Wisconsin voters will decide, after the Wisconsin State Assembly passed Senate Joint Resolution 116, which proposes to amend an article of the state constitution, if Gov. Tony Evers and any future governors should be restricted from using the partial veto power to create or increase any tax.
The Assembly passed the legislative measure for a second consecutive session on February 23 after it was passed by the Wisconsin State Senate.
This measure is supported along partisan lines, with Republicans backing it.
If supported by voters, the amendment is in response to the “400-year veto” made by Evers in 2023 that allowed school districts to raise property taxes to fund schools for the next four centuries.
If the amendment passes, it would not affect Evers, however, and it would take effect for the next governor of Wisconsin, according to Madison’s WMTV channel 15 news.
This amendment joins two others that will be on voters’ ballots. The first is proposed constitution amendment Senate Joint Resolution 94, which aims to eliminate diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs from state and local governments.
Republicans have long targeted DEI programs and have been successful intermittently especially when they were able to require the University of Wisconsin system to freeze DEI systems, according to the Wisconsin Examiner.
Voters will see on their ballot the question, “Shall section 27 of article I of the constitution be created to prohibit governmental entities in the state from discriminating against, or granting preferential treatment to, any individual or group on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in public employment, public education, public contracting, or public administration?”
The last constitutional amendment voters will be asked to weigh in on will be Assembly Joint Resolution 10, which passed the Assembly on January 27, proposing to declare that state and local governments do not have the ability to close places of worship in response to a public health emergency.
This measure is also a response to an administrative action of the governor during the coronavirus pandemic.
Gov. Evers initiated public health orders that banned large gatherings at places of worship, addressing concerns that it could cause the virus to spread further and lead to more deaths.