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Fitzgerald, Vos Say Legislature Planning to Meet “Soon”
By Wisconsin School Administrators Alliance staff | March 30, 2020
From WisPolitics.com …
Having already declared Gov. Tony Evers’ first proposal too expensive, Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald said today he hopes to have the Senate meet virtually “in the next couple of weeks” to take up legislation addressing COVID-19.
Meanwhile, Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said the Assembly was committed to meeting “soon.”
But Evers today implored lawmakers to act sooner, saying waiting “weeks and weeks” doesn’t help serve state residents in the “best way possible.”
The statements from Fitzgerald and Vos came after the guv’s office over the weekend released a draft of legislation to address the pandemic. In a memo, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau pegged that bill’s price tag at $706.2 million, not counting a sum sufficient appropriation for the Department of Health Services to address a public health emergency. A WisPolitics.com tally of the proposals listed in a governor’s administration document showed the provisions totaled over $800 million.
In a joint statement on Saturday, Fitzgerald and Vos said the state’s general fund couldn’t afford the proposal.
In today’s statement, Fitzgerald said progress continues on drafting a bill and conversations continue with the guv’s staff and others despite “the disagreement over the weekend.”
“We’re hopeful we can hit the floor with a bill that can address policy concerns in the next couple weeks through a virtual session of the Senate,” Fitzgerald said.
On Friday, Vos laid out the priorities of his caucus for an expected $2.3 billion Wisconsin will receive from a federal stimulus package the president signed. It includes about $1.9 billion going directly to the state government, and Vos said Assembly Republicans want that money used for personal protection equipment, to help public health departments and health care providers, and to address the financial difficulties for those hit hardest.
“Our Democratic colleagues know that Assembly leaders have already committed to holding a floor session soon,” Vos said. “We’re currently exploring the possible ways to convene a session without adversely impacting the most at-risk populations within our membership and support staff.”
Evers told reporters today he wants to work with stakeholders and lawmakers to “get things done as soon as possible,” adding he hopes “we can get somebody to take the bait’ and have a legislative session.
Evers continued to push for the elimination of a one-week waiting period between filing for unemployment and receiving the first check.
He also said beyond the federal dollars, the administration needs flexibility and more money at agencies such as Health Services and Workforce Development, which has been flooded with inquiries about unemployment benefits.
“We have been briefing legislative offices on those issues; hopefully we can get somebody to take the bait frankly and let’s have a legislative session so we can talk about it,” Evers said. “So far that hasn’t happened, but we continue to work with the Legislature to make them understand the needs at the state level to make sure that we serve people in Wisconsin the best way possible.
“Meanwhile, Dems on the Joint Finance Committee said they backed the guv’s proposal.
“I am glad to see Gov. Evers taking initiative to ensure that Wisconsinites are not prevented from receiving the treatment and support they need to weather this public health emergency,” Sen. LaTonya Johnson, D-Milwaukee, said in an email. “Key to this is removing statutory barriers and legal red tape so our public health experts have the flexibility to act swiftly to keep our communities safe.”
Sen. Jon Erpenbach said it was “high time that Republican leadership stop(s) playing games.”
“Every aspect of our lives from democracy, to public safety, to economic prosperity depends on us coming together NOW and working for the greater good of Wisconsin,” The West Point Dem wrote in an email to WisPolitics.com.
See the LFB memo on the Evers draft here.
See a background document from the governor’s office here.
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