Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers went on a veto binge on March 29. Because it was the Friday afternoon right before Easter, you knew it would be bad.
In veto-after-veto of common-sense legislation passed by the Republican-controlled Legislature (41 vetoes in all), Evers chose a radical agenda over the best interests of the state. He threw taxpayers under the bus. Threw cops under the bus. Threw hunters and farmers under the bus. Threw the mentally ill under the bus. Threw daycare providers under the bus!
Here are 10 awful things Evers did with his veto pen today:
1. He Threw Wisconsin Cops Under the Bus
Evers vetoed a bill that would have narrowed the state’s John Doe law so liberal judges (like the slew of former public defenders he’s appointed to the bench) can’t issue criminal complaints against cops in old shooting cases already ruled justified by DAs.
In so doing, he threw Wisconsin’s law enforcement officers under the bus, exposing them to the potentially endless dredging up of already decided old use-of-force cases.
Here’s why the veto is bad: The law has been exploited by anti-cop activists to target cops. It allowed them to dredge back up an old shooting case against former Wauwatosa police officer Joseph Mensah even though the DA had long ago exonerated him, dragging the case back into court before a liberal judge. Luckily, he didn’t end up charged, but the possibilities are nightmarish.
2. Evers Threw Retirees and Taxpayers Under the Bus, Vetoing a $3 Billion Tax Cut
Evers vetoed a bill that would have reduced the tax rate for the third individual tax bracket from 5.3 percent to 4.4 percent beginning with tax year 2023. The bill would have expanded the current retirement income exclusion. Altogether, it was a $3 billion tax cut.
Here’s why the veto is bad: You won’t get to keep more of your money despite those rising grocery store costs.
In continuing his fiscal insanity, Evers also vetoed a bill that “requires a bidding process for school district contracts costing more than $150,000 w/ exception for cases where public health is endangered,” according to reporter AJ Bayatpour.
3. He Wants Non-Citizens to Be Able to Raise Your Taxes
Yes, you read that right. Evers vetoed a bill requiring members of technical school district boards to be citizens.
Here’s why the veto is bad: Those boards have the authority to tax and spend. Thus, Evers thinks non-citizens should be able to raise your taxes, which is an exercise of governmental authority over the citizenry.
4. He’s Okay With Universities Demanding Loyalty Pledges for DEI or Political Ideologies
Evers vetoed a bill that would have banned higher education loyalty tests for faculty and staff. The bill would prohibit universities from requiring loyalty pledges of allegiance “to support for, or opposition to a political ideology or movement, including with respect to diversity, equity or inclusion.”
Here’s why the veto is bad: So much for free speech. Universities are hardly havens of ideological tolerance as it is.
5. He Doesn’t Want College Students to Be Exempted From Immunization Requirements Due to Religious Beliefs
The bill Evers vetoed also would ban college students from being exempted for health reasons or personal conviction.
Here’s why the veto is bad: So much for bodily autonomy and freedom of religion.
6. Evers Wants to Limit Who Can Be a School Superintendent
Evers ensured the centralized power of the State Department of Public Instruction’s liberal-controlled bureaucracy, vetoing a bill that would allow school boards to hire superintendents who don’t have a DPI license.
Here’s why the veto is bad: We need more superintendents who come from the business world. There’s also a shortage. We should pick the best person to run school districts and consider a wealth of past experiences. Milwaukee Public Schools already has an exemption.
“As a result, we remain locked in with some of the strictest licensing requirements in the region, which exacerbates our workforce problems,” bill co-author state Sen. Duey Stroebel said to the Journal Sentinel. “Being superintendent is like being the CEO of a company. One does not need to have spent a lifetime in the field to effectively manage the professionals working for you. There are probably thousands of Wisconsinites who would do a great job serving their communities in this role who have not spent their entire careers licensed in a classroom. This veto maintains the absolute prohibition on locally elected officials considering anyone outside the box.”
