Contact: Rep. Chris Taylor, 608-266-5342
MADISON –Late yesterday afternoon at approximately 4:15 p.m., Wisconsin Republicans rolled out their rotten lame duck agenda. It’s a desperate, last ditch effort to appropriate executive and judicial power after suffering losses last month in every state-wide election. The 287 pages of bills reveal that Speaker Robin Vos and Leader Scott Fitzgerald want to enhance their own political power by invading the powers of other governmental branches and constitutionally elected officers. Legislative Republicans are attempting to ram these changes through the Legislature at lightning speed, starting with a public hearing and executive session in the Joint Finance Committee on Monday, December 3rd at 12:30 p.m.
In response, Rep. Chris Taylor (D-Madison), the ranking Assembly Democrat on the Joint Finance Committee (JFC), issued the following statement:
“This lame duck special session is a rotten attack on our democracy and the will of the voters. These Republican leaders are drunk on power, and now think they should also act as the executive and judicial branches and invade the constitutional powers of our state Attorney General. Left behind are the people of our state and their priorities, including adequately and sustainably funding our public education system and fixing our deteriorating roads and bridges.
In fact, this “extraordinary” session is only extraordinary in the sense it reveals the depths Republican leaders are willing to sink to expand their own political power in direct violation of the will of the voters. If Speaker Vos and Leader Fitzgerald wanted to be the Governor and Attorney General, they should have run for those positions rather than invade them by legislative fiat.
Sadly, their temper tantrum is not just directed at the newly elected Democratic Governor or Attorney General, but at the voters of this state. In one of the more blatant abuses of power in recent memory, Republican legislators appear willing to change our 2020 presidential primary not to heighten voter turnout, but to decrease voter turnout while making voters foot a potential $7 million bill for a third election in a three-month time span. And they are again trying their unconstitutional tricks of limiting early voting, after approximately 20% of the electorate in November’s election early voted. These Republican legislators rig the system when they win, and when they lose. Enough is enough. These leaders need to back down and be reminded that separation of powers between the different branches of government is imperative to our democracy.”
Rep. Taylor urges Wisconsinites to join her in vocally opposing this unprecedented abuse of power by attending the public hearing on Monday, December 3rd in room 412 E at 12:30 pm and by participating in a rally at the Capitol later that evening at 5:30pm.
