% FORGED AHEAD WITH VOTING ON
% ELECTION DAY.
% THEY FOUND SUPPORT IN THEIR
% EFFORTS FROM THE WISCONSIN
% SUPREME COURT AND THE U.S.
% SUPREME COURT.
% TONIGHT, ASSEMBLY MAJORITY
% LEADER JIM STEINEKE JOINS US
% WITH HIS INSIGHTS ON THE
% COVID-19 PANDEMIC.
% THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING
% HERE.
% >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
% >> FORMER LONG TIME REPUBLICAN
% AND NEENAH MAYOR, DEAN
% KAUFERT, TOLD US THIS WEEK
% THAT HE BELIEVES TUESDAY'S
% VOTE DID SUPPRESS THE VOTE
% BECAUSE SOME PEOPLE
% OR POTENTIALLY MANY PEOPLE
% WERE AFRAID TO STAND IN LINE.
% WHAT'S YOUR REACTION TO THAT?
% >> WELL, I THINK THE BIGGEST
% THING IS WE KEPT THE CURRENT
% ELECTION PROCEDURES IN PLACE.
% WHETHER EVERYBODY WAS ABLE TO GO
% THROUGH THE ABSENTEE BALLOT
% PROCESS OR HAD TO APPEAR IN
% PERSON, THAT'S OUR REGULAR
% PROCESS.
% THE GOVERNOR AGREED WITH US FOR
% THREE WEEKS LEADING UP TO THE
% ELECTION.
% ONLY IN THE 11TH HOUR DID HE
% CHANGE HIS MIND WHEN IT WAS TOO
% LATE.
% WE HAD ALREADY HAD HUNDREDS OF
% BALLOTS CAST, HUNDREDS OF
% THOUSANDS MORE OUT THERE.
% TO CHANGE THE RULES IN THE
% MIDDLE OF THE GAME JUST DIDN'T
% MAKE SENSE AT THAT POINT.
% WE HAD 3,900 LOCAL RACES THAT
% WERE ON THE BALLOT THAT NEEDED
% TO BE FILLED.
% >> BUT YOU'RE NOT SUGGESTING
% THAT HAD THE GOVERNOR MADE THE
% DECISION TO DELAY THE IN-PERSON
% VOTING EARLIER, THAT THE
% MAJORITY WOULD HAVE GONE ALONG
% WITH THAT.
% >> NO.
% WHAT I'M SAYING IS THE GOVERNOR
% WAS RIGHT EARLY ON WHEN HE SAID
% WE COULD NOT DELAY IT BECAUSE IT
% WAS A GENERAL ELECTION.
% OTHER STATES THAT DELAYED THEIR
% ELECTIONS ALL HAD PRIMARIES.
% IF WE HAD ONLY HAD A PRIMARY IN
% PLACE, PRIMARY ELECTION, WE
% COULD HAVE DELAYED IT.
% BUT BEING THAT IT WAS A GENERAL
% ELECTION FOR OVER 3900 LOCAL
% SEATS IN THE STATE, WE JUST
% DIDN'T HAVE THAT OPTION.
% >> WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO
% MISSING ABSENTEE BALLOTS THAT
% ARE BEING REPORTED NOW, SOME
% POTENTIALLY FROM YOUR DISTRICT?
% >> YEAH.
% IT'S REALLY TROUBLING.
% I REALLY BELIEVE THAT IF
% SOMEBODY REQUESTS AN ABSENTEE
% BALLOT WITHIN THE TIME FRAME
% GIVEN, THEY SHOULD BE GUARANTEED
% TO GET THAT BALLOT BACK IN TIME
% TO VOTE IN THE REGULAR ELECTION.
% NOW, THIS FLIES IN THE FACE OF
% WHAT THE DEMOCRATS ARE PROPOSING
% RIGHT NOW, GOING TO AN
% ALL-MAIL-IN BALLOT ELECTION WITH
% NO IN-PERSON VOTING WHEN WE'RE
% SEEING ALL THE PROBLEMS WE HAD.
% IT'S A SYSTEM THAT DOESN'T MAKE
% SENSE RIGHT NOW.
% THE ONE WE CURRENTLY HAVE IN
% PLACE WE SAW WORK BY AND LARGE
% TO GET PEOPLE OUT THERE TO VOTE
% THROUGH THE ABSENTEE PROCESS.
% BUT WE DO HAVE TO TIGHTEN IT UP
% TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYONE
% REQUESTS ONE IN TIME GETS ONE IN
% TIME.
% >> WHAT IF ISSUES PERSIST INTO
% NOVEMBER?
% I MEAN, IS THE MAJORITY WILLING
% TO ACCEPT TRYING TO FIX WHATEVER
% ISSUES EXIST WITH THE ABSENTEE
% BALLOTS?
% >> YEAH.
% I MEAN, I THINK WE NEED TO DO,
% WORKING WITH THE ELECTIONS
% COMMISSION, WHATEVER WE CAN TO
% MAKE SURE THAT THE CURRENT
% PROCESS WORKS FOR EVERYBODY.
% WHAT THE DEMOCRATS ARE REALLY
% PROPOSING -- AND IT'S NO SECRET
% THAT THEY TEND TO USE CRISIS TO
% MOVE POLICY.
