MADISON, WI – This morning, the Assembly Committee on Local Government held a hearing on Assembly Bill 306. This legislation would put a 60-day limit on emergency proclamations by local government executives, and clearly defines who the chief local executive is at the local level. As the bill’s author, Representative Brent Jacobson (R – Mosinee) released the following statement:
“Even at the smallest levels of government, an emergency is not an excuse to throw away our principals of limited, balanced government,” said Rep. Jacobson. “The changes in this bill will ensure the abuses of government authority we witnessed during the COVID 19 pandemic will not be repeated.”
At the state level, emergency proclamations by the Governor are limited to 60 days. After those 60 days, the state of emergency can only be extended by the State Legislature. AB 306 would establish a similar limitation at the local level, requiring a local governing body to extend any emergency proclamations once 60 days have passed.
“The COVID 19 pandemic exposed many flaws in our emergency response procedures,” said Rep. Jacobson. “It is vital that we learn from the mishandling and mistakes, and implement changes now, or else we will continue to see these same mistakes and abuses happen in the future.”
