>> THANK YOU, FREDERICA.
% >> REPUBLICANS HAD BEEN PUBLICLY
% PUSHING TO RELAX THE STRICT
% "SAFER AT HOME" ORDER AT THE
% SAME TIME THEY CHALLENGED IT IN
% THE WISCONSIN SUPREME COURT.
% NOW WITH LEGAL BACKING, THE BALL
% IS IN THEIR COURT TO ACT.
% WISCONSIN ASSEMBLY MAJORITY
% LEADER JIM STEINEKE WAS ABLE TO
% JOIN US EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.
% AND, REPRESENTATIVE, THANK YOU
% VERY MUCH AGAIN FOR BEING HERE.
% >> ABSOLUTELY.
% GLAD TO BE HERE.
% >> WELL, SO, AS WE ALL KNOW,
% WISCONSIN IS REOPEN FOR
% BUSINESS.
% WHAT IS YOUR REACTION TO THE
% COURT'S RULING?
% >> WELL, IT'S UNFORTUNATE THAT
% WE GOT TO THIS PLACE.
% WE'VE BEEN TRYING OVER THE LAST
% FEW WEEKS TO ENGAGE WITH THE
% ADMINISTRATION TO SEE IF WE CAN
% COME UP WITH A BIPARTISAN PLAN
% THAT EVERYBODY CAN SUPPORT.
% AS LATE AS 10 OR 12 DAYS AGO
% NOW, WE MET WITH GOVERNOR EVERS
% TO DISCUSS THOSE THINGS WHILE
% THE COURT CASE WAS GOING ON TO
% TRY TO SEE IF THERE WAS SOME
% COMMON GROUND, ASKED FOR
% ADDITIONAL MEETINGS BEYOND THAT
% DAY, AND HE SAID HE DIDN'T WANT
% TO TALK UNTIL AFTER THE SUPREME
% COURT DECISION CAME DOWN, WHICH
% WAS HIS RIGHT.
% BUT THAT'S KIND OF WHY WE'RE
% HERE WHERE WE ARE TODAY WITHOUT
% ANYTHING SUCCEEDING THAT
% ORIGINAL 60-DAY AUTHORITY.
% >> HE HAS DISPUTED THAT IT WAS
% HE WHO SAID HE WANTED TO WAIT,
% BUT LET'S MOVE ALONG, BECAUSE
% THIS IS WHERE WE ARE NOW, AND I
% KNOW THAT LEADERSHIP MET WITH
% THE GOVERNOR THIS WEEK TO TALK
% ABOUT NEW RULES.
% GOING FORWARD, AT THIS MOMENT, I
% SUSPECT THAT YOU WANT TO WORK
% WITH THE GOVERNOR TO FASHION
% THESE RULES.
% >> YEAH.
% AGAIN, WE MET THIS WEEK WITH THE
% GOVERNOR, HAD SOME INITIAL
% DISCUSSIONS ABOUT WHAT OUR
% PRIORITIES WERE, WHAT HIS WERE
% IN ANY NEW RULE.
% HE TOOK SOME INPUT.
% HE'S -- OBVIOUSLY, HE PUT OUT A
% SCOPE STATEMENT FOR THE NEW RULE
% AND NOW THAT IS OPEN FOR PUBLIC
% COMMENT FOR TEN DAYS, AND THEN
% THEY'LL COME BACK TO US WITH
% WHATEVER THEIR PROPOSED RULE IS,
% HOPEFULLY TAKING INTO ACCOUNT
% EVERYBODY'S INPUT.
% >> THE SCOPE STATEMENT LOOKS
% VERY SIMILAR TO THE "SAFER AT
% HOME" AND THE BADGER BOUNCE BACK
% PLAN.
% DO YOU SUPPORT WHAT'S IN THAT
% DOCUMENT?
% >> PARTS.
% I MEAN, I THINK WHAT WE'RE
% SEEING NOW IS THE VAST MAJORITY
% OF THE COUNTRY IS STARTING TO
% REOPEN.
% WE WERE ONE OF ONLY A HANDFUL OF
% STATES THAT HADN'T STARTED TO
% REOPEN YET.
% AND ONE OF OUR FRUSTRATIONS WITH
% WHAT THE GOVERNOR HAS PROPOSED
% IN HIS ORIGINAL "SAFER AT HOME"
% PACKAGE WAS A STATEWIDE ORDER,
% WITH NO ACCOUNTING FOR REGIONAL
% DIFFERENCES.
