BROUGHT BY LEGISLATIVE
REPUBLICANS OVER EXTENDING THE
"SAFER AT HOME" ORDER.
SENIOR POLITICAL REPORTER ZAC
SCHULTZ HAS BEEN FOLLOWING THE
CASE AND HE JOINS US NOW.
AND, ZAC, THANKS VERY MUCH FOR
DOING SO.
>> MY PLEASURE, FRED.
>> SO THE BASIC PREMISE OF THIS
LAWSUIT IS THAT WHAT THE
REPUBLICAN LEADERS CALL AN
UNELECTED BUREAUCRAT, NAMELY,
SECRETARY-DESIGNEE OF HEALTH
SERVICES, SHOULD NOT HAVE THE
AUTHORITY TO EXTEND THIS "SAFER
AT HOME" ORDER UNTIL MAY 26.
WHY IS THAT?
>> WELL, THE QUESTION THAT THE
LEGISLATURE WANTS THE SUPREME
COURT TO STEP IN AND SOLVE IS AT
WHAT POINT DURING THIS HEALTH
EMERGENCY DOES THE LEGISLATURE
HAVE A SAY IN HOW THE STATE
RESPONDS TO IT?
SO FAR, GOVERNOR EVERS HAS BEEN
IN COMPLETE CONTROL OF THE
STATE'S RESPONSE UNDER HIS
EMERGENCY ORDER.
THAT 60-DAY ORDER WILL EXPIRE ON
MAY 11.
AND WHAT'S HAPPENING RIGHT NOW
IS THE DHS SECRETARY IS SAYING
SHE CAN EXTEND MOST OF THE
PARAMETERS OF THAT "SAFER AT
HOME" ORDER UNDER HER AUTHORITY.
AND THE LEGISLATURE IS SAYING WE
DON'T THINK YOUR POWERS ARE THAT
BROAD.
>> AND ALSO, TONY EVERS CALLS
THIS A "BLATANT POWER GRAB" ON
THE PART OF REPUBLICANS.
BUT DON'T THE LEADERS THINK THE
SAME THING OF HIS EXTENSION
DECISION?
>> YEAH.
I MEAN, YOU CAN LOOK AT THIS AS
ROUND TWO OF THE LAME DUCK
LAWSUITS IN THE SENSE OF THE
LEGISLATURE IS SAYING WE WOULD
LIKE TO HAVE MORE OF A SAY IN
HOW THE GOVERNMENT'S REACTING.
WE WANT MORE CONTROL OVER THE
EXECUTIVE BRANCH.
AND THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH SAYING,
NO, THE STATE LAW SAYS WE GET TO
DECIDE HOW WE RESPOND HERE.
>> ONE OF THE THINGS I KNOW THAT
THE LEGISLATURE, THE LEGISLATIVE
REPUBLICAN LEADERS HAVE BEEN
TALKING ABOUT IS THIS IDEA THAT
THIS IS "ONE SIZE FITS ALL"
APPROACH ON THE PART OF TONY
EVERS AND THAT IT OUGHT TO --
THE "SAFER-AT-HOME" OR ISOLATION
ORDERS OUGHT TO BE LOOKED AT IN
A REGIONAL WAY.
>> YEAH.
THAT'S ONE OF THE ARGUMENTS THEY
PUT INTO THEIR SUPREME COURT
BRIEFING.
THEY WANT THE SUPREME COURT TO
TAKE IN THE ECONOMIC FACTORS AND
THE DAMAGE STATEWIDE TO THE
ECONOMY AND TO WORKERS WHEN
CONSIDERING WHETHER THE DHS
SECRETARY'S EXTENSION OF THIS
ORDER UNDER HER AUTHORITY IS
BEYOND WHAT STATE LAW GIVES HER
IN HER POWERS.
THERE'S KIND OF THAT BROAD
OVERVIEW ABOUT WHAT THIS MEANS
AND THE REPUBLICANS' LEGAL
ARGUMENT UNDERNEATH IT IS TO
SWAY WHY THE SUPREME COURT
SHOULD WEIGH IN.
>> SHOULD REPUBLICANS PREVAIL,
WHAT ARE THEY PROPOSING TO DO?
>> WELL, THE WISCONSIN
MANUFACTURERS AND COMMERCE HAS
INTRODUCED THEIR OWN PLAN.
THEY ACTUALLY HAD A HEARING ON
IT IN THE ASSEMBLY JUST THIS
WEEK.
THAT'S LIKELY WHAT THE
REPUBLICANS WOULD LIKE TO SEE,
WHICH IS KIND OF A REGIONAL
REOPENING WITH THIS FACTORS AND
SOME TESTS.
IT DOESN'T INCLUDE CONTACT
TRACING.
IT DOESN'T INCLUDE ENOUGH
TESTING STATEWIDE.
AND A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE SAYING,
WELL, YEAH, YOU CAN OPEN UP
MARATHON COUNTY, BUT WHAT'S TO
PREVENT PEOPLE FROM DRIVING THE
VIRUS THERE AND BACK TO
MILWAUKEE EVERY DAY.
GOVERNOR EVERS AS PART OF THAT
REGIONAL PARTNERSHIP SHOULD BE
THE DECIDERS.
>> IS THERE ANY SENSE ALL OF
THIS WILL ENCOURAGE MORE
COMMUNICATION BETWEEN THE
LEADERSHIP AND THE GOVERNOR?
>> WELL, IF THE SUPREME COURT
SIDES WITH THE LEGISLATURE, THEN
DHS WILL HAVE TO CREATE
EMERGENCY RULES AND WORK WITH
THE LEGISLATURE TO DO SO BECAUSE
THEY'LL HAVE THE ABILITY TO DENY
THOSE RULES ALTOGETHER.
IT WON'T BE PLEASANT
CONVERSATIONS, I'M SURE, BUT
THEY WILL HAVE TO WORK TOGETHER
ON RULES IF THEY WILL HAVE RULES
AFTER THIS.
>> ALL RIGHT.
ZAC SCHULTZ, THANKS VERY MUCH
FOR JOINING US.
>> MY PLEASURE.