Senator Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) issued the following statement in regard to senate committee action on Assembly Bill 1 (AB 1), relating to Covid-19 recovery legislation:
“Today, a senate committee dramatically altered AB 1 by adopting Senate Substitute Amendment 1 (SSA 1 to AB 1). The committee changes are meant to placate Governor Evers and stripped from the bill many provisions advanced by Assembly Republicans last week.
I called for improving AB 1 passed by the Assembly Republicans through inclusion of provisions requested by citizens across the state that did the following:
-Reopen state government.
-Prioritize K-12 state funding to schools providing in-person classes for students at all grade levels.
-Require districts that have been mostly virtual since September 2020 to compensate parents.
-Empower parents over teachers’ unions by dramatically expanding all school choice programs for both public and private K-12 schools.
-Prohibit the excessive powers of both state and local public health bureaucrats to control every aspect of our daily lives.
Instead, the State Senate will take up a bill that fails to address most of the pressing issues weighing on the citizens of this state regarding Covid-19. The senate amendment also strips from the Assembly bill a popular prohibition on mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations.
On Tuesday (January 12th), I will have to vote against this weak and ineffective senate version of the bill.”