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Madison — Acting out of the public eye on controversial measures, Gov. Scott Walker signed asbestos liability legislation Thursday opposed by a number of veterans groups and used a partial veto to loosen new restrictions on early voting opposed by Democrats.

Wielding his pen privately on a stack of 31 bills, Walker approved a number of elections bills Thursday, including the absentee voting measure and another one to give lobbyists more time to give campaign donations to state officials.

In the early-voting measure, Walker used his partial veto powers — the most powerful in the nation — to nix language restricting early voting hours in Milwaukee and other cities to 45 hours a week while leaving in place a provision to prohibit early voting on weekends.

Democrats and Milwaukee officials have decried those voting limits as the latest effort by the GOP to make it harder for minorities, veterans, the elderly and students to vote, saying it amounted to "fixing elections" rather than problems.

At a news conference at Milwaukee's City Hall, Mayor Tom Barrett and several aldermen criticized Republican lawmakers and Walker for backing the measure.

"This is not about fairness. This is not about fixing a problem. This is about fixing election outcome," Barrett said. "It is wrong for democracy. It is wrong for this state and the Republicans and the governor should be ashamed with this piece of legislation."

Neil Albrecht, executive director of the Milwaukee Election Commission, said the legislation signed Thursday will cause longer lines in the city, discouraging voting.

Republicans said they were advancing the measure because they want voting hours to be more uniform around the state, particularly because rural officials don't have the staff to keep clerks' offices open for early voting as late as their urban counterparts.

Under the legislation as rewritten by Walker, early voting in clerk's offices could take place solely on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. but would not face the additional limit of 45 hours per week.

Walker also struck out a part of the bill added by Senate Republicans that would have required the state to pay for half of the expenses for smaller communities offering early voting at a cost of about $200,000.

Sen. Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend), a lead sponsor of the measure, said Walker's partial veto was reasonable. He said he had used early voting during the week but said it should be uniform between municipalities.

"There's no demand (for that) in any community in my district," Grothman said of weekend voting.

"Every city on election day has voting from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. The idea that some communities should have weekend or night voting is obviously unfair," he said.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said in a statement, "The legislation gives local governments the needed flexibility while maintaining fairness in our elections."

This is the second time Republicans have set limits on early voting since Walker and GOP lawmakers took control of state government in January 2011. That year, the Legislature cut early voting from three weeks, including three weekends, to two weeks, including one weekend.

More than one in five state voters cast an absentee ballot in the November 2012 elections and one in eight voted absentee in April 2013. A Marquette University Law School poll released Wednesday found strong support among state voters for keeping at least the current level of absentee voting hours.

The governor's changes softened the effect of the bill but didn't appease Democrats or Milwaukee officials.

Albrecht said that because state law restricts early voting to one site per municipality, it's a "daunting task" for his agency to offer Milwaukee's 310,000 registered voters similar access to early voting as those in smaller communities. Albrecht said Milwaukee voters sometimes have to stand in line for an hour or more.

"I don't see the fairness in that and I certainly don't see a level playing field between rural and urban communities," he said.

Scot Ross, executive director of the liberal group One Wisconsin Now, signaled a lawsuit against the measure. Barrett said the Milwaukee city attorney also would research whether the city might get involved in a potential lawsuit.

Lester Pines, a Democratic attorney who has sought to overturn other GOP measures, agreed a lawsuit was likely, saying the law discriminated against minorities living in urban areas.

Asbestos bill

The asbestos measure was backed by businesses but strongly opposed by most veterans' groups because they have found the majority of plaintiffs in asbestos lawsuits have served in the military. Asbestos, which has long been used for insulation and fireproofing, can cause cancer and respiratory illnesses.

"In all my years at the Capitol, I have never seen a bill more devastating to veterans. Throughout the past year, veterans groups representing 100,000 Wisconsin veterans negotiated for a better bill. Their pleas were ignored, and the bill was passed and signed into law," said Jason Johns, the legislative officer for the Military Order of the Purple Heart of Wisconsin.

Grothman, a supporter of the asbestos measure, said opposition to the legislation was really due to trial lawyers. Wisconsin manufacturers are being sued by plaintiffs in cases where other parties known as asbestos trusts are the ones who are truly liable, Grothman said.

Walker spokeswoman Laurel Patrick agreed.

"Preventing double-dipping will help make sure there will be resources available for the truly injured down the road," Patrick said.

The drafting file for the bill shows the involvement of a lobbyist for Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, the state's largest business lobby, and the Wisconsin Civil Justice Council, an alliance of major industries that advocates for limiting lawsuits.

The legislation could help businesses when they are sued because they could point out to the jury that the plaintiffs had filed claims against trusts. That could bolster their arguments they were not to blame for the asbestos exposure at issue in a particular case.

Walker's Democratic opponent, former state Commerce Secretary Mary Burke, opposes the measure.

Also Thursday, Walker:

■ Signed legislation to give lobbyists more time during election years to make financial contributions to lawmakers and other candidates. The measure moves the date up to April 15 from June 1.

Supporters say the change is needed because partisan primaries are now held earlier than they had been for years, lengthening the campaign season. The primaries are held in August instead of September.

Opponents call the measure a gift to special interests.

■ Approved legislation allowing attorneys to appeal court rulings blocking state laws.

The Assembly passed a bill last year that would have allowed state lawyers to block rulings overturning if they file an appeal within 10 days. Republicans introduced the bill after judges struck down parts of Walker's collective bargaining restrictions and voided voter photo identification requirements.

But faced with widespread concerns that the bill was unconstitutional, Senate Republicans scaled it back to give lawyers the right to appeal rulings issued ahead of a final judgment.

Jason Stein reported for this story in Madison and Don Walker in Milwaukee. The Associated Press contributed to this article.

Twitter: twitter.com/jasonmdstein