously received settlements or because their abuser was not a diocesan priest.
“This plan is obscene,” said Peter Isley, who was abused by a priest working in southeastern Wisconsin but assigned to a religious order. Isley added, “I think even the most hard core Catholics are going to find this upsetting and unacceptable.”
Milwaukee Archbishop Jerome Listecki acknowledged that some victims would be upset.
“No amount of money, basically, is enough to compensate for the loss,” he said. “So I think that’s first and foremost important to realize. I think the wonderful thing at least about the plan is that we provide therapy for all abuse survivors for as long as they need it. In my discussion with some victims, they said how important it was that therapy is there … no amount of money will make them whole.”
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Gov. Scott Walker says he’s still open to working with lawmakers on his half billion dollar property and income tax cut proposal that passed the Assembly and is awaiting action in the Senate.
Walker said Wednesday that he doesn’t care when the Senate gets to the bill, as long as they pass it before they leave for the year likely sometime in April.
The Assembly passed the bill on a 62-37 vote Tuesday, with all Republicans and two Democrats in support. The Assembly added a $7.5 million sales tax exemption for contractors who do work on projects for certain local governments and certain nonprofits.
Walker shrugged off a question about that change, saying “if we get 99 percent of what we want, we’ll declare victory and move forward.”
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Gov. Scott Walker says a Republican-backed bill in the Legislature that would nullify local living wage ordinances is not a part of his agenda.
Walker was asked Wednesday about the bill, which was heard by the Assembly Labor Committee. The measure drew opposition from officials in Madison and Dane County, which have had local minimum wage ordinances since 1999.
Officials from Milwaukee County, which passed a living wage ordinance, also testified against the bill.
Walker has been outspoken against increasing the minimum wage. But he didn’t show any support for the bill barring local living wage ordinances.
While Walker says the bill is not a part of his agenda, he also didn’t say whether that means he would sign or veto it should it pass.
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MADISON, Wis. (AP) - A sweeping school accountability bill that would force Wisconsin’s poor-performing public schools to close drew no support at a public hearing Wednesday, and it may not have enough votes to clear the Republican-controlled Assembly Education Committee.
Support does seem to be coalescing around a much narrower proposal, up for a Senate committee vote on Thursday, that has no sanctions for schools. It would also not assign letter grades to schools and instead would focus on ensuring that data from private schools in the voucher program is included on the current report cards for public schools.
Republican legislative leaders and Gov. Scott Walker have been working for more than two years with public and private schools, and others, on a school accountability plan. The goal is to create a report card with comparable information for all schools - public, choice and charter - that accept public money so their performance can be measured.
Voucher proponents are hoping to create the accountability system as they push to further increase the voucher program next year beyond the current 1,000-student limit. Lobbyists for the groups have been meeting privately with lawmakers trying to get something passed before the Legislature adjourns in April.
Walker said he would prefer to have a more comprehensive accountability bill, but he would accept the Senate version that has no sanctions for poor performance if there is no alternative.
“Rather some accountability improvements versus none,” Walker said when asked for his position on the Senate bill.
The Assembly bill that drew no support Wednesday would give all schools that accept public money a letter grade on the report cards. Schools are currently categorized based on performance but not graded. Under the bill, public schools that consistently fail would be closed and reopened as charter schools, and voucher schools would be barred from accepting new students.
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