Wisconsin Senate votes to override 9 vetoes by Evers

MADISON, Wis. (Civic Media) – The Wisconsin Senate voted on Tuesday to override nine vetoes issued by Gov. Tony Evers.

The nine bills will now head to the state Assembly.

Wisconsin’s Senate has a Republican supermajority, meaning that no Democratic votes were needed to pass the bills. All nine of the bills passed either 21-10 or 22-9.

The state Assembly does not have a veto-proof supermajority, meaning Democrats would need to vote along with Republicans to overturn any of the Governor’s vetoes. The nine bills now head to the Assembly for consideration.

Which vetoes were overturned?

You can see the bills and the veto message from Gov. Evers below, as well as a brief description of each bill.

• Senate Bill 98, which would establish a process for verifying people on voter rolls as U.S. citizens. Evers said in his veto message that the bill would mark identification documents for all non-citizens, potentially leading to unfair treatment of those people. The Senate voted 22-9 to override the veto. The bill originally passed 21-10 in the Senate and passed the Assembly on a voice vote.

Sen. Dan Knodl said despite the veto, he would continue to work towards securing elections.

“This legislation, based on real cases currently under prosecution, is a step towards safeguarding the integrity of our electoral system,” Knodl said. “I am pleased to see my Republican colleagues join me in overriding this irresponsible veto.”

• Senate Bill 139, which would set a state wolf population goal. Evers listed several reasons why he was vetoing the bill, partly because that it ignored established practices by the DNR and Natural Resources Board. The Senate voted 22-9 to override the veto. The bill originally passed the Senate 22-10 and by voice vote in the Assembly.
• Senate Bill 145, a lengthy bill that would have created a new nursing license process. In his veto message, Evers said the license requirements didn’t have enough protections or safeguards for people receiving service from the new license-holders. The vote to override the veto was 21-10 in the state Senate. It originally passed 23-9 in the Senate and by voice vote in the Assembly.

Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara said that the vote to overturn the veto “puts people above profits.”

“We negotiated and compromised more than the 27 other states with this law already in place, but the governor refused to put struggling patients ahead of the big-medicine lobbyists,” Cabral-Guevara said. “I’m proud to provide patients with transparent, affordable care as a nurse practitioner.”

• Senate Bill 312 is the PFAS bill that is at the center of the dispute (and lawsuit) between legislative Republicans and Gov. Evers. Evers vetoed the bill because of how it would limit the DNR in remediation efforts and testing, among several other things. The Republican-controlled Joint Finance Committee has yet to release $125 million in the state budget to help combat PFAS contamination. State Senators voted 22-9 to override the veto. The bill originally passed in the Senate 22-11 and Assembly 62-35.

Republican legislators targeted this bill specifically in press conferences and announcements the last two days, including a statement from Sen. Duey Stroebel, who said the veto removed the legal mechanism to release funding to deal with PFAS contamination in the state.

“Today, I joined my colleagues in the State Senate in voting to override a number of the Governor’s vetoes—including a veto of a bill that would have released $125 million to address PFAS contamination throughout the state,” Stroebel said. “For the fifth time this legislative session, I voted to provide Wisconsin families with the largest investment in clean drinking water in state history—five more times than every Democrat legislator in this state combined.”

Evers announced Monday he was suing lawmakers to release the funding.

NEW: Our response to challenges facing Wisconsin like PFAS contamination, improving our kids’ reading outcomes, and responding to hospital closures in Western Wisconsin is being held up by Republican lawmakers who refuse to release funding that can help.

Today, I'm suing them.

— Governor Tony Evers (@GovEvers) May 13, 2024

• Senate Bill 517 deals with court-issued criminal complaints, if the person acted in self-defense. Evers vetoed the bill, saying it would limit judicial complaints and John Doe proceedings. The veto override vote was 21-10. It originally passed the Senate 21-10 and passed the Assembly on a voice vote.

