000508


                      China vote splits both
                       parties; Green still
                              undecided 


                  By Melanie Fonder
                  For The News-Chronicle
                  WASHINGTON - With the battle to pass
                  permanent normal trade relations with China
                  escalating day by day, Rep. Gerald Kleczka,
                  D-Milwaukee, announced Friday he would not vote
                  for the agreement. 

                  "I refuse to give an oppressive government carte
                  blanche to abuse the rights of its citizens," Kleczka
                  said in a statement. "Annual review gives us the
                  benefits of trade with China without causing the
                  United States to turn a blind eye to its human rights
                  violations, treatment of the environment, and use of
                  forced prison labor and sweatshops." 

                  The vote, which has divided both parties in nearly
                  every way imaginable, is slated for the week of May
                  22, and most undecided members are expected to
                  announce their decisions within the next week. 

                  The Wisconsin delegation, according to the most
                  recent poll of members in National Journal, is all over
                  the board on the matter. 

                  Wisconsin Democrat Tom Barrett is leaning no, while
                  his colleague, U.S. Rep. Ron Kind, D-La Crosse, is
                  in favor of permanent normal trade. Rep. Tammy
                  Baldwin, D-Madison, is firmly against the measure. 

                  Perhaps most noteworthy is the lack of a response
                  from Rep. David Obey, D-Wausau, the
                  senior-ranking member of the Wisconsin delegation. 

                  On the GOP side, Reps. Paul Ryan, R-Janesville and
                  Tom Petri, R-Fond du Lac, are both leaning in
                  support, while Rep. Mark Green, R-Green Bay, is
                  still undecided. Senior Wisconsin Republican Rep.
                  James Sensenbrenner did not respond to the poll. 

                  Rep. Green said the delicate balance between his
                  district's agriculture economy, which seems to be in
                  support of normal trade, and constituent concerns for
                  human rights abuses in China makes the decision a
                  complicated one. 

                  "We're not playing a political game. We're taking a
                  very careful, thought-out approach to it," Green said
                  of the decision-making process. 

                  MONEY
                  What is typically the toughest re-election campaign
                  for members - after their first term - will apparently
                  will be well-stocked for Wisconsin's three freshmen. 

                  Breaking the $500,000 barrier for cash on hand are
                  Reps. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison and Paul Ryan,
                  R-Janesville. 

                  According to the latest reports to the Federal
                  Election Commission, Ryan has $566,038 cash on
                  hand and Baldwin has $564,949. 

                  Ryan's Democratic competitor, Janesville doctor Jeff
                  Thomas, had $181 cash on hand. University of
                  Wisconsin-Madison professor John Sharpless has
                  $135,751 so far to spend in his attempt to oust
                  Baldwin. 

                  With former Democratic Party of Brown County
                  chairman and county Sup. Dean Reich considering a
                  race, Green shows $464,930 in the bank. 

                  AND MORE MONEY
                  Expect to see even more money funneled into
                  Wisconsin from the two major parties themselves.
                  Close margins in the state Legislature may cause both
                  parties to spend heavily in those races this year. 

                  Democrats maintain a one-seat majority in the state
                  Senate compared to the GOP-controlled state
                  Assembly, which has a nine-member margin. 

                  Why the increased cash flow? Democrats are
                  concerned they may lose a congressional seat in the
                  Milwaukee area when reapportionment takes place
                  after the 2000 census, and maintaining control of the
                  statehouse becomes even more crucial.