I am disappointed the governor has vetoed my legislation that would have banned medical and research facilities in Wisconsin from using genetic software produced by a foreign adversary of the United States.

Senate Bill 649 would have also prohibited the storage of any human genome sequencing data within the borders of a foreign adversary.

Genetic data contains some of the most private and valuable information about an individual: their identity, health conditions, ancestry and biological makeup. In the wrong hands, this data can be exploited by foreign adversaries for purposes ranging from surveillance and blackmail to the development of bioweapons.

However, the governor decided to veto the legislation because he objects to the “Wisconsin State Legislature’s ongoing efforts to undermine the University of Wisconsin System and the Board of Regents by inserting itself into the daily decision making on University of Wisconsin campuses.”

Despite what the governor says, the state Legislature allocates hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars to the Universities of Wisconsin every year. With that money should come oversight, especially when the security of our residents is at stake.

I am frustrated that the governor believes we should just hand over a blank check to the UW System and look the other way if they do something that could potentially harm our family, friends and neighbors. That is not how good governance works.