REPUBLICAN-CONTROLLED
LEGISLATIVE RESPONSE TO THE
COVID-19 CRISIS LOOK LIKE?
THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS CAN
SOMETIMES TAKE WEEKS OR MONTHS.
THAT'S A TIME LINE THAT IS
PROBLEMATIC FOR BOTH SIDES.
REPUBLICANS SAY THEY PLAN TO
MOVE QUICKLY.
AS OF FRIDAY AT NOON, NO RULING
FROM THE STATE SUPREME COURT.
WISCONSIN ASSEMBLY MAJORITY
LEADER JIM STEINEKE WAS ABLE TO
JOIN US EARLY THIS AFTERNOON.
AND, REPRESENTATIVE, THANKS VERY
MUCH FOR BEING HERE.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
THANKS FOR HAVING ME.
>> WELL, SO DETAIL FOR US,
PLEASE, WHAT THE REPUBLICAN
LEGISLATIVE LEADERSHIP PLAN TO
REOPEN THE STATE LOOKS LIKE.
>> YEAH.
SO I APPRECIATE THE QUESTION.
I KNOW THAT'S ONE OF THE
QUESTIONS WE'VE BEEN GETTING A
LOT, IS WHAT IS THE REPUBLICAN
PLAN FOR REOPENING THE STATE.
WE'VE REALLY TRIED TO STEER
CLEAR OF THAT BECAUSE WE DON'T
THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE A
DEMOCRATIC PLAN.
WE DON'T THINK THERE SHOULD BE A
REPUBLICAN PLAN.
WE THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE A
PLAN THAT WE WORK ON TOGETHER
THAT SUITS ALL OF WISCONSIN AND
THAT ALL OF US CAN SUPPORT.
SO WE DIDN'T WANT TO DO
NEGOTIATIONS THROUGH THE MEDIA
ON ANY PARTICULAR IDEAS OTHER
THAN WE THINK THAT THE PLAN
SHOULD BE REGIONAL AND
INCORPORATE SOME OF THOSE
ASPECTS AS FAR AS BEING ABLE TO
OPEN IN AREAS WHERE THERE'S LESS
SEVERE INFECTIONS.
WE REALLY JUST WANT TO SIT DOWN
WITH THE GOVERNOR AND FIGURE IT
OUT TOGETHER.
>> I WANT TO GET TO THAT
SO-CALLED "WISCONSIN PLAN" IN
JUST A MOMENT, BUT IN TERMS OF
KIND OF A REGIONAL REOPENING
PLAN, WHAT ABOUT CONCERNS THAT
YOU JUST SPREAD THE VIRUS AS
PEOPLE GET OUT ACROSS THE STATE,
SAY, TO VACATION HOMES OR
CAMPSITES?
>> SURE.
I MEAN, WE LIVE IN A FREE
COUNTRY, RIGHT?
SO PEOPLE ARE GOING TO HAVE
FREEDOM OF MOVEMENT NO MATTER
WHEN WE OPEN, WHETHER IT'S THE
WHOLE STATE OR WHETHER IT'S
REGIONS OF THE COUNTRY.
WE'RE STARTING TO SEE DEMOCRATIC
GOVERNORS IN OTHER STATES LIKE
ILLINOIS, MICHIGAN AND NEW YORK
WHO HAVE HAD MUCH MORE SEVERE
PROBLEMS WITH THE VIRUS THAN
WISCONSIN HAS, THEY'RE
INCORPORATING THE REGIONAL
ASPECTS INTO THEIR PLAN.
WE SIMPLY CAN'T AFFORD TO ALLOW
THE ENTIRE STATE TO BE SHUT DOWN
WHEN THERE'S VERY FEW PROBLEMS
IN THE VAST MAJORITY OF THE
COUNTIES OF THE STATE.
>> IF CASES WERE TO INCREASE --
AND PUBLIC HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY
THEY ALMOST CERTAINLY WOULD IF
YOU KIND OF REOPEN THE STATE,
BUT IF CASES WERE TO INCREASE,
WOULD YOU CALL OR WOULD YOU BE
IN FAVOR OF REINSTATING STRICTER
"STAY AT HOME" ORDERS AT THAT
POINT?
>> YEAH.
I THINK ANY PLAN GOING FORWARD
SHOULD HAVE SOME KIND OF A
THROTTLE, WHERE YOU CAN
GRADUALLY OPEN THE ECONOMY UP,
BUT THEN IF THERE ARE SEVERE
CASES WHERE THE HOSPITAL SYSTEM
IS OVERRUN, THAT YOU CAN START
TO THROTTLE THAT BACK.
THAT'S THE IMPORTANT THING FOR
US TO REMEMBER.
THIS WAS NEVER ABOUT GETTING TO
A POINT WHERE WE HAVE ZERO
INFECTIONS.
IT'S GETTING TO THE POINT WHERE
OUR HOSPITALS ARE NOT
OVERWHELMED.
THANKFULLY, OUR HOSPITALS ARE
NOT BEING OVERWHELMED WITH THE
VIRUS, SO IT IS TIME IN THE VAST
MAJORITY OF THE STATE TO START
TO REOPEN.
