I am Voting NO

Vote No on Constitutional Amendment Ballot Questions this August

I am voting NO on both constitutional amendment questions on the August 13, 2024 ballot, and I urge other Wisconsin residents to do the same. These amendments are meant to give the state legislature control over appropriating money, and restrict the governor’s ability to accept and allocate federal funds without the consent of the state legislature, which has proven that they do not have the best interest of Wisconsin residents in mind. The state legislature wants to hold ALL the purse strings.

Here’s a couple of examples of their record:

According to an October 2020 WisPolitics’ review, Wisconsin had the least active full-time legislature in the nation during the pandemic. Republican leadership refused the Governor’s call for a special session to take action during the height of the COVID-19 crisis. Fortunately, Governor Evers was on the job, accepted nearly $20 billion from the federal government, and allocated funds to unemployment benefits, local governments, education, health services, children and families, housing and more.
The Wisconsin State Legislature has repeatedly refused to accept Medicaid expansion money from the Federal government for 10 years. This is money that could insure up to 89,000 more Wisconsin residents. Even Mississippi and North Carolina have come to their senses and seen how accepting federal funds for Medicaid expansion can improve health in their states and increase their states’ coffers.
Right now, the Joint Finance Committee is refusing to release monies that the legislature approved in the biennial state budget process, and were signed into law by the governor.

This same Wisconsin State Legislature now wants to change the Wisconsin State Constitution to make them fully in charge of appropriating money and prohibit the governor from accepting and allocating federal funds without a joint resolution or legislative rule passed by them.

Can you imagine what a disaster that would be? When they have the opportunity to accept federal funds to expand Medicaid, they refuse. When they are asked by the Governor to respond to a crisis, they don’t. And they are sitting on money they approved to spend.

These amendments are another maneuver on the part of a legislature that sees its tight grip on power loosening with the fairer voting district maps in place for the fall 2024 election.

Here’s a couple of examples of their record:

According to an October 2020 WisPolitics’ review, Wisconsin had the least active full-time legislature in the nation during the pandemic. Republican leadership refused the Governor’s call for a special session to take action during the height of the COVID-19 crisis. Fortunately, Governor Evers was on the job, accepted nearly $20 billion from the federal government, and allocated funds to unemployment benefits, local governments, education, health services, children and families, housing and more.
The Wisconsin State Legislature has repeatedly refused to accept Medicaid expansion money from the Federal government for 10 years. This is money that could insure up to 89,000 more Wisconsin residents. Even Mississippi and North Carolina have come to their senses and seen how accepting federal funds for Medicaid expansion can improve health in their states and increase their states’ coffers.
Right now, the Joint Finance Committee is refusing to release monies that the legislature approved in the biennial state budget process, and were signed into law by the governor.

These amendments are another maneuver on the part of a legislature that sees its tight grip on power loosening with the fairer voting district maps in place for the fall 2024 election.