% >> SOME PEOPLE ARE UNHAPPY WITH
% LONG-TERM "STAY AT HOME" ORDERS,
% ESPECIALLY BECAUSE OF THE IMPACT
% ON CLOSED BUSINESSES AND JOB
% LOSS.
% THIS WEEK, WE CHECKED IN WITH
% WISCONSIN ASSEMBLY MAJORITY
% LEADER JAMES STEINEKE FOR HIS
% TAKE.
% REPRESENTATIVE STEINEKE, THANKS
% VERY MUCH FOR JOINING US.
% >> ABSOLUTELY.
% GOOD TO BE HERE.
% >> SO WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO
% THE EXTENSION OF THE "SAFER AT
% HOME" ORDER?
% >> DISAPPOINTED AND, FRANKLY,
% CONFUSED, BECAUSE WE'VE SEEN
% OTHER STATES THAT ARE PREPARING
% TO RELAX SOME OF THESE
% REGULATIONS COME MAY 1,
% INCLUDING SOME OF OUR
% SURROUNDING STATES, AND THEN YOU
% LOOK AT NEW YORK, WHO DID AN
% EXTENSION OF THEIR "SAFER AT
% HOME" RESTRICTIONS, BUT THEY
% ONLY WENT TO MAY 15.
% GOVERNOR EVERS DECIDING ON
% MAY 26, WE JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND
% WHERE HE GOT THAT DATE FROM AND
% WHAT HE'S USING AS HIS BASIS TO
% MAKE THAT DECISION, BECAUSE IT
% SEEMS TO FLY IN THE FACE OF WHAT
% OTHER STATES ARE DOING,
% INCLUDING OTHER STATES LIKE
% MICHIGAN AND NEW YORK, THAT HAVE
% MUCH MORE SERIOUS PROBLEMS THAN
% WHAT WE DO.
% >> SO WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE
% HAPPEN?
% >> I'D LIKE TO SEE A MUCH MORE
% MEASURED APPROACH.
% HE HAS THE AUTHORITY UNDER THE
% EMERGENCY DECLARATION UNTIL
% MAY 12.
% I WOULD HAVE PREFERRED TO SEE
% THE EXTENSION GO, YOU KNOW, TO
% MAY 12, IF THAT.
% YOU KNOW, GOING FORWARD,
% OBVIOUSLY, WE HAVE TO LOOK AT
% THE DATA AND MAKE SURE WE'RE
% MAKING DECISIONS THAT ARE IN THE
% BEST HEALTH OF OUR CITIZENS.
% BUT I DON'T THINK THERE'S ANY
% REASON, GIVEN THE FACT THAT,
% LIKE IN THE FOX VALLEY, THERE'S
% SEVEN CASES, SEVEN PEOPLE
% HOSPITALIZED WITH THIS VIRUS IS
% 13 HOSPITALS.
% SO OTHER AREAS OF THE STATE
% OUTSIDE OF MILWAUKEE AND MAYBE
% MADISON AREN'T SEEING AS BIG OF
% AN ISSUE AND TO RELAX
% REGULATIONS IN THOSE PLACES
% SEEMS TO MAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE
% SENSE.
% >> YOU AND THE MAJORITY, I
% UNDERSTAND, ARE GOING TO PURSUE
% LEGAL AND LEGISLATIVE OPTIONS.
% ON WHAT BASIS?
% >> WELL, AGAIN, THE EMERGENCY
% DECLARATION IS GOOD FOR 60 DAYS.
% THAT GOES UNTIL MAY 12.
% WHAT THE GOVERNOR IS USING AS
% HIS BASIS TO EXTEND THIS IS
% AUTHORITY THAT THEY SAY THAT THE
% SECRETARY OF THE DHS HAS TO
% EXTEND THIS INDEFINITELY.
% I DON'T KNOW HOW IF THE STATUTES
% GIVE THE LEGISLATURE THE ABILITY
% TO END AN EMERGENCY DECLARATION
% OR, IN THE ABSENCE OF ENDING IT,
% NOT EXTENDING IT, HOW AN
% APPOINTEE OF THE GOVERNOR CAN
% UNILATERALLY EXTEND IT FOR AS
% LONG AS SHE WANTS.
% THAT FLIES IN THE FACE OF WHAT
% THE LAW SAYS AS FAR AS THE
% LEGISLATURE'S CAPABILITY.
% >> YOU HAVE YET FILED OR
% FORMULATED YOUR REMEDIES?
% >> NO, WE HAVEN'T.
% WE'RE STILL WORKING THROUGH
% THAT.
% I'M STILL HOPEFUL THAT THE
% GOVERNOR WILL ACTUALLY COME TO
% US WITH A PLAN.
