Dem Sen. Jon Erpenbach today slamming Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, for authoring the bills, but not having the “guts” to testify on them before the Joint Finance Committee.

“If you don’t have enough guts to show up and testify and defend this stuff, it shouldn’t be introduced in the first place then,” Erpenbach, D-Middleton, said at the beginning today’s public hearing.

The hearing had a contentious start as Co-chair John Nygren, R-Marinette, brought the hearing to order and then chided members of the audience on committee rules as some chanted, “Respect our vote!”

Nygren said members of the public will get two minutes each to testify with the public hearing to conclude at 9:30 p.m. The committee, controlled 12-4 by Republicans, will then move to an executive session to vote on the legislation.

“We will respect you if you respect us,” Nygren said.

Over the first hour of the hearing, Nygren ordered Capitol Police to remove two members of the public.

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