>> 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.