MADISON, Wis. — The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Assembly was poised Thursday to repeal Gov. Tony Evers’ statewide mask mandate, but ultimately decided not to take up the resolution.

Speaker Robin Vos gave the update Thursday afternoon. He said the Assembly wants to ensure that any resolution passed would not have any negative finanical impacts.

Our partners at WisPolitics reported that Senate Republicans amended a COVID-19 bill to spare the state from losing millions in enhanced food stamp funding. The amendment would allow the government to issue another declaration “solely for the purpose of receiving emergency or other allotments under the federal Coronavirus Preparedness and Response Act of 2020.”

Repealing the governor’s emergency health order would undo the mask mandate but also put in jeopardy more than $49 million in federal food assistance for low-income people. The COVID-19 aid bill passed by Congress last year gives states the federal money but only if they have emergency health orders in effect, a memo from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau said.

This month alone, nearly 243,000 Wisconsin households received $49.3 million in federal assistance, the memo said.

More than two dozen public health organizations, as well as state and local health officials, have urged the Legislature to reconsider the vote. Wearing masks is one of the pillars of recommendations from health experts worldwide to slow the spread of the coronavirus, along with physically distancing and avoiding crowds.

If the mask mandate was to be repealed, Wisconsin would become one of only 10 states without a statewide mask order.

Wisconsin has had a statewide mask mandate since August. It is scheduled to run until March 20.