7. Evers Vetoed a Bill to Help Solve Wisconsin’s Teacher Shortage
According to the Institute for Reforming Government, the bill, Senate Bill (SB) 917 – the teacher apprenticeship bill – “would have given every four-year college in Wisconsin another tool to help solve the teacher shortage.”
Here’s why the veto is bad: “Wisconsin needs to graduate more great teachers. 18% of the teachers we do get quit before their third year. 30 states and counting are fixing it with ‘teacher apprenticeships’ – integrating two years of real-life, mentor-led classroom training into the college experience. This quadruples student teaching practice while lowering debt,” IRG explains.
“SB 917 would have gotten more teachers into the classroom by raising teaching standards and lowering other barriers to graduation. All four-year colleges could have opted into solving the teacher shortage crisis.”
Although Evers will “introduce a teacher apprenticeship pilot program in 2024,” students “in Milwaukee, Madison, Wisconsin Rapids, and rural western Wisconsin will not be able to access this affordable, experience-based program at their local technical colleges. Those are the highest-need regions in the state!” IRG adds.
8. Evers Vetoed a Bill to Allow Wisconsinites to Have Greater Options for Mental Health Services
According to IRG, Assembly Bill (AB) 541 – the tele-mental health bill – would have “allowed Wisconsinites greater options to access services from telehealth providers from out of state. This bill had strong bipartisan support in both the Senate and the Assembly and would have dramatically expanded the pool of providers available to those who need it most.”
Here’s why the veto is bad: The bill “would have made mental health care more accessible for Wisconsinites across the state by allowing people to access treatments across state lines,” IRG says. That’s especially true in “rural and underserved areas of the state, and it allowed college students from other states to keep their previous providers remotely.”
9. Evers Threw Hunters & Farmers Under the Bus
According to Fox News, Evers vetoed a bill that “would have required state wildlife managers to set a firm numeric goal for the state’s wolf population.”
Here’s why the veto is bad: “Hunting advocates support setting a population limit, saying the lack of a goal leaves both wolves and people unprotected,” Fox News reported.
This matters to Wisconsin farmers – a lot – because they’re losing livestock and dogs to the wolves. According to the Associated Press, the wolves sometimes attack pets and livestock. See the list of wolf depredations in Wisconsin for 2013 here.
But that’s not all. Evers also vetoed a bill that would have allowed people in specific areas to use dogs to hunt free-roaming wild animals.
My message to these vetoes: Gov. Evers doesn’t represent Northern Wisconsin hunters!
The DNR should listen to hunters in Northern Wisconsin, not the other way around.
I will put out a full statement next week, but in the meantime, I hope everyone has a great Easter weekend! pic.twitter.com/y8t6Zbxb7O
— Rep. Chanz Green (@ChanzGreen74) March 29, 2024
Republican Rep. Chanz Green wrote, “My message to these vetoes: Gov. Evers doesn’t represent Northern Wisconsin hunters! The DNR should listen to hunters in Northern Wisconsin, not the other way around.”
10. Evers Rejected an Opportunity to Help Child Care Providers in Wisconsin
Evers has been incessantly whining about the “childcare crisis” and demanding to hand over millions of dollars in checks to daycares in Wisconsin. But now he’s vetoed a “$15 million loan program for child care providers. Evers says it doesn’t do enough to help providers, says they should grants, not loans,” wrote reporter AJ Bayatpour.
Why the veto is bad: Childcare providers could have used the money, but Evers wants, instead, to hand over big checks in the manner done during COVID. We previously documented how millions of dollars went to an out-of-state daycare chain founded by a junk bond king and financed by wealthy Swiss backers. Money also went to daycares with serious child abuse allegations or that operate is affluent areas. The Republican plan was better.
Here’s a round-up of some of Evers’ other Friday afternoon vetoes:
It's a Friday bill bonanza as @GovEvers acted on dozens of bills this afternoon.
I feel obligated to do a thread recap when there's a total of…58 bill actions.
Here's a blurb on some of the notable vetoes/signings:
— A.J. Bayatpour (@AJBayatpour) March 29, 2024
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