Gov. Scott Walker says he'll sign civil service bill in next week or two

MILWAUKEE — Gov. Scott Walker says he'll sign the bill that overhauls the state's civil service system in the next week or two.

Walker said Friday he'll likely sign the bill that reworks the state's hiring and firing practices in northeastern Wisconsin, along with some other bills that recently passed the Legislature.

Republicans pushed the civil service bill through the Senate on Wednesday. The Assembly passed it in October.

With the governor's signature, layoffs of state workers would be based primarily on an employee's job performance, not seniority. Currently, layoffs can be determined by seniority, job performance or a combination of the two.

The bill also creates merit bonuses and put new hires on probation for two years rather than the current six months, among other things.