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Madison - State Sen. Tim Cullen quit the Senate Democratic caucus Tuesday, saying Senate Democratic leader Mark Miller had snubbed him by refusing to give him a meaningful committee chairmanship.

"It's an insult to my district," Cullen of Janesville said. "I'm going to leave the Senate Democratic caucus. I will be bound by nothing they decide."

Cullen said his relationship with Miller has long been rocky, and that at one point recently, Miller hung up on him when they discussed committee assignments.

Miller declined interview requests but issued a statement saying he was disappointed in Cullen's action.

"Senator Cullen turned down the chairmanship of the Committee on Small Business Development and Tourism," Miller said in his statement. "He told me that if that was the committee offered to him, he would rather chair no committee at all. It was an important committee as small business is the economic engine for Wisconsin."

Cullen, who has a reputation for working with senators from both parties, said he is quitting the Senate Democratic caucus but is undecided about whether to leave the Democratic Party. If he quits the party, he will become an independent and not a Republican, he said.

Senators from both parties said they believed Democrats retain a 17-16 majority because Cullen is still a member of the party. If Cullen remains a party member, the Democratic margin would change to 17-15 on Aug. 5, when Sen. Rich Zipperer (R-City of Pewaukee) plans to resign to become Gov. Scott Walker's deputy chief of staff.

But the majority is up for grabs in the Nov. 6 election, when 16 of 33 seats will be on the ballot.

The flap comes just a week after Democrats took control of the Senate after winning a recall election last month in Racine County. Miller then ascended to majority leader and restructured the committees.

Cullen said Miller called him this month to tell him he could serve as chairman of a committee overseeing small business and tourism. Cullen said those issues were important, but he knew the committee would have little clout. He said he told Miller he wanted to chair a committee that dealt with education, health or corrections.

Cullen said Miller suggested the two meet in person to discuss it, and Cullen said he welcomed that idea. On July 16, an aide to Miller called to set up the meeting for a couple days later.

But two hours after the meeting was arranged, Miller called and said he had to release the list of committee assignments immediately and told him to take or leave the chairmanship for small business and tourism, Cullen said. Cullen told him he didn't want the appointment, and Miller released the list of assignments.

Cullen served in the Senate from 1975 to 1987, when he left to serve as then-Gov. Tommy Thompson's health secretary. After a career in insurance, he returned to the Senate last year.

Miller led the Democrats last year when they fled to Illinois in an attempt to block a Republican bill to all but eliminate collective bargaining for public workers. During their three week absence, Cullen and Sen. Bob Jauch (D-Poplar) met with aides to Walker to attempt to reach a compromise. They never reached a deal, and Republicans passed the measure while Democrats were out of state.

Cullen said Miller opposed his efforts to broker a deal on collective bargaining, but he did not know if that influenced Miller's actions.

"He may not like that I don't just take what's handed out," Cullen said.

Cullen said he might change his mind on leaving the caucus if Miller reverses course on committee assignments, but Cullen said he was certain Miller would not change his mind. He said his departure would give him more freedom as a legislator.

Senate Minority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) said he hoped to talk to Cullen about working together, even though he didn't expect him to join the Republican caucus.

"I think if he truly is frustrated with that caucus, then maybe there is a way for him to work with us on issues or individual legislation," Fitzgerald said.

Miller won support from the liberal group One Wisconsin Now. The group's executive director, Scot Ross, issued a statement thanking Miller "for refusing to buckle to Sen. Tim Cullen's self-serving demands."

Though Miller did not given Cullen any chairmanships, he gave him seats on four committees - the Joint Committee on Legislative Council; the Committee on Agriculture, Elections and the University of Wisconsin System; the Committee on Education and Corrections; and the Committee on Children and Families, Disability Rights and Housing Sustainability.