>> THANKS, FREDERICA.>> WHAT WO
ULD A
% REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED
% LEGISLATIVE RESPONSE TO THE
% COVID-19 CRISIS LOOK LIKE?
% THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS CAN
% SOMETIMES TAKE WEEKS OR MONTHS.
% THAT'S A TIME LINE THAT IS
% PROBLEMATIC FOR BOTH SIDES.
% REPUBLICANS SAY THEY PLAN TO
% MOVE QUICKLY.
% AS OF FRIDAY AT NOON, NO RULING
% FROM THE STATE SUPREME COURT.
% WISCONSIN ASSEMBLY MAJORITY
% LEADER JIM STEINEKE WAS ABLE TO
% JOIN US EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.
% AND, REPRESENTATIVE, THANKS VERY
% MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
% >> ABSOLUTELY.
% THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
% >> WELL, SO DETAIL FOR US,
% PLEASE, WHAT THE REPUBLICAN
% LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP PLAN TO
% REOPEN THE STATE LOOKS LIKE.
% >> YEAH.
% SO I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION.
% I KNOW THAT'S ONE OF THE
% QUESTIONS WE'VE BEEN GETTING A
% LOT, IS WHAT IS THE REPUBLICAN
% PLAN FOR REOPENING THE STATE.
% WE'VE REALLY TRIED TO STEER
% CLEAR OF THAT BECAUSE WE DON'T
% THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE A
% DEMOCRATIC PLAN.
% WE DON'T THINK THERE SHOULD BE A
% REPUBLICAN PLAN.
% WE THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE A
% PLAN THAT WE WORK ON TOGETHER
% THAT SUITS ALL OF WISCONSIN AND
% THAT ALL OF US CAN SUPPORT.
% SO WE DIDN'T WANT TO DO
% NEGOTIATIONS THROUGH THE MEDIA
% ON ANY PARTICULAR IDEAS OTHER
% THAN WE THINK THAT THE PLAN
% SHOULD BE REGIONAL AND
% INCORPORATE SOME OF THOSE
% ASPECTS AS FAR AS BEING ABLE TO
% OPEN IN AREAS WHERE THERE'S LESS
% SEVERE INFECTIONS.
% WE REALLY JUST WANT TO SIT DOWN
% WITH THE GOVERNOR AND FIGURE IT
% OUT TOGETHER.
% >> I WANT TO GET TO THAT
% SO-CALLED "WISCONSIN PLAN" IN
% JUST A MOMENT, BUT IN TERMS OF
% KIND OF A REGIONAL REOPENING
% PLAN, WHAT ABOUT CONCERNS THAT
% YOU JUST SPREAD THE VIRUS AS
% PEOPLE GET OUT ACROSS THE STATE,
% SAY, TO VACATION HOMES OR
% CAMPSITES?
% >> SURE.
% I MEAN, WE LIVE IN A FREE
% COUNTRY, RIGHT?
% SO PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HAVE
% FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT NO MATTER
% WHEN WE OPEN, WHETHER IT'S THE
% WHOLE STATE OR WHETHER IT'S
% REGIONS OF THE COUNTRY.
% WE'RE STARTING TO SEE DEMOCRATIC
% GOVERNORS IN OTHER STATES LIKE
% ILLINOIS, MICHIGAN AND NEW YORK
% WHO HAVE HAD MUCH MORE SEVERE
% PROBLEMS WITH THE VIRUS THAN
% WISCONSIN HAS, THEY'RE
% INCORPORATING THE REGIONAL
% ASPECTS INTO THEIR PLAN.
% WE SIMPLY CAN'T AFFORD TO ALLOW
% THE ENTIRE STATE TO BE SHUT DOWN
% WHEN THERE'S VERY FEW PROBLEMS
% IN THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE
% COUNTIES OF THE STATE.
% >> IF CASES WERE TO INCREASE --
% AND PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY
% THEY ALMOST CERTAINLY WOULD IF
% YOU KIND OF REOPEN THE STATE,
% BUT IF CASES WERE TO INCREASE,
% WOULD YOU CALL OR WOULD YOU BE
% IN FAVOR OF REINSTATING STRICTER
% "STAY AT HOME" ORDERS AT THAT
% POINT?
% >> YEAH.
% I THINK ANY PLAN GOING FORWARD
% SHOULD HAVE SOME KIND OF A
% THROTTLE, WHERE YOU CAN
% GRADUALLY OPEN THE ECONOMY UP,
% BUT THEN IF THERE ARE SEVERE
% CASES WHERE THE HOSPITAL SYSTEM
% IS OVERRUN, THAT YOU CAN START
% TO THROTTLE THAT BACK.
% THAT'S THE IMPORTANT THING FOR
% US TO REMEMBER.
% THIS WAS NEVER ABOUT GETTING TO
% A POINT WHERE WE HAVE ZERO
% INFECTIONS.
% IT'S GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE
% OUR HOSPITALS ARE NOT
% OVERWHELMED.
% THANKFULLY, OUR HOSPITALS ARE
% NOT BEING OVERWHELMED WITH THE
% VIRUS, SO IT IS TIME IN THE VAST
% MAJORITY OF THE STATE TO START
% TO REOPEN.
