July 27, 2021 – Washington County, WI – On Tuesday, the state Senate passed Senate Joint Resolution 3, a long overdue repeal of Gov. Tony Evers’ endless string of power grabs via emergency declaration. I was proud to co-sponsor this legislation and voted in favor of it.
When the COVID-19 pandemic first hit in early 2020, it made sense that the governor would seek to address the problem with an emergency declaration. I may not have agreed with the policy contained in the emergency executive order, but the governor was acting within the bounds of state law. However, that same law also requires subsequent extensions of such an order to be voted on by the legislature. Unfortunately, over the following months Gov. Evers strung together a series of 5 executive orders claiming COVID-19 was a sufficient excuse for him to ignore the clear dictates of the law.
It is not okay, or normal, or inevitable, or necessary to indefinitely suspend the lawmaking process. It is not acceptable to suspend the constitutionally-established roles of each branch of government. There is no such thing as a perpetual emergency. Stringing together new emergency orders every 61 days or so was a transparent attempt by Gov. Evers to circumvent the law.
Throughout the past few months the legislature gave our Wisconsin courts ample time to resolve legal challenges to Gov. Evers’ executive action. In some cases those courts struck down remarkable power grabs that clearly infringed on free association and free assembly rights of our citizens. In other cases we are still waiting for final rulings.
Tuesday’s vote and the Senate passage of SJR 3 was a return to constitutional order. When I voted in favor of legislation extending liability protections to churches, schools and businesses that chose to keep their doors open, I insisted that it was a first step, and that Senate Republicans could not stop there. In meetings with my colleagues I stressed that we needed act on behalf of our constituents and in defense of our body’s constitutional role by repealing Gov. Evers’ executive mandates.
This vote was long overdue.
I extend my deepest sympathies to those who have lost family and friends to COVID-19. This virus has been a particularly challenging foe to battle. Thankfully there is light on the horizon. Daily positive test rates are in decline, the capacity of our hospitals and healthcare facilities is slowly returning to normal, and the COVID-19 vaccine is making its way to frontline healthcare workers and the most vulnerable. There is much yet to be done, but we cannot live in fear.
I trust the people of the 20th Senate District to make wise choices for their families. We don’t need an unconstitutional government dictate telling us how we should live our lives. I’ve talked to the small business owner whose hopes and dreams were dashed by heavy handed edicts and shutdowns. I’ve spoken with moms and dads whose ability to meet their family’s needs was threatened or outright terminated by a government order. It is time to put those failed policies behind us.
Nothing in SJR 3 prohibits anyone from taking personal precautions they believe are prudent to protect themselves and their loved ones from the virus. But the era of state government indefinitely suspending our lives will be over once SJR 3 passes the state Assembly. Thank you to each of you who have contacted my office over the past few months expressing concern over the Governor’s actions. Your concerns were heard.
Video of my floor speech on SJR 3 may be viewed on my Facebook page.
Senator Stroebel represents the 20th Senate District which includes parts of Ozaukee, Washington, Fond du Lac, Calumet and Sheboygan Counties.