MADISON, Wis. — Legislative leaders in Madison are still racing against their own clock, trying to get work done before wrapping up the session in March.
After a long day Tuesday, lawmakers in the Assembly were back on the floor with another ambitious agenda.
17 hours is how much debate could be spread out over Wednesday and Thursday.
Republicans are in the driver's seat, deciding what gets a vote and what doesn't. As you might expect, that has Democrats questioning why some bills are being left behind.
COVID-19 was on the calendar Wednesday with a Republican-backed bill to let people claim natural immunity instead of proving they have been vaccinated or facing a requirement to take a test.
“My bill makes sure that individuals who have already had COVID and recovered are exempt from having to take the vaccine,” State Rep. Cody Horlacher, R-Mukwonago, explained during a press conference Wednesday.
Also on the agenda was a proposal to cut back on the legal liability for gun and ammo makers. The bill would protect companies from lawsuits if their product is used illegally.
“36 other states have already approved this,” State Rep. Gae Magnafici, R-Dresser, said. “I just feel that when a crime is committed we should blame the criminal and not the gun.”
However, Democrats told reporters that's not what the people of Wisconsin want.
“Everyone in this state deserves to live without the fear of gun violence and there are bipartisan, popular, and common proposals that the people of Wisconsin want to see move forward, including a background check on every gun sale,” Minority Leader Greta Neubauer, D-Racine, said.
Instead, the minority wants more bipartisan bills put to a vote, such as the one to close and replace the state's juvenile prison.
That proposal passed the Senate unanimously Tuesday without debate. However, you likely won't see it on the floor of the Assembly. This week, Speaker Vos voiced his objections to spending money with no site for a new facility picked out.
“Every single conservative Senate Republican voted in favor,” State Rep. Evan Goyke, D-Milwaukee, said. “Robin Vos is the only person in Wisconsin politics standing in the way of closing Lincoln Hills.”
The Assembly plans to vote on a number of election bills on Thursday, which already cleared the Senate earlier this week.