A COVID-19 relief bill is bouncing between the Wisconsin Assembly, Senate and Gov. Evers with no real end in sight. Political agendas seem to have taken precedent over helping constituents during a deadly pandemic.
I guess the tango dance is harder than it looks.
The sad part is that Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu actually came to an agreement with Gov. Evers on a COVID-19 relief bill by taking out certain provisions, like
- Banning employers from requiring employees get the vaccine
- Stopping state and local governments from limiting gathering sizes at houses of worship
But, the Assembly felt the need to add these provisions back into the bill immediately after getting it back from the Senate. Why? They didn’t want to cave to “socialism” and actually compromise with Evers.
They also added an amendment that would give the Legislature control over how to use federal COVID-19 relief funds, which Evers would presumably not agree to.
The Senate has acted like a mediator between the Assembly and Evers, but without much success. They did get Evers to agree to including limited liability protections in the bill. These protections prevent businesses or other entities from being held legally responsible for death or injury related to COVID-19 exposure.
However, the Assembly felt that wasn’t enough. Remember that these three haven’t tangoed–or passed anything–since April 2020. April!
A pandemic and economic recession is the one time you actually need state government to work for its people. It isn’t. Instead, the Capitol building is being used as a playground for political shenanigans.
