State senators left the state for three weeks. Assembly members forced a marathon, 61-hour debate in their chamber. Now Secretary of State Doug La Follette will join the list of Democrats delaying Gov. Scott Walker's bill to limit collective bargaining for most public employees.

Walker signed the bill early Friday, but laws don't take effect until one day after the secretary of state publishes it with the Legislative Reference Bureau. La Follette said he would not publish the law until March 25 to allow time for legal challenges to move through the courts.

Dane County Executive Kathleen Falk and County Board Chairman Scott McDonell sued Friday to prevent La Follette from publishing the measure, saying the votes leading to the law's passage were illegal and the bill is unconstitutional.

Dane County Circuit Judge Amy Smith declined to issue a temporary order preventing La Follette from publishing the law. But she scheduled a hearing on the matter for Wednesday.

La Follette, a Democrat, said in an interview it is normal procedure to publish laws 10 business days after the governor signs them — the requirement under state law — although he said it is sometimes necessary to speed up the process.