Legislature Halts Mask Mandate Repeal
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said bill not being taken up, for now.
A move that would override Gov. Tony Evers and throw out Wisconsin’s statewide mask mandate has stalled in the state Legislature.
After months of legal battles and political disagreements, the mask mandate is the final statewide measure aimed at curbing the spread of COVID-19.
Under state law, lawmakers can end a governor’s emergency declaration with a majority vote in each chamber of the Legislature. The move is accomplished through a joint resolution, not legislation, which means it cannot be vetoed by the governor.
Just before Assembly lawmakers began debate on Thursday afternoon, several hours later than planned, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, told reporters the resolution ending the emergency declaration would not be taken up as expected.
The change came after news broke that ending the emergency declaration could cost Wisconsin millions of dollars of federal support for food aid during the pandemic.
Vos said Assembly lawmakers wanted to take more time to look into the possible financial implications.
“It doesn’t mean that we’re not committed to (ending the emergency declaration), it means that we are trying to be smart to make sure we don’t have any financial issues,” Vos said.
During a WisPolitics event Thursday afternoon, Vos said he expects the Assembly could vote to end the emergency declaration as soon as next week.
During debate, Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, lauded the delay, saying he hopes Republicans have a change of heart before the resolution is back on the agenda.
“I am relieved and hope in the time between now and (when this comes up again) we can make some better decisions,” Hintz said.
According to AARP, 13 states don’t have statewide mask orders in place.
Opponents Point To Increased Virus Spread, Lost Federal Benefits
If the override is eventually approved, the only mask mandates in effect in Wisconsin would be local public health orders. Those include mandates in Dane and Milwaukee counties, the state’s two most populous counties.
The prospect of an inconsistent patchwork of health orders across the state has concerned a number of public health organizations. More than 20 health care groups have filed opposition statements to the move. Those include the Wisconsin Hospital Association, the Medical College of Wisconsin, the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Medical Society.
In addition to those concerns, the Legislature’s nonpartisan budget office says the move would mean roughly 242,000 households in Wisconsin would lose additional federal support for food aid. This information was made public shortly before the Assembly was set to vote on ending the emergency declaration.
The additional food aid, which was part of the federal government’s COVID-19 response plan, is only offered to states with COVID-19 emergency declarations in place. The aid was worth about $49 million this month, according to the budget office memo.
Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, who sponsored the resolution to throw out the mask mandate in the Senate, said Thursday the federal benefits could be restored by passing another bill related to the pandemic.
“The situation facing the legislature has not changed regarding the unlawful issuance of multiple emergency declarations by Governor Evers,” Nass said in a prepared statement. He urged the Assembly to move forward with repealing the mandate.
GOP Has Pushed Back On Evers’ Orders For Months
GOP lawmakers have argued for months that Evers doesn’t have the power to issue repeated public health emergencies related to the pandemic. The governor has issued five COVID-19 emergency declarations since last March. Under state law, each emergency declaration lasts 60 days, unless it is extended by the Legislature.
The governor’s office argues the repeated COVID-19 public health emergencies are justified because the threat of the virus has evolved in the state, with increases in cases and continued spread.
Evers issued his first mask mandate in July, following a state Supreme Court ruling striking down his administration’s “Safer at Home” order.
The Legislature brought the lawsuit against the “Safer at Home” order, arguing the state Department of Health Services secretary had also overstepped executive powers in issuing statewide public health mandates.
The court ruled the Evers’ administration could issue new mandates, but would need the approval of the Legislature’s rulemaking committee, which is run by Republicans. That effectively gives Republicans veto power over any future restrictions.
The Evers administration has not attempted that route.
Wisconsin Legislature Hits Pause On Repealing Statewide Mask Mandate was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
More about the Coronavirus Pandemic
- WI Daily: 206 New COVID-19 Cases - Urban Milwaukee - Mar 6th, 2021
- Surprising No One, Senator Johnson Votes Against Relief for Wisconsin Workers and Families - Opportunity Wisconsin - Mar 6th, 2021
- U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin Votes to Pass the American Rescue Plan and Support Wisconsin - U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin - Mar 6th, 2021
- WI Daily: 350 New COVID-19 Cases - Urban Milwaukee - Mar 5th, 2021
- DHS and Laboratory Partners Identify Variant Strain B.1.351 of SARS-CoV-2 in Wisconsin - Wisconsin Department of Health Services - Mar 5th, 2021
- Many South Side Seniors Now Eligible for Vaccination at Kosciuszko Community Center - Sup. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez - Mar 5th, 2021
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- Ron Johnson Pushes Conspiracies Ahead of Possible Third Term - Shawn Johnson - Mar 5th, 2021
- Gov. Evers, DHS Announce 1 Million Wisconsinites Have Received at Least One Dose of the COVID-19 Vaccine - Gov. Tony Evers - Mar 5th, 2021
Read more about Coronavirus Pandemic here
More about the Statewide Mask Mandate
- Suit Asks State Supreme Court to Toss Mask Order - Erik Gunn - Feb 11th, 2021
- Op Ed: Why the War on Masks? Gerrymandering - Mel Barnes - Feb 7th, 2021
- Will Supreme Court Act on Mask Mandate? - Erik Gunn - Feb 6th, 2021
- Rep. Robyn Vining Supports Wearing Masks to Save Lives - State Rep. Robyn Vining - Feb 5th, 2021
- Rep. Rodriguez: Authors Legislation to Create Statewide Mask Order - State Rep. Sara Rodriguez - Feb 5th, 2021
- Democrats Take Action to Protect Public Health - State Sen. Jon Erpenbach - Feb 5th, 2021
- Rep. Bowen Statement on Senate Joint Resolution 3 and Executive Order #105 - State Rep. David Bowen - Feb 4th, 2021
- Republicans End Mask Mandate, Evers Puts It Back In Place - Jeramey Jannene - Feb 4th, 2021
- Rep. Robyn Vining Responds to Assembly Republicans’ Actions to Disregard the Lives and Livelihoods of Wisconsinites - State Rep. Robyn Vining - Feb 4th, 2021
- Gov. Evers Puts Public Health Before Politics, Signs New Public Health Emergency - Gov. Tony Evers - Feb 4th, 2021
Read more about Statewide Mask Mandate here
Federal Funds from a democratic President! What!
FTFY: “It means that not only are we committed to ending the emergency declaration for a pandemic that’s not done yet, it really means that all we actually care about is money, especially the type of money that you’ll never see.” Vos said.