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Johnson wants push back on Russia in the Baltic Sea

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Wisconsin’s Republican Senator is pushing back on Russia following an incident involving the Ukrainian navy last month. Senator Ron Johnson will be in Eastern Europe this weekend, and said on WISN’s Jay Weber Show that he intends to see what needs to be done to push back on Russian aggression.

“We need to do a whole lot more than just have one senator go over there and express support,” Johnson said Thursday. “We do need, from my standpoint, a multinational freedom of navigation exercise into the Baltic Sea.”

Ukrainian naval personnel were seized off their ships on November 25th, further increasing tensions in the region after the annexation of the Crimea.

“The Baltic states are nervous, Poland is nervous. They want more forward deployment of NATO troops and air patrols in the Baltic. We need to do all of the above,” Johnson said. The situation was serious enough for the Trump administration to cancel a planned face to face meeting last week in Argentina, between President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Evers inaugural set for January 7

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Barnes, Evers WRN image

The official inauguration ceremony for incoming Governor Tony Evers and Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes has been announced.

The inaugurations will start at 11:00 a.m. on Monday January 7th. Big Brothers Big Sisters of Metro Milwaukee has been named the inauguration partner.

Spokespersons for Evers and Barnes say a celebratory gala will be held the evening of the 7th. More details will be released from the inaugural committee in the near future.

Evers asks Walker for ‘lame duck’ vetoes

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Tony Evers is asking Scott Walker to veto the “lame duck” legislation. The governor-elect is requesting that Governor Walker veto measures that will restrict some of the authority of Evers and Attorney General-elect Josh Kaul. “My belief is that the people of Wisconsin have spoken, and that . . . the three bills that have passed are a repudiation of that,” Evers said Wednesday in Madison.

GOP leaders say they acted in extraordinary session this week in order to restore the “balance of power” between the legislative and executive branches.

Kaul doesn’t buy it. “They are focused on their own power, and taking it away not just from executive branch officers, but from the people of Wisconsin who went out and voted in record numbers.”

Democrats are not alone in asking Walker to consider the veto — Governor Walker is being sharply criticized by a long-time supporter. The Journal Sentinel reported this week that influential Republican businessman and philanthropist Sheldon Lubar of Milwaukee sent Walker an email on Tuesday. In it, he asked Walker to consider what the governor’s recently deceased father and Jesus Christ would say about legislative efforts to limit the powers of Governor-elect Tony Evers and Attorney General-elect Josh Kaul. Lubar pleaded with Walker not to destroy his reputation by siding with Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald.

Walker has ten days to make a decision. All indications are he’ll sign the bills. “Our efforts now is making sure the people of Wisconsin communicate directly to the governor, and communicate to him and his staff in a way that would convince him that he needs to change his thinking,” Evers said.

No deal to save jobs at Neenah Kimberly Clark plant

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A deal to save jobs at Kimberly Clark’s Neenah Cold Spring plant did not get done in the “lame duck” legislative session. It’s a big disappointment to the bill’s author, Representative Jim Steinke. “I’m afraid politics played a role. I was hoping once we got past the politics of the election, there would be more support for it. Obviously, we couldn’t garner any support from the Democrats,” the Kaukauna Republican said.

The $70 million tax incentives package passed the Assembly last spring — but there was no vote in the Senate. “I was really disappointed that Governor-elect Evers didn’t step forward, and at least give his opinion one way or the other, as to whether he thought it was a good idea.”

Ironically, Senate passage of the deal was Governor Scott Walker’s only stated reason for an extraordinary session. Walker said without it, the nearly 400 jobs at the plant will be gone by year’s end

Committee on Madison Police changes stalls out

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Madison-area activists have little response to changes in the police department which they demanded.

After Madison officers shot and killed seven people in four years and at least one violent arrest was caught on video, local groups and concerned citizens demanded more accountability from the police. Three years ago, an ad hoc committee was formed to come up with recommendations to address those concerns.

After making a list of proposed changes, the committee sent letters on November 1st to 22 individuals and groups involved in that process early on. The committee asked for feedback by November 28th. But as of Wednesday, the Wisconsin State Journal reports none of them had. One activist tells the paper she “lost track” of her letter.

The ad hoc committee will meet again on the 20th.

‘Lame duck’ laws likely to be litigated

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Speaker Robin Vos (WRN file photo)

There could be legal challenges, to portions of the Republican “lame duck” legislative agenda. “Everything’s on the table to stop this pernicious attack on our democracy, said state Representative Chris Taylor, a Madison Democrat. “I think absolutely there are probably going to be some legal challenges.”

Under provisions of Republican legislation passed by the extraordinary session, lawmakers will have the ability to hire their own attorneys to file litigation for the state, a role previously taken by the attorney general.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said he’s not worried. “I believe, and the advice that I have been given is, everything that we have done has been within the bounds of the constitution, and I think it will be found that way. But of course they have the right, that’s our process.”

Incoming attorney general Josh Kaul predicts Republican efforts to restrict the power of the AG’s office will end up in court. “Probably there will be multiple litigations that result from this, maybe in multiple courts,” he said. “And one of the impacts of this is that the state is going to be mired in litigation in 2019.”

In additions to the changes to the attorney general’s role, Republican lawmakers would gain full control of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, and the Legislature could block the new governor’s ability to write new regulations.