% BUT, AGAIN, IF THERE ARE ISSUES
% WHERE THERE BECOMES A CRISIS,
% THEN WE CAN START TO THROTTLE
% BACK.
% >> WELL, SPEAKER VOS IN FACT
% SAYS WHENEVER WE REOPEN, IT IS
% NOT GOING TO BE POSSIBLE TO
% PREVENT ALL DEATHS.
% IS THAT JUST THE PRICE TO PAY
% HERE?
% >> WELL, YEAH.
% I MEAN, SO THIS WHOLE IDEA OF A
% SHUTDOWN, OF "SAFER AT HOME,"
% WAS, AGAIN, ABOUT SLOWING THE
% SPREAD.
% THE NATURE OF THE VIRUS IS
% YOU'RE NOT GOING TO STOP IT.
% EVEN IN NEW YORK YOU'RE SEEING A
% LOT OF CASES COMING OUT OF
% NEW YORK WHERE THE PEOPLE WERE
% SHELTERED AT HOME AND STILL GOT
% THE VIRUS.
% SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO
% COMPLETELY STOP THE SPREAD.
% BUT WE ALSO CAN'T WAIT FOR IT TO
% BECOME -- TO GET DOWN TO ZERO
% BEFORE WE START TO OPEN UP THE
% ECONOMY AGAIN.
% IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT OUR
% FAMILIES CAN'T AFFORD TO HANG ON
% FOR THE NEXT EIGHT, 12 MONTHS
% BEFORE WE GET A VACCINE.
% >> SO AS YOU DESCRIBED EARLIER,
% LEADERSHIP MET WITH GOVERNOR
% EVERS THIS WEEK AND SPEAKER VOS
% AGAIN SAID THAT HE WAS
% INTERESTED IN NOT A REPUBLICAN
% PLAN OR A DEMOCRATIC PLAN, BUT A
% WISCONSIN PLAN.
% BUT I READ THAT HE SAID THAT IT
% DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ADVERSARIAL.
% BUT HOW ADVERSARIAL WAS THAT
% LAWSUIT?
% >> WELL, AND THAT'S -- I
% APPRECIATE YOUR BRINGING UP THIS
% POINT, BECAUSE I'VE HEARD THIS
% BEFORE, WHERE REPUBLICANS IN THE
% LEGISLATURE ARE BEING ACCUSED OF
% BEING PARTISAN THROUGH THIS
% PROCESS, WHICH IS REALLY KIND OF
% STRANGE TO ME, BECAUSE THE ONLY
% PERSON BEING -- THAT I WOULD SAY
% BEING PARTISAN IN THIS IS THE
% GOVERNOR IN THAT HE IS INSISTING
% ON HAVING FULL CONTROL OVER THIS
% WITH NO INPUT FROM THE
% LEGISLATURE.
% HE IS INSISTING THAT THEY HAVE
% THE UNILATERAL ABILITY TO IMPOSE
% THESE RESTRICTIONS WITH NO
% LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT.
% AND ACCORDING TO THEM, THEY CAN
% DO THIS INDEFINITELY.
% SO WHAT WE'RE SAYING, THE
% LAWSUIT REALLY IS ABOUT GETTING
% US TO WORK TOGETHER.
% NOT SAYING WE HAVE TO HAVE OUR
% WAY.
% THAT'S NOT HOW THE LEGISLATIVE
% PROCESS WORKS.
% BUT SAYING WE SHOULD ALL BE AT
% THE TABLE SO THE PEOPLE OF
% WISCONSIN THROUGH THEIR ELECTED
% REPRESENTATIVES CAN HAVE A VOICE
% IN THIS PROCESS.
% CURRENTLY, THEY DON'T.
% >> SO WHEN YOU WERE ALL AT THE
% TABLE THIS WEEK, HOW DID THAT
% GO?
% >> WELL, I WASN'T THERE, SO IT
% WAS SPEAKER VOS AND MAJORITY
% LEADER FITZGERALD ALONG WITH THE
% TWO DEMOCRATIC LEADERS OF EACH
% HOUSE.
% BUT I THINK IT WENT FAIRLY WELL.
% I DON'T THINK ANYBODY DREW ANY
% LINES IN THE SAND, SAID
% ABSOLUTELY "NO" TO ANYTHING THAT
% WAS PROPOSED.
% BUT THAT BEING SAID, WE HAVE TO
% START HAVING MORE REGULAR
% COMMUNICATIONS AND MORE REGULAR
% NEGOTIATIONS AS WE GO FORWARD,
% ESPECIALLY AS THIS SUPREME COURT
% DECISION LOOMS OVER US.
% IF THAT COMES DOWN IN THE
% LEGISLATURE'S FAVOR, WE'RE GOING
% TO HAVE TO ACT QUICKLY.
% AND I THINK WE SHOULD BE
% PREPARING FOR THAT BY
% CONTINUALLY HAVING MEETINGS.
% I KNOW THE GOVERNOR DIDN'T WANT
% TO HAVE ANOTHER MEETING UNTIL AT
% LEAST NEXT WEEK.
% I STILL THINK WE SHOULD BE
% MEETING AT LEAST EVERY OTHER DAY
% TO TRY TO COME TOGETHER AROUND A
% PLAN THAT CAN WORK FOR
% EVERYBODY.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE.
% MAJORITY LEADER JIM STEINEKE,
% THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING
%