Rep. Jimmy Anderson Seeks to Void the Wisconsin Power Grab
"Under Wisconsin’s Open Meetings Laws, no duly elected representative can be excluded from a meeting of the legislature."
Madison – State Representative Jimmy Anderson released the following statement after filing a verified complaint challenging the legality of the Wisconsin Power Grab:
“Last December, Wisconsin Republicans ignored the will of the people and stripped the incoming Governor and Attorney General of certain powers in what was called the Wisconsin Power Grab. Not only were these actions unpopular and undemocratic, I believe they were illegal.
On the day of the vote, I was on the Assembly floor at the time scheduled by Republican leadership, waiting for Senate and Assembly Republicans to end their infighting so that we could debate and vote on the proposed legislation. After waiting over eight hours with no word on when we would begin, I was forced to go home in order to attend to personal needs related to my disability. I awoke the next day to see that the legislature began the special session after a 14 hour delay at the ridiculous hour of 4 AM with almost no warning. Unfortunately, by the time I could get in my wheelchair, the votes were cast, and the special session was over.
Now, I will be the first to tell you that I haven’t always been comfortable discussing my disability. I never wanted to be defined as the wheelchair legislator. I wanted people to see me as a legislator who happens to be in a wheelchair. In fact, it was incredibly difficult for me to bring up these timing issues with my colleagues when a similar incident happened in the past. But now that this is happening again, I realize that if I don’t speak up for the disabled and the issues we face, no one will.
The sad irony of it all is that the legislature voted during the special session to honor the memory of the recently passed George HW Bush, the very person who signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law. For that reason, I will leave you with these words spoken by President Bush the day the ADA was signed: ‘I now lift my pen to sign this Americans with Disabilities Act and say: Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down’.”
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
More about the Lame Duck Laws
- Four Years Later, State’s Lame Duck Law Still Faces Court Challenge - Shawn Johnson - Jan 17th, 2023
- Judge Rules Against Law Giving Legislators Power Over Attorney General Settlements - Shawn Johnson - May 11th, 2022
- State Supreme Court Dismisses AG’s Lame-Duck Lawsuit - Ruth Conniff - Mar 25th, 2021
- Kaul Sues Legislature Over Lame Duck Laws - Melanie Conklin - Nov 24th, 2020
- AG Kaul Announces Legal Action to Allow DOJ to Again Enforce Wisconsin Laws Without Unconstitutional Legislative Interference - Josh Kaul - Nov 23rd, 2020
- Vos Thinks Lame-Duck Session Didn’t Go Far Enough - Melanie Conklin - Jul 31st, 2020
- The State of Politics: Court Rulings Against Evers Sow Confusion - Steven Walters - Jul 20th, 2020
- Court Tosses Dems’ Lame-Duck Suit - Laurel White - Jul 16th, 2020
- Op Ed: State High Court Nullifies 2018 Election - James Rowen - Jul 12th, 2020
- WI Supreme Court Upholds GOP Lame-Duck Laws - Laurel White - Jul 9th, 2020
Read more about Lame Duck Laws here
Mentioned in This Press Release
Recent Press Releases by State Rep. Jimmy Anderson
Rep. Anderson Addresses Republican Inaction on Gun Reform
Nov 8th, 2019 by State Rep. Jimmy Anderson"It is shameful that our state’s Republican lawmakers have once again disregarded our Governor’s attempt to address gun violence in our state."
Rep. Anderson in Support of Extreme Risk Protection Orders
Sep 19th, 2019 by State Rep. Jimmy Anderson"We are long overdue for common-sense measures like Extreme Risk Protection Orders."
Representative Anderson,
You present a strong case for voiding the lame duck legislation.