Rep. Jim Steineke
Republicans who control the Wisconsin Assembly will be amending a COVID-19 relief bill passed by the state Senate, and which Governor Tony Evers has said he’d sign.
Majority Leader Jim Steineke said Assembly Republicans were cut out of what began as three way negotiations with the Senate and Evers.
“After the New Year the senate went directly to the governor to negotiate their package with the governor. Which they have the right to do, but we also have the right to try to work on our own ideas.”
On WKOW‘s Capitol City Sunday, Steineke said his caucus wants a final bill to include provisions like preventing employers from requiring workers to get vaccinated, and restricting local health departments’ ability to close or limit business capacities.
“One of the things that we wanted to ensure is that nobody in the state was required by their employer to take the vaccine. That’s not a partisan issue. There’s Democrats and Republicans that agree with that. That’s not a partisan issue and I don’t think that’s one that would cause the governor to veto the bill.”
Steineke said the Assembly would bring the bill back to the floor on January 26 for amendments.