Evers on CNN: GOP lame duck agenda ‘a hot mess’

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With Republican efforts to rein in his incoming administration now a national story, Governr-elect Tony Evers went on CNN Tuesday night. “We won, we won fair and square. We won on the issues. We won fully knowing what I’m about and what Scott Walker’s about,” Evers told the cable network’s Don Lemon. “I see this as an effort trying repudiate, trying to turn back the clock.”

Evers’ appearance came as the Republican controlled legislature debated measures to limit the scope of authority for the offices of governor and attorney general, before Evers and incoming AG Josh Kaul take office next month. The Assembly completed work on the legislation early Wednesday morning. Evers issued a statement following the final vote.

“Wisconsin has never seen anything like this. Power-hungry politicians rushed through sweeping changes to our laws to expand their own power and override the will of the people of Wisconsin who asked for change on November 6th.”

Evers told Lemon that while he was elected to work with Republicans in the legislature, the Republican actions will make that much more difficult. “The entire thing is frankly a hot mess,” he said. “There’s 141 pages of bad stuff in there.”

Lawmakers approve GOP lame duck agenda

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Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, Speaker Robin Vos (Photo: Andrew Beckett)

A long 24 hours of debates, caucuses and voting ended early Wednesday morning as Republicans in the Wisconsin legislature pushed through legislation limiting the powers of incoming Governor Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul, and limiting the time frame for municipalities to offer early absentee voting.

Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz called out the process before the final vote was cast in the Assembly.

“It’s a massive deal. Not just for what it means, not just for what it means for the governance of our state. But for the signal that it sends, the lengths that people are willing to go to to retain power,” Hintz said “Rushing it through on three days notice, in a ridiculous last 24 hours of debate? Does anyone honestly think this is the right way to do business?”

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos chided Democrats for their lack of decorum during the lame duck session, and said the bills are all to even out the powers of government.

“You have to start at a place where you have equal footing to negotiate. That’s what these bills are all about. Equal footing to negotiate,” Vos said  “While I know that some have spent the day angry and exaggerating, I would ask that we all cast a green vote as we look to rebalance the powers.”

Rep. Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh)

The entire package of bills now heads to Governor Scott Walker for his signature. He has signaled he’d sign them before he leaves office.

Legislation that would have that would protected health care coverage for pre-existing conditions failed to clear a Senate vote Wednesday morning, with all Democrats and two Republicans voting against it. During his reelection campaign, Governor Scott Walker had promised to get that bill enacted into law.

Republican Senators David Craig and Chris Kapenga defeated the bill by voting against it. They wanted the state to create a high risk insurance pool, but that was not part of the bill.

Also not headed to the governor is a proposal to move the date of Wisconsin’s presidential primary from April to March. That measure never made it out of the legislature’s finance committee earlier this week.

Among other measures approved by both chambers:

A work requirement for single, able-bodied adults who are on BadgerCare. The legislature would also get oversight over any request for federal waivers for welfare programs. In addition, the governor will be prohibited from withdrawing from a multi-state lawsuit that challenges Obamacare.

The Legislature would also have new powers to intervene in lawsuits involving the state, an area usually handled by the Attorney General. Financial settlements that the AG negotiates would be subject to legislative oversight.

The legislature would get to make additional appointments to the board that controls the Wisconsin Economic Development agency.

The legislature also voted to limit early voting to two weeks before an election. A similar bill had been struck down by a federal judge. The current version will also face an almost certain court challenge.

 

State Senate opens lame duck session on Republican bills

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One half of the lame duck session is underway at the state Capitol, as the Senate takes to the floor.

Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Schilling excoriated the majority at the start of the hearing.

“What we are seeing is a blatant overreach of Republicans who are more interested in securing and increasing your legislative power.”

She calls the bills an attempt to strip power from the executive and judicial branches and hand it over to the legislature.

“Sweeping proposals to eliminate checks and balances, and consolidate power from the executive and judicial branches into the legislative branch.”

The Senate Gallery was cleared after multiple outbursts from protesters.

GOP bills restricting Evers and Kaul to be voted on

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Legislation that would curtail the powers of the offices of governor and attorney general in Wisconsin are up for Senate and Assembly votes in a lame duck extraordinary session today, after an hours long and often raucous public hearing at the Capitol.

As Republicans move to push through a sweeping set of restrictions on the administration of incoming Governor Tony Evers, and Attorney General-elect Josh Kaul, Democrats like Representative Chris Taylor of Madison are calling out what they see as hypocrisy.

“We would not be here if Scott Walker was reelected. We would not be here if Brad Schimel was reelected. This is about not just consolidating power for the Republicans, they want to expand their power, even when they lose elections,” Taylor said.

Governor Scott Walker insists changes to the attorney general’s duties, which would allow the legislature to hire outside attorneys to represent the state in lawsuits, are not out of line. “There are many other states that have a whole variety of things where the legislature either has to approve or disapprove lawsuits,” Walker said. “Some states don’t even have elected attorney generals.”

Governor Scott Walker insists legislation dealing with the office of governor is does not taking power away from incoming Democrat Tony Evers. “There was some discussion early on about things related to vetoes or even vetoes to the administrative process, and I said I would never sign that,” Walker said. “To me, that would be taking powers away.”

A bill that would move the date of the state’s 2020 presidential primary did not pass out of the Joint Finance Committee following Monday’s hearing. County and municipal clerks had condemned the proposal to create a March primary, which would result statewide elections in February, March and April.

The Wisconsin Elections Commission voted 6-0 on Monday for a motion telling the Legislature that the proposed election law changes would be “extraordinarily difficult to accomplish.” It also said that “mandatory election tasks may not be feasible,” if the primary were moved.