% THEY'VE BEEN TRYING TO GET RID
% OF VOTER I.D. FOR YEARS, EVER
% SINCE IT WENT INTO PLACE.
% THEY'RE TRYING TO USE THIS
% CRISIS IN ORDER TO DO THAT,
% PROPOSING SENDING OUT BALLOTS TO
% EVERY SINGLE REGISTERED VOTER,
% BUT THEN ELIMINATING THE VOTER
% I.D. REQUIREMENT AND THE
% SIGNATURE OF A WITNESS ON THAT
% BALLOT.
% SO THERE WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY NO
% PROTECTIONS IN PLACE TO MAKE
% SURE THAT THE VOTER SENDING IN
% THAT BALLOT IS WHO THEY SAY THEY
% ARE.
% >> MEANWHILE, LEGISLATIVE
% REPUBLICANS HAVE COME UP WITH A
% COVID-19 RESPONSE PACKAGE.
% WHAT ARE ITS MOST IMPORTANT
% PRONGS?
% >> REALLY WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO
% DO HERE -- AND WE'RE WORKING
% WITH LEADERSHIP ON THE DEMOCRAT
% SIDE TO PUT TOGETHER A PACKAGE
% THAT'S BIPARTISAN IN NATURE.
% WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS MAKE
% SOME CHANGES TO THE UNEMPLOYMENT
% PACKAGE TO SUSPEND THE ONE-WEEK
% DELAY SO WE CAN CAPTURE SOME
% FEDERAL MONEY THROUGH THE CARES
% ACT.
% WE HAVE TO MAKE MEDICAID CHANGES
% TO CAPTURE ADDITIONAL MONEY
% THROUGH THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.
% THEN WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO
% STREAMLINE SOME REGULATIONS TO
% MAKE SURE WE CAN GET AS MANY
% HEALTH CARE WORKERS INTO THE
% FIELD TO RESPOND TO THAT CRISIS.
% >> I UNDERSTAND IT WOULD ALLOW
% THE JOINT FINANCE COMMITTEE TO
% MAKE STATE SPENDING CUTS BECAUSE
% OF POTENTIAL LOSS OF REVENUE.
% THE GOVERNOR, AS YOU KNOW, TAKES
% GREAT EXCEPTION TO THAT.
% WHAT DO YOU SAY TO HIM ON THIS?
% >> WELL, WE'VE REMOVED THAT
% BECAUSE OF HIS OBJECTIONS.
% ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S
% FRUSTRATING FOR US IS WE'VE BEEN
% WORKING WITH OUR COLLEAGUES ON
% THE DEMOCRATIC SIDE OF THE AISLE
% TO PUT FORWARD A PACKAGE THAT WE
% CAN ALL AGREE ON.
% THE IMAGINE THAT THE GOVERNOR
% RAN OUT TO THE MEDIA AND
% RELEASED WAS JUST AN INITIAL
% DRAFT, SOMETHING THAT WE WERE
% GETTING INPUT FROM THE DEMOCRATS
% ON, TRYING TO FIND OUT WHERE WE
% CAN FIND SOME COMMON GROUND.
% AND INSTEAD OF COMING TO US AND
% LETTING US KNOW THAT HE HAD
% OBJECTIONS TO IT, THE GOVERNOR
% DECIDED TO GO STRAIGHT TO THE
% MEDIA.
% I'M NOT SURE WHY HE DID AND IT
% DOESN'T HELP OUR NEGOTIATIONS.
% WE'RE GOING TO CONTINUE TO MOVE
% FORWARD TO TRY TO FIND A PACKAGE
% WE CAN ALL VOTE ON AND SEND TO
% THE GOVERNOR'S DESK.
% >> BUT, AGAIN, THAT PROVISION
% REGARDING JOINT FINANCE HAS BEEN
% REMOVED FROM THE PACKAGE.
% >> YES.
% THE IDEA HERE -- AND I THINK
% THERE'S UNIVERSAL AGREEMENT HERE
% THAT WE'RE GOING TO SEE REVENUE
% DECLINE COMING INTO STATE
% COFFERS.
% SO WE HAD A $800 MILLION
% PROJECTED SURPLUS BEFORE THIS
% WHOLE CRISIS STARTED.
% THAT'S GONE.
% AND THEN WE'RE WORRIED THAT THE
% NEW REVENUE PROJECTIONS WILL
% SHOW A SHORTFALL.
% SO WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO IS
% SLOW DOWN THE RATE OF SPENDING
% IN THE SECOND YEAR SO THAT WE
% DON'T HAVE TO MAKE MASSIVE CUTS
% GOING INTO THE NEXT BUDGET.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% WELL, REPRESENTATIVE JIM
% STEINEKE, WE TRULY APPRECIATE
% YOU JOINING US AND GOOD LUCK TO
% YOU, THE LEGISLATURE AND THE
% EXECUTIVE BRANCH AS YOU WORK
% THROUGH THIS COVID-19 RESPONSE
% PACKAGE.
% >> THANK YOU.
% STAY SAFE, EVERYBODY.
% >> THAT IS OUR PROGRAM FOR THIS