MADISON — With Republicans in the Wisconsin Assembly poised to vote Thursday on a bill that would make it easier to build a proposed $1.5 billion iron ore mine, Democrats charged that the bill's supporters are turning their backs on the northern communities that would be most affected.

Democrats plan to introduce a number of amendments Thursday on the floor of the Assembly. Though they have many complaints, several of the legislators said in a teleconference Monday that one of the most disturbing provisions in Assembly Bill 426 would reduce the amount of mining tax dollars that go to local communities affected by the mine. While existing laws call for all of that money to go to local communities, the GOP bill would provide communities with 60 percent of the tax dollars while 40 percent would go to the state.

"We're asking impoverished communities to give these dollars back to the state," said state Rep. Louis Molepske Jr., D-Stevens Point. "It just seems we're legislating from someplace in southeast Wisconsin and telling the local communities up there that this is all good for them, take it or leave it."

The bill would require the state Department of Natural Resources to act on permit applications for iron mines, such as the one Gogebic Taconite wants to build in the Penokee Range south of Ashland, in 360 days. It also relaxes environmental regulations including protections for wetlands and other waters, reduces the number of public hearings required and eliminates the public's ability to file legal challenges against a mine during the permitting process.

John Jagler, a spokesman for state Rep. Jeff Fitzgerald, R-Horicon, said Republicans hope to see the bill voted out of the Jobs, Economy and Small Business Committee on Tuesday and forwarded to the entire Assembly for a vote Thursday.

Eric Bott, Fitzgerald's policy director, said Republicans introduced several amendments Monday to address concerns about the proposed legislation.

Among other things, the amendments would increase the amount of money paid to the DNR for its permitting costs from $1.1 to $2 million, pay local communities for their increased costs during mine construction, and require a mining company to search an entire watershed for places to build artificial wetlands to replace natural wetlands destroyed by a mine.