State Republicans aim to pass bills without funding in effort to bypass Gov. Evers veto power

MADISON, Wis (CIVIC MEDIA) – State Republicans have been working to pass legislation without funding over recent weeks in an effort to bypass the partial veto power of Governor Tony Evers.

State Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu claims the Republican majority plans to fund the bills, like one creating a school safety grant program, through the budget process to avoid the veto pen. Democrats attempted to introduce amendments to fund the bills now, saying there have been previous unfunded bills passed into law that still haven’t received funding from the Joint Finance Committee.

Gov. Evers had previously utilized his veto power to increase school student funding for the foreseeable future, which the Wisconsin Supreme Court voted to uphold in April.

The Republican-controlled senate continues to grapple with Democratic Gov. Evers on hot-button issues, such as tax cuts and education spending. If the proposed budget is not approved by the July 1 deadline, the current rendition of the budget would carry over into next year.