CALL GOVERNOR WALKER NOW!

The State Legislature pushed through a potentially very damaging provision in the state budget that is now before the Governor. Please call the Governor's office, (608) 266-1212, right now - even after hours - and leave a message: VETO THE EXPANSION OF THE PAYDAY LOAN INDUSTRY. It will only take a minute.

Background: At the very last minute, the Joint Finance Committee added language which would dramatically increase the amount of business that could be done by predatory Pay Day Loan businesses. As the article linked here makes clear, the new law would allow predatory lending establishments to get involved in all kinds of businesses, ranging from insurance to liquor stores, thus increasing their capacity to squeeze even more money from the people who can least afford it.

Besides being bad policy that makes it easier to exploit vulnerable people, it is a policy change that was introduced in a very undemocratic way. There has been no hearing on the matter, and no public discussion. There is not even a single legislator willing to claim it as his or her idea. It is something the legislature is ashamed of: it is why it was done by night.

The Governor needs to veto the provision and instruct the legislature to have the courage to debate the issue on its own merits, rather than try to sneak it into the budget.