(See previous post)
After Democrats won every state-wide election in Wisconsin, the Republican controlled legislature rushed into law hundreds of pages of new legislation to cripple the executive branch by embroiling it in red tape and giving the legislative branch authority to directly intervene into numerous specific activities of the executive branch. (See previous post and links below for how rushed it was.)
The bills contain provisions that would reschedule a primary election, at an estimated cost of $7 million which would be borne by counties and cities without state assistance, to a time more favorable to a Republican candidate for the state supreme court. (A letter opposing this was signed by more than 60 of the 72 county clerks.) The bills would limit early voting, almost identically to a previous bill that was struck down as unconstitutional. They lower taxes on those making more than about $250k/year. They move control over how the state handles most legal actions, particularly federal lawsuits, from the Attorney General to the legislature. (This particularly affects ongoing suits regarding the Affordable Care Act.) They prevent the governor from re-nominating someone for any office once they’ve been voted down by the senate. They allow the legislature to demand financial analyses of any proposed rule by an executive agency. They reduce the ability of the governor to control how funds are spent on (e.g. infrastructure) project, and limit the use of federal funds for such projects so that federal rules (on e.g. worker safety or wages) don’t apply as often. They limit the ability for the governor to implement ACA, or to undo contractions of medicaid. They create voter ID requirements.
Discussion at 44m10s: Opening Arguments
Rushed-ness and more info:
https://twitter.com/sbauerAP/status/1070054153475514368
https://www.wpr.org/node/1368876
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