Senate Bill 736 was one of several election integrity bills touted by legislative Republicans this session. Evers vetoed the bill in favor of keeping the current system for auditing elections, which was recently established, and criticized state legislators for attempting to take over the election audit process. The veto override vote was 22-9. It originally passed in the Senate 22-10 and Assembly by voice vote.

Assembly Rep. Scott Allen said that the bill doesn’t interfere with the current process of election administration.

“Governor Evers’s veto message shows that he does not understand the purpose of this bill nor the feelings of many Wisconsinites,” Allen said. “There is nothing in the bill that interferes with the current election process or adjusts the roles and responsibilities of [the Wisconsin Elections Commission].”

• Senate Bill 917 would add programs for training teachers, which Evers vetoed due to existing programs doing the same thing. The Senate’s veto override vote was 22-9. Originally, the Senate passed the bill 23-9 and the Assembly concurred.
• Senate Bill 932 would change how the state authorizes and manages building projects for public entities. Evers vetoed the bill in part due to it ceding control over projects from local governments to the state, as well as potential delays caused by deferring the final say over approvals to the Joint Finance Committee. The veto override vote was 21-10, with both state chambers passing the bill originally by voice vote.
• Senate Bill 1014 directed $15 million in funding to hospitals providing emergency medical services in Chippewa and Eau Claire counties under certain conditions. The bill was crafted in response to the sudden withdrawal of major medical service providers in the area. Evers vetoed the bill and partially vetoed Senate Bill 1015, eliminating some of the criteria for the grants for medical providers in western Wisconsin. The Senate override vote was 22-9. Originally, the bill passed the Senate 20-12 and Assembly 62-35.

Sen. Howard Marklein, co-chair of the Joint Finance Committee, said he voted to override all nine of the vetoes because they are “good policy” and criticized the governor over his veto of the emergency medical services bill.

“The funds to support emergency rooms in those communities could already be there; Instead, he wanted his way,” Marklein said. “We just want to help people.”

What they’re saying

Legislative Republicans were quick to tout the veto override votes, in nearly every instance calling out Gov. Evers or Democrats in the state Senate for rejecting the legislation in the first place.

“Most of these bills were signed into law, but many were vetoed by a Governor more focused on politics than policies that help everyday Wisconsinites,” Sen. Devin LeMahieu, Senate Majority Leader, said. “While Governor Evers plays politics, the legislature will continue to do the right thing on
behalf of the people of our state.”

“While it is frustrating to see Senate Democrats once again prioritize political stunts over the health of Wisconsinites, I intend to continue working to solve the real problems facing this state,” Sen. Stroebel said.

“It’s unfortunate that Governor Evers prefers to spout political slogans instead of taking seriously the task of ensuring election integrity through robust, comprehensive, and non-partisan audits,” Rep. Allen said.

“It is disgusting that the Governor is playing politics with the lives and wellbeing of the people of Wisconsin,” Sen. Marklein said. “If he were serious about solving problems, he would have worked with us.”

The state’s Democratic Party responded to the veto override votes as a “desperate stunt,” calling for Republicans to release funding for dealing with PFAS contamination and emergency medical services in western Wisconsin.

“We don’t need another round of press conferences and pointless show votes, we just need Republicans to release the money they’ve already approved and get out of the way,” Joe Oslund, Communications Director of the Democratic Party of Wisconsin, said.

Sen. Melissa Agard called the veto overrides “a last, pathetic grasp at power” by Republicans.

“Senate Republicans believe by overriding these bills today, they will achieve a symbolic victory over Governor Evers,” Agard said. “Today’s overrides are the same, tired politics of the past that must end.”

What’s Next

The state Assembly has yet to schedule a session to take up the Senate’s veto overrides. However, a party-line vote would not be enough to override any of the nine vetoed bills.

No Democratic state senator voted to approve any of the veto overrides.

A two-thirds majority of the Assembly would need to vote to override any of the vetoes.