MADISON (WKOW) -- GOP leaders in the state Legislature split Thursday on how to go about ending Governor Tony Evers' emergency order and its mask mandate.
The obstacle they encountered was a memo from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau stating Wisconsin could lose as much as nearly $50 million per month in federal food relief benefits. That's because the state would no longer have an emergency order in place.
Senate Republicans sought to avoid that scenario by introducing an amendment to the COVID relief package that is still pending in the Senate.
The Senate, with its GOP majority, passed the amendment early Thursday afternoon before moving it to the Assembly.
"We cannot, as a a body, we are a body of one, look the other way when something is illegal and just turn our head because we're getting money," said Sen. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater). "That would be wrong."
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said to a group of reporters the resolution would not come up in his chamber Thursday.
Vos said Assembly Republicans wanted to learn more about the federal relief rules to ensure whatever they passed would not jeopardize that money.
"We are gonna take time and work with the Fiscal Bureau and the Legislature, along with all of the appropriate agencies," Vos said. "To guarantee that when we pass SJR 3 - and we will pass it - that we do it in a way that does not have any potential financial implications for the state."
Democrats in the Senate indicated Governor Evers would veto any measure that did away with the mask mandate. Assembly Democrats expressed relief when they learned Vos would not bring up the measure Thursday.
"I'm also glad we're not acting if it's going to jeopardize as much as $50 million a month in FoodShare funding during a time when so many have been displaced and there's increased need," said Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh).
Either way, no mask order
Vos said when Republicans did find a resolution they felt was safe, it would not include any language on masks.
When pressed as to why they would not include a mask mandate, when more than 40 different state organizations had registered against the resolution, Vos said it was not the government's place to enforce mask wearing.
"This is really a social contract that's happened all across Wisconsin where people do it to be able to show that they can follow the rules and the social norms so we don't need the government to dictate," Vos said.
A reporter followed that answer by asking Vos why the state should not then consider drunk driving a social contract instead of something the state had to enforce.
"There's a difference there. First of all, we know that if you drive drunk, you're a danger to yourself but you're also much more likely to be a danger to others," Vos said. "While we know that wearing a mask does, in many cases, help prevent the spread, it's not a panacea so I think it's not the same thing between drunk driving and wearing a mask."
Passage of Other COVID Bills
The Assembly approved two other pandemic-related bills Thursday. One sailed through the chamber with only one member voting against it. The bill would allow pharmacy techs and pharmacy students to administer the vaccine.
The other bill was more controversial, passing on a 57-36 party-line vote. The bill would require the Department of Health Services to submit a plan to lawmakers for how it can begin vaccinating the general public by March 15.
The bill would also make all adults 60 and older immediately eligible to get the vaccine. Evers has not indicated whether he would sign the bill should it pass the Senate.
DHS officials said earlier in the week it would be great to start vaccinating everyone by mid-March but they believe it's not a realistic outcome given the current weekly supply of about 70,000 doses.
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