Although there may not be many primary election contests on the August 13th ballot there will be two State of Wisconsin Referendum Questions for your careful consideration and vote. Both questions concern Constitutional Amendments that have evolved out of the pandemic related federal funds that have come to Wisconsin. They each ask if the legislature should have a role in spending federal funding received by Wisconsin.

Beginning in 1848 when Wisconsin was a brand new state the legislature controlled “the power of the purse” up until a law was enacted in 1931 during the Great Depression which gave more authority to the Executive Branch. This is not a partisan issue, but rather an issue for equal economic opportunity for citizens from all over the state. The Governor is but one person while the Legislative Branch includes 33 Senators and 99 Representatives who all should represent their constituents.

To amend the Wisconsin Constitution both legislative chambers must pass an identical resolution in consecutive two-year sessions. Then it must be presented to the voters in a referendum vote which must pass by majority.

Question #1 reads: “Delegation of appropriation power. Shall section 35(1) of Article IV of the Constitution be created to provide that the legislature may not delegate its sole power to determine how moneys shall be appropriated?”

Question #2 reads “Allocation of federal moneys Shall section 35(2) of Article IV of the Constitution be created to prohibit the governor from allocating any federal moneys the governor accepts on behalf of the state without the approval of the legislature by joint resolution or as provided by legislative rule?”

State Senator Howard Marklein (R-17th), in a recent Weekly Update, wrote that during the COVID pandemic billions of federal dollars were sent to Wisconsin. The Governor has spent them whenever and wherever and however he wanted without input from the Legislature. Sen. Marklein presented a good description of the situation and explained what both a “yes” vote and a “no” vote meant for each question. Sen. Marklein stated that the Governor still has a billion dollars of unspent funds that should be used on behalf of the citizens of all Wisconsin. Sen Marklein favors voting “yes” for both questions. (Senator Marklein’s newsletter was previously published in CouleeConservatives.com.)

State Representative Jill Billings (D-95th) was featured in a recent WISPOLITICS news release urging a “no” vote on these amendments. Terms like “misleading constitutional amendments” and “eliminating checks and balances” were used without a clear explanation. Where are the checks and balances if the Governor has sole authority? Rep. Billings seemed to forget that any legislation passed by the Legislature still requires the Governor’s signature to become law. Maybe Billings should be asked where the Governor has spent the billions of federal funds that came to Wisconsin during COVID and why are there many millions of COVID dollars yet unspent?

Cedric Schnitzler, the Republican candidate for the 95th Assembly District, summed it up quite nicely “Simply put, it is the peoples’ money and the peoples’ legislators should have a say. It is not a monarchy.” Schnitzler, the current Monroe County Board Chairman, has a good working knowledge concerning the sources, needs, and wants of taxpayer money. He understands government budgets and accountability too.

Currently, the regular state budget process starts with the governor’s proposed budget which is presented to the Legislature. The Joint Legislative Committee has several hearings in Madison and around the state for citizen input, and then crafts a legislative budget which, when passed by both chambers, is presented to the governor. The governor has a line-item veto which can be used before signing the bill into law. This is participation by “We the People” and not just one person in control of millions or billions of dollars.

These Constitutional Amendment questions will be on the August 13th Primary Election Ballot. Rep. Billings and Mr. Schnitzler will face off on the November ballot to represent the 95th Assembly district. Please get informed, get involved, and vote! I plan to vote “yes” on both questions and ask you to do the same. If you live in the 95th, please consider joining me in voting for Schnitzler for Assembly in November.