Wisconsin Republicans are asking voters to strip the governor of his power to unilaterally spend federal money, a reaction to the billions of dollars that have flowed into the state during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Democratic Governor Tony Evers was free to spend most of that money however it wanted, directing most of it to small businesses and economic development, angering Republicans who argued the Legislature should have oversight.
That’s what would happen under two related constitutional amendments that would be approved by voters in the Aug. 13 primary election. The changes would apply to Evers and all future governors and would cover any federal money earmarked for the state that comes without specific spending requirements, often in response to disasters or other emergencies.
Democrats and other opponents are mobilizing against the changes, calling them a legislative power grab that would harm governors’ ability to quickly respond to a future natural disaster, economic crisis or health emergency.
If the changes are approved, Wisconsin’s government “will become even more dysfunctional,” said Julie Keown-Bomar, executive director of the Wisconsin Farmers Union.
“Wisconsinians are so tired of riding the crazy partisan train, but it’s crucial that we go to the polls and vote ‘no’ on these changes as they will only derail us,” she said in a statement. .
But Republicans and other supporters say it is a necessary check on the governor’s current power, which they consider to be too broad.
The changes increase “accountability, efficiency and transparency,” Republican state Sen. Howard Marklein, a co-sponsor of the initiative, said at a legislative hearing.
The two issues, which were proposed as a single amendment and then separated on the vote, passed the GOP-controlled Legislature twice, as required by law. Voter approval is required before they are added to the state constitution. The governor does not have veto power over constitutional amendments.
Early, in-person voting for the Aug. 13 election begins Tuesday across the state and runs through Aug. 11. Early voting locations and times vary.
Wisconsin Republicans have increasingly turned to voters pass constitutional amendments as a way to bypass Evers’ vetoes. Midway through his second term, Evers has vetoed more bills than any governor in Wisconsin history.
In April, voters approved changes that prohibit the use of private money to conduct elections and reaffirm that only election officials can work at the polls. In November, an amendment to the ballot paper seeks to clarify that only US citizens can vote in local elections.
Republicans raised this issue in the August primary election, the first time a constitutional amendment has been introduced in that election where turnout is much lower than in November.
The effort to reduce the governor’s spending power also comes amid ongoing fights between Republicans and the Evers over the extent of legislative authority. Always in July won a case in the Wisconsin Supreme Court, which challenged the power that the GOP-controlled Legislature’s budget committee had over spending on conservation programs.
Wisconsin governors were given the power to decide how to spend federal money by the Legislature in 1931, during the Great Depression, according to a report of the Legislative Reference Office.
“Times have changed and the influx of federal dollars requires a different approach,” Republican Rep. Robert Wittke, who sponsored the amendment, said at a public hearing.
It was a power that came into question during the Great Recession of 2008, another time when the state received a large influx of federal aid.
But calls for change intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the federal government gave Wisconsin $5.7 billion in aid between March 2020 and June 2022 for federal coronavirus relief. Only $1.1 billion came with restrictions on how it could be spent.
Most of the money was used for recovery grants for small businesses and local governments, to purchase emergency health supplies and to pay health care providers to offset the costs of the pandemic.
Republicans pushed for more oversight, but Evers vetoed a 2021 GOP bill that would have required the governor to present a plan to the Legislature’s budget committee for approval.
Republicans increased pressure for change following the release of a nonpartisan audit in 2022 that found Evers was not transparent about how he decided where to direct the money.
One amendment specifies that the Legislature cannot delegate its power to decide how the money is spent. The second prohibits the governor from spending federal money without legislative approval.
If approved, the Legislature could approve rules governing how federal money would be administered. This would give them the ability to change the rules based on who serves as governor or what the federal money is for.
For example, the Legislature could allow governors to spend money for disaster relief without approval, but require that other money be presented to lawmakers first.
Opposing the measures are voting rights groups, the Wisconsin Democratic Party and a number of other liberal organizations, including those that fought to overturn Republican-drawn legislative maps, the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin and Wisconsin Faith Voices for Justice.
Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state’s largest business lobbying group, and the Badger Institute, a conservative think tank, were the only groups that registered support with the Legislature.