% I THINK THE THING THAT
% WISCONSINITES ARE REALLY
% FRUSTRATED BY IS THAT THE
% GOVERNOR HAS NEVER ALIGNED --
% LAID OUT THE CRITERIA THAT HE'S
% USING TO MAKE THESE DECISIONS.
% SO WHEN HE SAYS WE NEED MORE
% PPE, WELL, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK
% LIKE?
% WHAT NUMBER DO WE HAVE TO HIT?
% HOW MANY WEEKS OF PPE DO WE
% NEED?
% HE SAYS, WE NEED MORE TESTING.
% OKAY.
% WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE?
% HOW MANY TESTS DO WE HAVE TO BE
% ABLE TO DO PER DAY OR WEEK TO
% HIT THAT BENCHMARK?
% HE'S KIND OF PATTING EVERYBODY
% ON THE HEAD SAYING YOU'RE DOING
% A GREAT JOB WHILE WE HAVE
% BUSINESSES THROUGHOUT THE STATE
% THAT ARE FAILING MORE, MANY MORE
% THAT ARE GOING TO BE FAILING
% OVER THE NEXT WEEK OR TWO.
% AND THIS IS A SERIOUS PROBLEM
% THAT WE HAVE TO TRY TO ADDRESS
% AND HAVE TO GIVE SOME PEOPLE
% SOME IDEA OF WHEN THIS IS GOING
% TO END.
% >> WHAT ABOUT THE MODELS FROM
% THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
% SERVICES THAT SAY WITHOUT THE
% "SAFER AT HOME" ORDER, SOMEWHERE
% BETWEEN 300 AND 1400 LIVES WOULD
% ALREADY HAVE BEEN LOST TO
% CORONAVIRUS?
% >> WELL, I THINK THE MODELS HAVE
% BEEN CONSISTENTLY OFF, SO I
% THINK THAT'S A BIG PART OF THE
% PROBLEM.
% AND I GET IT.
% YOU KNOW, MODELING SOMETHING
% LIKE THIS, A VIRUS THAT WE'VE
% NEVER SEEN BEFORE, IS VERY
% DIFFICULT, VERY DIFFICULT TO
% UNDERSTAND THE IMPACTS.
% WE SAW NATIONALLY THE MODEL SAID
% EVEN WITH RESTRICTIONS WE ARE
% GOING TO SEE HUNDREDS OF
% THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE DIE.
% WE NOW KNOW THAT THAT'S NOT
% LIKELY TO BE THE CASE.
% SO WE HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS
% BASED ON THE DATA FROM THE
% MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS, BUT WE
% ALSO HAVE TO MAKE SURE IN AREAS
% WHERE THIS ISN'T AS BIG OF AN
% ISSUE THAT WE CAN START TO RELAX
% THE REGULATIONS HERE PRETTY SOON
% SO BUSINESSES CAN SURVIVE AND
% PEOPLE CAN GET BACK TO WORK.
% >> HOW DO YOU, THOUGH, HOW DO
% YOU POSSIBLY RECONCILE LOST
% BUSINESSES AND JOBS WITH LOSS OF
% LIFE?
% >> IT'S A GREAT QUESTION.
% AND THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE
% OBVIOUSLY STRUGGLE WITH.
% BUT THIS WAS ALWAYS ABOUT
% BENDING THE CURVE, RIGHT?
% SLOWING THE SPREAD.
% IT WAS NEVER ABOUT GETTING DOWN
% TO ZERO.
% THE MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS AREN'T
% SAYING THAT WE'RE SOMEHOW GOING
% TO STAY SAFER AT HOME UNTIL
% WE'RE DOWN TO ZERO INFECTIONS.
% THAT'S NEVER BEEN THE CASE.
% THIS IS ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT
% THE HOSPITALS ARE PREPARED AND
% HAVE ADEQUATE RESOURCES TO HELP
% DEAL WITH THE PATIENTS THAT ARE
% COMING IN.
% AND AS WE SEE ACROSS THE STATE,
% HOSPITALS BY AND LARGE ARE
% EMPTY.
% THEY ARE HEMORRHAGING TENS AND
% HUNDREDS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS
% RIGHT NOW BECAUSE THEY HAVE NOW
% CANCELLED ALL ELECTIVE
% PROCEDURES WAITING FOR THIS
% INFLUX OF PATIENTS THAT HASN'T
% COME IN THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE
% STATE.
% >> REPRESENTATIVE JAMES
% STEINEKE, WE NEED TO LEAVE IT
% THERE.
% THANKS VERY MUCH.
% >> THANK YOU.