>> 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.