Madison, WI – Today state Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) joined a majority of his colleagues in voting in favor of Senate Joint Resolution 3, which ends Gov. Tony Evers’ endless string of COVID-19 emergency orders. The resolution must pass the Assembly before it takes effect.
“It is not okay, or normal, or inevitable, or necessary to indefinitely suspend the lawmaking process. There’s no such thing as a perpetual emergency,” Sen. Stroebel said on the Senate floor.
State law authorizes governors to issue a single, 60-day emergency order that can only be extended or lifted by an act of the legislature. Since March of 2020, Gov. Evers has issued 5 separate executive orders imposing a state of emergency and claiming sweeping powers that reach into every facet of life in Wisconsin.
“Reissuing emergency orders every 61 days is a transparent attempt to circumvent the law,” Stroebel said. “By our action today, the Wisconsin State Senate is prepared to end the perpetual state of emergency. Our system of government demands the Legislature be involved. A law that financially bankrupts individuals by prohibiting free association requires a vote of the legislature,” Stroebel remarked.
“I do not believe a one-size-fits-all policy is a good one,” Stroebel concluded. “I very much appreciate the efforts of all frontline healthcare professionals during these trying times. The current trend in Wisconsin is looking vastly improved, and we all hope – and many think – it will continue in this direction. The last time I checked there were fewer than 1,000 people hospitalized for COVID-19 out of a state population of 5.8 million people. That is certainly good news.”
