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Madison, Wisconsin (AP) — Republican lawmakers are moving quickly to avoid Wisconsin’s Democratic Governor Tony Evers on the first day of the legislative session.
Four constitutional amendments, mostly supported by Republicans, could be before voters as early as April. Republican supporters of the measure are seeking final votes on at least two amendments in Congress during the first few weeks of the session so they can participate in the April 4th vote. Determine the panel majority.
“Obviously, the April elections are just around the corner, so we need to move some of these early in the legislative cycle,” said Republican House Majority Leader Tyler August.
One of the proposed amendments would have weakened the governor’s powers by requiring state legislatures to approve federal spending. Governors now have discretionary powers to spend without Congressional approval. Another measure would make it more difficult for criminal defendants to get out of prison on bail.
State law requires Congress to approve two consecutive proposed constitutional amendments before voters put them to the ballot for ratification. The governor cannot veto constitutional amendments. Congress passed all four constitutional amendments in its last session. Two of her seats were passed without a vote from Democrats.
Minority leader Senator Melissa Agard said in a statement sent to the Associated Press that “Republicans have already submitted several proposals to sidestep Governor Evers and strip him of executive power. I’m sorry.
The first proposal Republicans are putting to the ballot would require court officials to consider more factors when bailing criminal defendants, including whether they could endanger public safety. Thing. Bail is currently set only as a means of ensuring that the person is returned to court.
The second amendment would return control of federal funds to Congress. During the Great Depression, lawmakers gave governors the power to unilaterally accept and distribute federal funds, according to a Legislative References Office report.
In his first term, Evers was responsible for distributing billions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funds. Republicans last month renewed criticism of Mr. Evers’ spending choices after a bipartisan audit said he was not transparent about how he decided where to direct $3.7 billion in aid. .
But Evers spokesperson Britt Cudaback on Friday expressed concern that the bureaucratic Congress would not be able to allocate funds quickly enough in an emergency like a pandemic. I was confident that Wisconsin residents who benefited from Evers’ access to pandemic assistance would vote against the proposal.
“That’s why they re-elected him and why they’ll reject this amendment if it’s on the ballot,” she said.
Two other constitutional amendments passed by the legislature last session banned private subsidies for elections and changed the wording of voter eligibility clauses to limit the possibility of allowing noncitizens to vote. It was to forestall certain future laws.
August said he was unsure if all four proposals would make it to the ballot in April, but expected each to be put before voters at some point during the two-year session. He also said it was unlikely that Republicans would regularly use constitutional amendments to circumvent the governor’s veto.
“We are taking a very cautious approach when it comes to changing the constitution,” August said. “It’s not the same as changing the law.”
Evers had previously called on Congress to pass a bill that would allow voters to put initiative directly on the ballot and allow citizens to decide to enact legislation without Congress’ input. Republicans quickly dismissed the idea. Evers proposed as a way for citizens to vote for or against the state’s 174-year-old abortion ban.
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