MADISON, Wisconsin (AP) – The Republican-controlled Wisconsin legislature on Thursday revoked Democratic Governor Tony Evers’ mask mandate, ignoring warnings from health experts against making Wisconsin one of only 10 states without one. state order.
The House vote came a week after the Senate voted to eliminate the mandate. Republicans, who control both chambers, argued that Evers exceeded his authority by repeatedly extending the mask’s mandate without legislative approval. The repeal will take effect on Friday, after the signature of both Republican legislative leaders.
Evers could challenge the Legislature by issuing a new order by putting a new masked mandate in place, a move that would force the Legislature to vote again to revoke. The last mask mandate had been in effect since August. Local mask decrees, including one in Milwaukee and Dane County that includes Madison, remain in effect.
Evers did not immediately comment on the legislative action.
The Assembly voted 52-42 to revoke the mandate, with seven Republicans joining all Democrats in the opposition.
The Supreme Court can end the legislative process with a decision in a pending case that says Evers must guarantee the legislators’ approval every 60 days. The court could also say that it does not need approval, thus forcing the legislature to revoke all orders issued by Evers with which Republicans disagree.
Health experts say masks may be the most effective way to prevent the spread of COVID-19, which killed nearly 6,000 Wisconsin residents, and that a repeal could create confusion and send the wrong message about the importance of masks.
“We should wear masks,” said state deputy Robyn Vining. “Masks save lives.”
Republicans say the issue is not about masks, but whether Evers can legally issue multiple emergency health orders during the pandemic. The legislature argues that it cannot and must guarantee its approval every 60 days. Evers says the changing nature of the pandemic has allowed him to issue several orders and mask orders.
“I know you want to talk about masks. It is not, ”said Republican majority leader Jim Steineke. “It’s about the rule of law.”
Coronavirus has declined in Wisconsin and elsewhere in the United States, but health experts have warned of a continuing danger, including the emergence of new and more contagious variants. All neighboring states in Wisconsin have some form of masking mandate, according to the National Academy for State Health Policy.
The revocation is the last defeat for Evers, who has been fighting to fight the pandemic. Last year, Republican lawmakers persuaded the state’s Supreme Court to cancel his order to stay at home. And a bar in Amery and the Pro-Life Wisconsin group persuaded a state appeals court to remove the limits it imposed on internal meetings.
Prior to Thursday’s vote, House Republicans sent Evers a letter saying they would support a more limited mask mandate that applies to locations “susceptible to the transmission of the virus.” Republicans said this included health facilities, nursing homes, public transportation, state government buildings, assisted living facilities, public schools, universities and prisons.
Republicans asked Evers to come up with a proposed rule to enact such a mandate, promising that such a request would be “reviewed in a fair and judicious manner”.
The Assembly also passed a bill containing a clause designed to ensure that the state does not lose about $ 50 million a month to pay food stamp benefits to about 243,000 low-income people in the state. Federal law requires an emergency health order to receive the money. The Senate planned to meet on Friday to approve the bill, sending it to Evers.
Evers did not say whether he would sign the law. It would also prohibit the closing of churches during the pandemic and prevent employers from requiring workers to be vaccinated against the disease. It also gives the legislature control over how federal money to fight the virus is spent.
Evers had supported an earlier, more limited version of the bill.
Nearly 60 organizations are registered in opposition to revoking the mask’s mandate, including groups representing hospitals, doctors, nurses, EMTs, school administrators, businesses, children, Milwaukee schools, American Indian tribes, pharmacists, firefighters, local health departments, citizens elderly, churches and dentists.