The Evers administration is asking lawmakers to sign off on spending $10.4 million to finish reimbursing states that provided law enforcement to assist in Milwaukee during the Republican National Convention nearly two years ago.
The ask is part of a passive review request seeking about $11 million in increased spending authority that the Department of Administration forwarded to the Joint Finance Committee yesterday.
DOA is also asking the committee to sign off on $477,687 after Wisconsin sent teams to assist with search and rescue operations during flooding in Texas last year and $100,000 in anticipated support for other states through the end of the fiscal year.
Wisconsin sought law enforcement help from other states to manage the RNC through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, which allows states to share resources to respond to disasters or large events, such as national political conventions.
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Sixty-six law enforcement agencies from 25 states responded to the request, deploying 1,889 people to help in Milwaukee and other communities, according to the Department of Military Affairs’ initial request to DOA last month.
DMA noted the RNC was a large event and it takes time to review expenses before approving payments to states, on top of reviewing any discrepancies or questions that come up in the process. As of March 11, $6.5 million had been paid to states, while nine states and Washington, D.C. have yet to be paid in full.
Some of the states set to receive the highest amounts for this fiscal year include: Florida at about $1.8 million; Illinois at about $1.5 million; and North Carolina at about $1.2 million.
The grants are reimbursement from the city of Milwaukee via a federal grant from the federal Bureau of Justice Assistance.
In asking for spending authority related to emergency response efforts in Texas, DMA noted Wisconsin deployed teams for 30 days in the wake of flooding in the Hill Country region last summer.
The Swiftwater team of Wisconsin Task Force 1, made up of 16 members and two canine teams, was tasked with locating and rescuing those who were injured or in need of medical attention, providing emergency medical care and transporting people and animals.
The offices of GOP co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee did not return requests for comment.
See a breakdown of payments to states for aid during the RNC in the passive review request.