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September 20, 2018 Rep. Gary Hebl, (608) 266-7678

(MADISON) – Today Rep. Hebl issued the following statement on Emergency Rule 1820, which Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules Co-Chair Stephen Nass (R-Whitewater) would like to suspend:

As legislators, we should do what we can to help limit the spread of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD). This Emergency Rule, while having less-than-ideal timing, is a step towards containing CWD. We should not be punting the issue until next session to have the next legislature do what we can start to do now. Any delay in dealing with CWD is going to exacerbate the problem.

I saw it suggested that the proper way to handle this would be “completing it through the normal rule process in the lead-up to the 2019 deer season…paired with legislative action to appropriate more money for CWD testing.” The fact is, legislative action was taken- Democrats introduced multiple bills this session, including Assembly Bills 374 and 474, which addressed the issues being debated in this rule.

These bills would have implemented additional requirements for deer farms and appropriated $200,000 for Fiscal Year ‘17 and Fiscal Year ‘19 to manage and test for CWD. Neither bill received a hearing, and when Democrats tried to force a floor vote on AB474, the majority party refused to even consider the legislation. That is why I believe we should act as soon as we can, and not trust that a future Legislature will do what the current Legislature has refused.

The hearing on Emergency Rule 1820 is set for Monday, October 1st at 10:00am.

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