Capital City Sunday: Senate GOP Launches Election Inquiry, Democrats Reach Deal on Social Spending | New

MADISON (WKOW) – Senate Republicans will embark on the third probe into the 2020 election authorized by the GOP-controlled legislature.

Senator Kathy Bernier (R-Chippewa Falls) will lead this investigation. Bernier said she would focus much of the review on the findings of the Legislative Audit Office (LAB), which produced its report last Friday, revealing a list of 18 items the legislature could consider and 30 recommendations for the Wisconsin Election Commission (WEC.)

Bernier said the audit “did not uncover any significant or organized attempts at electoral fraud,” but added that she believed the results demonstrated “shoddy” work on the part of election administrators at national and local levels.

Bernier said she intended to call the Madison, Milwaukee County and Little Suamico clerks because, according to listeners, they refused to hand over the ballots for inspection. Officials in these communities said they were following federal guidelines that clerks should not hand over custody of ballots; the clerks said they had instead offered listeners to come and see the ballots but not to manipulate them.

“One of the questions I’m going to have for the audit office is whether they really wanted the ballots and items handed out for them to take out or were they willing to sit there and to allow staff to sit in the room while they review the investigation, “Bernier said.” This is part of our investigation. “

Bernier, who was previously Chippewa County Clerk, said she wanted to focus on how best to draft bills outlining how the WEC should make rules on how clerks can authorize drop boxes or correct the information on postal voting requests. The WEC issued written guidelines on these matters ahead of last November’s elections, but did not promulgate any rules.

Ann Jacobs, president of WEC, said the agency has the power under state law to issue guidelines, adding that she resists relying on administrative rules, which could be overruled by the Joint Rules Committee.

“The election commission is different,” Jacobs said. “The electoral commission is legally authorized to issue guidance documents 47 and the idea that every piece of guidance that we give, every form has to be submitted to the rules committee with the rather Byzantine rules process that we have in the Wisconsin is incompatible with the role and obligations of the electoral commission.

Bernier said it is clear that the WEC needed to establish formal rules would be the subject of legislation resulting from his investigation. However, Governor Evers would likely veto such efforts to give the legislature additional control over the administration of the elections.

“They can’t just issue directives because the directives do not have the force of law,” said Bernier. “Administrative rules yes.”

“As partisan as Mike Gableman’s”

Senator Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee) said she did not believe her colleagues in the Senate would conduct a less partisan investigation than that led by former state Supreme Court Justice Mike Gableman under the leadership by President Robin Vos.

“Partisanship in the House – the Senate – really reflects this more than trying to come to the center or build consensus,” Taylor said.

However, Taylor said she believes enacting the WEC’s rules on sensitive electoral matters would allow for uniform administration from one municipality or county to another. This mirrored Bernier’s comments that clerks did not have to face the consequences of not following WEC guidelines instead of breaking administrative rules.

“I think it can potentially be, I think continuity is important,” Taylor said. “I don’t think we wanted to have a precise concept of an area doing things one way and another. [is doing things differently.]”

Taylor, who is running for lieutenant governor, said if she wins the post, fostering unity would be a key goal of the statewide office, which carries little to no real accountability. She mentioned the use of agriculture, food and the “creative economy” to bridge the urban and rural divide. Still, she acknowledged that it would be a rather difficult task to remove a large part of the population who have become convinced that they cannot trust the election results, even amid a persistent lack of evidence demonstrating fraud. organized or generalized.

“I think there’s no question that it’s still very difficult to ring the bell,” Taylor said. “And so many false or false news or false statements that have been broadcast about the election, I think it’s disturbing.”

Did the referral break the law?

A directive attracted new attention on Thursday when Racine County Sheriff Christopher Schmaling claimed the WEC broke state law by issuing directives giving nursing home staff the opportunity to help residents to fill out the ballots because healthcare facilities did not allow visitors, including special voting deputies who normally do this work, due to the pandemic.

“I don’t necessarily agree with [claims the guidance was illegal] but my opinion doesn’t really matter, ”said Bernier. “I understand that they had to provide advice, but I think they dwelled on the protection, safety and protection of the elderly and disabled.

The WEC issued a letter Thursday evening after a lengthy meeting that took place almost entirely behind closed doors; five of the six commissioners signed the statement that supported her nursing home guidelines, which she released in September 2020.

“The accusation that the election commission violated the law is absolutely false,” Jacobs said. “In the face of a pandemic and federal and state orders prohibiting visitors, including special registration deputies and observers from entering a nursing home, we very thoughtfully and unanimously allowed these voters to obtain postal ballots and vote. “

The initial vote to allow guidelines for nursing home staff to assist in the polls was passed unanimously with all three Democrats and three Republicans voting for the change.

Congressional Democrats strike deal

In order to reach agreement on a framework for a social spending program at the heart of President Joe Biden’s “Build Back Better” plan, Progressive Democrats have had to abandon certain initiatives they had hoped to include as “human infrastructure” .

Among the programs excluded from the framework were free community college and paid family leave. During negotiations, the paid leave proposal was reduced from 12 weeks to four before it was finally scrapped altogether. Democratic Senator Tammy Baldwin said it was the most disheartening outcome as Congressional Democrats struck a deal.

“I am disappointed that it was not part of the final package,” said Baldwin. “We are one of the only industrial countries in the world that does not have paid family and medical leave.”

The $ 1.75 trillion framework includes $ 400 billion to cover free preschool for all three and four year olds. It also includes over $ 500 billion for climate programs.

UW-Madison economist Noah Williams said child care subsidies, which also include an improved child tax credit, are expected to have the most immediate impact on the middle class and the economy as a whole.

“Anything we can do to make it easier for working parents to return to the workforce could be one of the most substantial impacts for the economy,” said Williams.

Williams added that paid family leave would have significantly benefited working-class Americans whose hourly jobs are less likely to provide paid time off for the birth of a child or to care for an aging parent.

The published frame by the White House is also touting the expansion of Medicaid for people in the state who have not embraced the expansion of the program, which includes Wisconsin. It also extends Medicare to cover hearing care.

Baldwin said she was hopeful the end product passed in the House would allow Medicare to negotiate the cost of prescription drugs, a change Baldwin has long advocated for, but a moderate Arizona senator Kyrsten Sinema said resisted.

“One issue that I think will be slaughtered shortly before the House votes on it is the cost of prescription drugs,” Baldwin said. “I know everyone is calling for more action on this front.”

As to how to cover the costs of the package, the White House has touted estimated revenues of more than $ 1.9 trillion to offset the expenses. Sources of income include a 15% minimum corporate tax on large corporations, a tax on share buybacks and “IRS investments” to close the tax gap.

Williams said he was not very confident the Democrats’ calculations would hold up in the ten years – and possibly longer – that the programs exist. He concluded that it is more likely than not that the program will end up increasing government spending.

“I would say I take this with some skepticism,” Williams said of the White House claim. “Even some of the offers that had been presented as payment did not cover the full amount of the package at all.”

While progressives intended to have a $ 3.5 trillion package, Williams added that the current framework still represented a substantial investment – which he expected child care programs to boost. the economy by helping to fill the labor shortage.

“Even reduced to $ 1.75 trillion or so would still be one of the biggest bills in history,” Williams said.