% AND WHAT WE SEE IN A VAST
% MAJORITY OF COUNTIES IN THE
% STATE IS VERY FEW CASES OF THE
% VIRUS, VERY FEW
% HOSPITALIZATIONS.
% SO WE THINK THAT WE CAN START TO
% OPEN UP IN A VAST MAJORITY OF
% THE STATE.
% >> SO, AS YOU KNOW, THE JOINT
% COMMITTEE ON REVIEW OF
% ADMINISTRATIVE RULES HAS THE
% POWER TO BLOCK THESE NEW RULES
% THAT ARE GOING TO BE DRAFTED.
% SHOULD IT, IN YOUR MIND?
% >> WELL, I THINK WE HAVE TO WAIT
% AND SEE WHAT THE NEW RULES ARE.
% I'D HATE TO PRESUME THAT THE
% GOVERNOR ISN'T GOING TO LISTEN
% TO THE PUBLIC AND ISN'T GOING TO
% LISTEN TO THE LEGISLATURE IN
% CRAFTING THESE NEW RULES.
% SO HOPEFULLY HE'LL DO THAT AND
% GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO ACCEPT
% THE NEW RULES.
% BUT THAT'S YET TO BE SEEN.
% >> SO IN YOUR MIND, DO YOU THINK
% THAT THE COMMITTEE SHOULD KIND
% OF SAVE THESE KINDS OF RULES FOR
% ANY SURGE IN CASES?
% >> WELL, I THINK THAT'S ONE OF
% THE THINGS THAT REPRESENTATIVE
% BALLWEG, WHO IS CO-CHAIR OF THE
% JOINT COMMITTEE AND THE REVIEW
% OF ADMINISTRATIVE RULES, TALKED
% ABOUT, WAS HAVING SOMETHING IN
% PLACE IN CASE WE DO HAVE ANOTHER
% SURGE.
% AS WE'VE SEEN IN WISCONSIN,
% THERE ARE NO HOSPITALS OPERATING
% AT CRISIS LEVEL, SO WE'RE IN A
% REALLY GOOD SPOT.
% THAT'S WHY I THINK YOU'VE SEEN
% MOST OF THE COUNTIES START TO
% OPEN UP.
% SOME COUNTIES ARE CHOOSING TO
% EXTEND THOSE "SAFER AT HOME"
% ORDERS.
% THE GOVERNOR'S ORDER ONLY LASTS
% UNTIL THE 26TH AND EVEN HE SAID
% HE WASN'T GOING TO EXTEND THEM
% BEYOND THAT STATE.
% >> WHAT IS YOUR OPINION OF THOSE
% LOCAL OR COUNTY ORDERS?
% >> WELL, I THINK IT'S WELL
% WITHIN THEIR RIGHTS, AS I SEE
% IT.
% I THINK THEY HAVE TO DO WHAT
% THEY BELIEVE IS CORRECT WITH THE
% SITUATION ON THE GROUND WITHIN
% THEIR OWN COUNTIES.
% I'D MUCH RATHER SEE THAT
% APPROACH THAN A STATEWIDE
% APPROACH, WHERE EVERY AREA IS
% TREATED EXACTLY THE SAME.
% BECAUSE, LIKE I SAID, IN THE
% VAST MAJORITY OF THE STATE THERE
% AREN'T THESE CRISIS LEVELS OF
% THE VIRUS.
% >> WILL YOU BE GOING OUT TO A
% RESTAURANT THIS WEEKEND OR
% ELSEWHERE BECAUSE OF THE RULING
% FROM THE COURT?
% >> WELL, UNFORTUNATELY, I'M IN A
% COUNTY THAT CHOSE TO EXTEND THE
% "SAFER AT HOME" ORDER
% INDEFINITELY, EVEN THOUGH
% OUTAGAMIE COUNTY ONLY HAS 124
% CASES.
% SO I'M KIND OF CONFUSED AS TO
% WHY THIS PARTICULAR COUNTY
% DECIDED TO GO FURTHER THAN EVERY
% OTHER COUNTY -- ALMOST EVERY
% OTHER COUNTY OUT THERE.
% BUT I HAPPEN TO BE IN ONE OF
% THOSE COUNTIES THAT HAS A "SAFER
% AT HOME" EXTENDED AND SURROUNDED
% BY BROWN COUNTY AND WINNEBAGO
% AND CALUMET THAT ALSO HAVE THAT
% ORDER IN PLACE.
% >> ALL RIGHT.
% WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE,
% REPRESENTATIVE STEINEKE.
% THANK YOU AGAIN FOR JOINING US.