by Benjamin Yount
State laws governing such hot-button topics as absentee voting to school choice and concealed carry in Wisconsin will not be changing.
Gov. Tony Evers on Friday vetoed 43 pieces of legislation from the Republican-controlled Senate and Assembly.
“Governor Evers has set a record [Friday] for the most vetoes of any governor in the history of our state,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said in a statement. “While Legislative Republicans continue to pass needed reforms to address election security, rising crime, and workforce shortages, the Governor continues to ignore the important issues facing Wisconsinites.”
The vetoed legislation focused mostly on elections, education, and public safety.
Gov. Evers said he vetoed the election plans because he, essentially, doesn’t want to see lawmakers make it harder for people to vote.
“The right to vote is fundamental to our democracy; it should not be subject to the whim of politicians who do not like the outcome of an election,” Evers wrote in one of his veto messages.
As for the education legislation, Evers scuttled those plans because he didn’t want to change how schools currently work in the state.
“I object to the Legislature inserting itself into mitigation decisions that parents, educators, and schools have been making together at the local school district level throughout this pandemic to keep our kids, our educators, and our classrooms safe,” the governor wrote.
Republican lawmakers responded with a chorus of criticism.
“The governor thinks he knows better than the parents of Wisconsin and he’s absolutely wrong about that,” Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills said Friday.
“Governor Evers is fond of saying ‘people matter,’” Rep. Ron Tusler, R-Harrison. said. “He even uses the phrase on the masthead of his twitter account – but actions speak louder than words. If law enforcement officers matter to Governor Evers, why would he be in favor of putting their lives at risk?”
“Instead of listening to Wisconsin residents and working to tackle the biggest challenges facing our state, Governor Evers continues his go-it-alone approach, rejecting common-sense policies that would make our state safer and more prosperous,” Rep. Mark Born, R-Beaver Dam, said Monday.
The governor also signed dozens of new laws on Friday, including a change to make it easier for substitute teachers to get a teaching license and dozens of technical changes on old or outdated state laws.
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Benjamin Yount is a contributor to The Center Square.
Photo “Tony Evers” by Tony Evers.
