Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said he doesn’t think drawing new electoral maps in 2021 has to be “a big argument” but acknowledged that — under divided state government — it probably will end up in court.

In an interview aired Sunday on “UpFront,” produced in partnership with WisPolitics.com, Vos reacted to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ creation of a nonpartisan “People’s Maps Commission.” The panel, made up of volunteers, will hear testimony in each of Wisconsin’s eight congressional districts and then draw one version of how districts would look. But the Legislature has the responsibility to draw the maps.

After Evers first announced the plan in his State of the State, Vos called it “phony.”

“Anyone has the right to draw their own maps,” Vos said on “UpFront.”

The state Constitution gives the Legislature authority to draw the maps, which the governor can either accept or veto. Redistricting in Wisconsin has ended up in court several times in past decades.

“We use the principles that are under the constitution,” Vos said about Republican-crafted maps. “Usually (courts have) chosen the Republican map, because we just do a better job.”

Vos also said Republicans would support some, but not all, of Evers’ proposals to help struggling dairy farmers. A plan to boost dairy exports would garner the most GOP support, he said.

Vos said he won’t support ag-related bills that would expand government.

“It’s an industry that’s really hurting, so we want to find things that are going to be transformational, not just adding a couple more bureaucrats to this program, or a couple more bureaucrats to that program, which is really what (Evers’) agenda mostly was,” Vos said.

“UpFront” host Adrienne Pedersen also asked Vos what he thought should be done with the higher tax revenues the state is projected to take in during the current budget cycle.

Vos said the money should be used to pay down debt and reduce income or property taxes.

“I can promise you, we are not going to use it to grow government,” he said.

See more from the program:
http://www.wisn.com/upfront

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