BUT, AGAIN, IF THERE ARE ISSUES
WHERE THERE BECOMES A CRISIS,
THEN WE CAN START TO THROTTLE
BACK.
>> WELL, SPEAKER VOS IN FACT
SAYS WHENEVER WE REOPEN, IT IS
NOT GOING TO BE POSSIBLE TO
PREVENT ALL DEATHS.
IS THAT JUST THE PRICE TO PAY
HERE?
>> WELL, YEAH.
I MEAN, SO THIS WHOLE IDEA OF A
SHUTDOWN, OF "SAFER AT HOME,"
WAS, AGAIN, ABOUT SLOWING THE
SPREAD.
THE NATURE OF THE VIRUS IS
YOU'RE NOT GOING TO STOP IT.
EVEN IN NEW YORK YOU'RE SEEING A
LOT OF CASES COMING OUT OF
NEW YORK WHERE THE PEOPLE WERE
SHELTERED AT HOME AND STILL GOT
THE VIRUS.
SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO BE ABLE TO
COMPLETELY STOP THE SPREAD.
BUT WE ALSO CAN'T WAIT FOR IT TO
BECOME -- TO GET DOWN TO ZERO
BEFORE WE START TO OPEN UP THE
ECONOMY AGAIN.
IT'S JUST SOMETHING THAT OUR
FAMILIES CAN'T AFFORD TO HANG ON
FOR THE NEXT EIGHT, 12 MONTHS
BEFORE WE GET A VACCINE.
>> SO AS YOU DESCRIBED EARLIER,
LEADERSHIP MET WITH GOVERNOR
EVERS THIS WEEK AND SPEAKER VOS
AGAIN SAID THAT HE WAS
INTERESTED IN NOT A REPUBLICAN
PLAN OR A DEMOCRATIC PLAN, BUT A
WISCONSIN PLAN.
BUT I READ THAT HE SAID THAT IT
DOESN'T HAVE TO BE ADVERSARIAL.
BUT HOW ADVERSARIAL WAS THAT
LAWSUIT?
>> WELL, AND THAT'S -- I
APPRECIATE YOUR BRINGING UP THIS
POINT, BECAUSE I'VE HEARD THIS
BEFORE, WHERE REPUBLICANS IN THE
LEGISLATURE ARE BEING ACCUSED OF
BEING PARTISAN THROUGH THIS
PROCESS, WHICH IS REALLY KIND OF
STRANGE TO ME, BECAUSE THE ONLY
PERSON BEING -- THAT I WOULD SAY
BEING PARTISAN IN THIS IS THE
GOVERNOR IN THAT HE IS INSISTING
ON HAVING FULL CONTROL OVER THIS
WITH NO INPUT FROM THE
LEGISLATURE.
HE IS INSISTING THAT THEY HAVE
THE UNILATERAL ABILITY TO IMPOSE
THESE RESTRICTIONS WITH NO
LEGISLATIVE OVERSIGHT.
AND ACCORDING TO THEM, THEY CAN
DO THIS INDEFINITELY.
SO WHAT WE'RE SAYING, THE
LAWSUIT REALLY IS ABOUT GETTING
US TO WORK TOGETHER.
NOT SAYING WE HAVE TO HAVE OUR
WAY.
THAT'S NOT HOW THE LEGISLATIVE
PROCESS WORKS.
BUT SAYING WE SHOULD ALL BE AT
THE TABLE SO THE PEOPLE OF
WISCONSIN THROUGH THEIR ELECTED
REPRESENTATIVES CAN HAVE A VOICE
IN THIS PROCESS.
CURRENTLY, THEY DON'T.
>> SO WHEN YOU WERE ALL AT THE
TABLE THIS WEEK, HOW DID THAT
GO?
>> WELL, I WASN'T THERE, SO IT
WAS SPEAKER VOS AND MAJORITY
LEADER FITZGERALD ALONG WITH THE
TWO DEMOCRATIC LEADERS OF EACH
HOUSE.
BUT I THINK IT WENT FAIRLY WELL.
I DON'T THINK ANYBODY DREW ANY
LINES IN THE SAND, SAID
ABSOLUTELY "NO" TO ANYTHING THAT
WAS PROPOSED.
BUT THAT BEING SAID, WE HAVE TO
START HAVING MORE REGULAR
COMMUNICATIONS AND MORE REGULAR
NEGOTIATIONS AS WE GO FORWARD,
ESPECIALLY AS THIS SUPREME COURT
DECISION LOOMS OVER US.
IF THAT COMES DOWN IN THE
LEGISLATURE'S FAVOR, WE'RE GOING
TO HAVE TO ACT QUICKLY.
AND I THINK WE SHOULD BE
PREPARING FOR THAT BY
CONTINUALLY HAVING MEETINGS.
I KNOW THE GOVERNOR DIDN'T WANT
TO HAVE ANOTHER MEETING UNTIL AT
LEAST NEXT WEEK.
I STILL THINK WE SHOULD BE
MEETING AT LEAST EVERY OTHER DAY
TO TRY TO COME TOGETHER AROUND A
PLAN THAT CAN WORK FOR
EVERYBODY.
>> ALL RIGHT.
WE NEED TO LEAVE IT THERE.
MAJORITY LEADER JIM STEINEKE,
THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR JOINING