Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers reiterated his commitment on Tuesday to veto a bill that would outlaw high school transgender athletes competing on female teams, saying he may be “damn proud to do it.”
On the state Senate’s last scheduled meeting day, Evers, a Democrat, reiterated his earlier veto promise moments later.
Evers vowed to veto any bill that would make Wisconsin less safe, diverse, and welcoming for LGBTQ people and children, including this one. “And I’ll be damn proud to do it.”
Republicans are unable to override a veto of a bill that would require high school athletes to play on teams that match the sex they were born with.
Given Evers’ pledge to veto the bill and bipartisan opposition to it, Democratic Sen. Mark Spreitzer expressed his disappointment that Republicans were moving forward with the bill. The bill “never became law in Wisconsin,” but debating it will only further injure transgender children, he said.
The Senate passed it 20-11, with one Democrat joining all Republicans against.
A proposal by the Biden administration to stop such discriminatory restrictions is set to be finalized this year after numerous delays and much backlash, though at least 20 states have approved a version of a blanket ban on transgender players playing on K-12 and collegiate sports teams overall. According to the proposal, the rule would establish that universal bans would be in violation of Title IX, the internationally recognized gender-equity law passed in 1972.
Numerous other bills with bipartisan support, including one that would allow for early processing of absentee ballots, were going to pass without a vote.
Supporters claimed the early count measure would have sped up the counting of ballots on Election Day by reducing the workload of election officials, particularly in Milwaukee, where the counting of ballots at a central location can go deep into the night. Former US president Donald Trump and election opponents have fabricated claims that those alleged ballot dumps are the result of election fraud.
Senate Committee on Elections Chair of the Republican party, Dan Knodl, said he was opposed to the bill because he did not believe a new process should be implemented during a presidential election year.
Republicans don’t want to do it so that Trump can spread lies and complain when he loses, according to Spreitzer, who claimed the change would “put to rest complaints from conspiracy theorists.”
The Senate also fired eight of Evers’ appointees, including two members of the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents in a dispute over diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Since 2019, the Senate has rejected 21 Evers appointees. Only four gubernatorial appointees had been disqualified in the more than 40 years prior.
A proposed constitutional amendment, which would give the Legislature the absolute power over how the governor spends the money that is allocated to the state, received final approval from the Senate. It will go before voters in the Aug. 13 primary.
On Tuesday, some bipartisan agreements received final approval, including a measure that will guarantee full staffing of an office that assists schools with addressing school safety concerns. The bill would use state funds to pay positions in the state Department of Justice’s Office of School Safety for nine months in place of federal pandemic relief funds.
A bipartisan bill that mandates that Asian American and Hmong American history lessons be taught in schools was passed by the Senate.
In response to threats of violence against judges, the Senate sent three bipartisan bills to Evers. The Wisconsin Supreme Court Marshal’s Office reports that 142 threats have been made to Wisconsin judges in the last year.
A bill that was passed would make it illegal to protest, parade, or demonstrate in courtrooms or other places with the intention to obstruct or denigrate judges’ decisions. To stop the publication of personal information about judges and their families, a second bill would enact new privacy protections for judges. A judicial security profile form would not be disclosed under the public records law under the third bill.
On the Senate’s final meeting day, several high-profile proposals that had bipartisan support were left off the agenda.
That includes the Assembly-passed bill authorizing medical marijuana.
A bipartisan measure that would stifle competition among those building power lines was also not scheduled for a vote.
One of the most popular bills introduced this session, the bill would grant utilities that are already conducting business in Wisconsin the first refusal on new power line projects. The state’s three current transmission line owners wouldn’t have to compete with out-of-state businesses when adding to their existing ones, as a result.
Opponents worry that the law will increase rates, while supporters claim that it will keep rates low and support the state’s electric grid. Before Evers, it must pass the Assembly, but it must also pass the Senate.
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