Serious Flaws in Republican Lame Duck Laws on Display in Joint Finance Committee
"Today, we witnessed the real life consequences of legislating solely with the intent to retain power at any cost."
MADISON – Today, Republicans on the Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) entered into an unprecedented closed session and subsequently refused to take action to allow Attorney General Josh Kaul to move forward with an undisclosed settlement agreement on behalf of the state of Wisconsin. Today’s meeting was the direct result of December’s lame duck Extraordinary Session and 2017 Wisconsin Act 369, which changed state law to require the Attorney General to have all settlement agreements approved by JFC. Assembly Democratic Leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) released the following statement:
“Today, we witnessed the real life consequences of legislating solely with the intent to retain power at any cost. Attorney General Kaul made it clear today that the settlement he was bringing before the Joint Committee on Finance was serious and urgent, and that failure to reach a resolution in this case would have immediate consequences for Wisconsin taxpayers. These committee proceedings are the latest embarrassment in Legislative Republicans’ legacy of division, and their willingness to put politics over the people they represent in December during the lame duck session. Democrats warned at the time that the settlement provisions in Act 369 would lead to widespread confusion. Wisconsinites cast their vote to allow Josh Kaul to act on their behalf, and in the best interest of our state. In one of the most blatant attacks on democracy in our state’s history, Republicans have decided to override the will of the people and strip powers away from the democratically elected Attorney General. What a mess.”
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. It has not been verified for 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
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