Republican governor signs controversial lame-duck bill

MADISON, WIS. • Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker signed a sweeping package of Republican-written legislation Friday that restricts early voting and weakens the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general, brushing aside complaints that he is enabling a brazen power grab and ignoring the will of voters.

Walker signed the bills just 24 days before he leaves office during an event at a state office building in Green Bay, about 209 kilometres from his Capitol office.

The Republican governor and one-time GOP presidential candidate downplayed bipartisan criticism that they amount to a power grab that will stain his legacy. He detailed all of the governor’s powers, including a strong veto authority, that will not change while defending the measures he signed as improving transparency, stability and accountability.

“There’s a lot of hype and hysteria, particularly in the national media, implying this is a power shift,” Walker said before signing the measures. “It’s not.”

Walker was urged by Democrats and Republicans, including Democratic Gov.-elect Tony Evers and former Republican Gov. Scott McCallum, to reject the legislation. Walker, who was defeated by Evers for a third term, had earlier said he was considering partial vetoes, but he ultimately did not strike anything.

Evers accused Walker of ignoring and overriding the will of the people by signing the bills into law.

“This will no doubt be his legacy,” Evers said in a statement.

Walker, speaking after he signed the bills, brushed aside what he called “high-pitched hysteria” from critics of the legislation. He said his legacy will be the record he left behind that includes all-but eliminating collective bargaining for public workers, not the lame-duck measures.

“We’ve put in deep roots that have helped the state grow,” Walker said. “You want to talk about legacy, to me that’s the legacy.”

Democrats and liberal advocacy groups are expected to sue within days over the bills, which was pushed through the Republicancontrolled Legislature during a lame-duck session last week.

Republican leaders and Walker moved forward with the proposals immediately after Evers defeated the GOP governor as part of a Democratic sweep of statewide offices in the mid-term election. The push is aimed at safeguarding conservative policies put in place during Walker’s eight years as governor and mirrors tactics used by Republicans in North Carolina in 2016. Republicans in Michigan are weighing similar moves.

The Wisconsin bills focus on numerous Republican priorities, including restricting early in-person voting to two weeks before an election, down from as much as nearly seven weeks in the overwhelmingly Democratic cities of Milwaukee and Madison.

The legislation shields the state’s job-creation agency from Evers’ control until September and limits his ability to enact administrative rules. The measures also would block Evers from withdrawing Wisconsin from a multistate lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act, one of his central campaign promises.

Gov. Scott Walker