MADISON — Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos is offering to take up a Democratic bill that would allow higher education student loan debt to be refinanced.
Vos says he is inspired by newly elected House Speaker Paul Ryan and is making the offer in the spirit of "wiping the slate clean" to improve relations between Democrats and Republicans.
Democrats said at a news conference prior to the start of the session that they planned to force debate of the higher education refinancing bill Tuesday. Vos says when he heard that, he decided to offer moving the bill into the Legislature's budget committee where its merits could be debated.
Democratic Minority Leader Peter Barca did not immediately make a decision on the offer, saying he wants to ensure the bill gets a hearing.