FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT: Rep. Gary Hebl, (608) 266-7678
(MADISON) – Today Rep. Hebl issued the following statement on the lame duck session called by legislative Republicans to curb the powers of incoming Governor Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul:
Last month, Wisconsin voters decided that they wanted Tony Evers as Governor and Josh Kaul as Attorney General. In a nakedly partisan move, the Republican leaders of the State Senate and State Assembly have decided that they know better than 2.6 million Wisconsin voters, and are maneuvering to override the will of the voters by smashing the balance of power in Wisconsin. They will not stand idly by as the democratically-elected Evers and Kaul take the powers that they so desperately crave. This is an affront to the peaceful transfer of power, of the separation of powers, and of common decency.
These Republicans are willing to risk it all to maintain the power that they have convinced themselves they are entitled to. They refuse to ensure affordable access to healthcare, quality education, or clean air and clean water, yet have no problem spending taxpayer money to pay for the inevitable lawsuits that will come from ramming through these bills.
For the past eight years, the legislature has been engaged in a Red Tape Review to streamline the rule making process. With this package of bills, Republicans will be adding layers of bureaucracy and oversight that will grind rulemaking to a halt. There is a difference between small government and bad government; passing these bills will prove once and for all that “small government” conservatives do not exist.
We have front row seats to the circus that is unchecked Republican control in Wisconsin. They show, once again, that there is one thing they care most about: power. Not governing, protecting our planet, or making lives easier for Wisconsinites. For Wisconsin Republicans, it is, and always has been, about maintaining their power.
Their ability to get whatever they want is coming to an end, and they are running scared. This is their final, desperate attempt to rig the system in their favor. The tides are turning, though, and I am optimistic that in short time we will return to a fair Wisconsin that treats all citizens equally, and the majority in the legislature once again works for the people and not for themselves.
