FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 4,
2018
Contact: Rep.
Greta Neubauer, 608-237-9166
Lame-duck bills are a transparent, last-ditch attempt to consolidate Republican power
MADISON, WI – Today, the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) met to discuss the five-bill lame-duck package authored and introduced by Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), which propose sweeping changes to the balance of powers, voting rights, and the social safety net in Wisconsin. Shortly after midnight, four of the five bills proposed passed through JFC on partisan lines. Representative Greta Neubauer (D-Racine) issued the following statement in response:
“On November 6th, Wisconsinites told Republicans they’d had enough of single-party government in Wisconsin. But instead of reaching across the aisle, Republicans decided to overrule the people’s votes and rewrite the rules. Now they’re trying to gut checks and
balances, the very system designed to prevent power-hungry politicians from desperately clinging to control when they are voted out of office,” Neubauer stated.
“But here’s the thing: Wisconsinites are smart. Hundreds traveled to the Capitol today to share their testimony with the Joint Finance Committee. Thousands more called, wrote, tweeted, and Facebooked their legislators. We see this lame duck session for what it
is: a desperate, eleventh hour bid to consolidate Republican power,” Neubauer continued.
“This lame-duck rush is an abuse of power,” she continued. “Speaker Vos and Senate Majority Leader Fitzgerald need to stop playing political games, and start working with the incoming administration to build a stronger Wisconsin. While the Republicans of the Joint
Finance Committee chose to pass these bills through today, I hope my colleagues across the aisle in the Assembly and the Senate will have the courage to stand up for democracy and vote against this package.”
