New round of election bills gives legislature say over money, naming WEC lawyers

MADISON (WKOW) -- Another set of Republican bills changing how Wisconsin administers its elections went into circulation Tuesday.

A bill authored by GOP legislative leaders Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) seeks to give the legislature control of any federal money that would go to the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC.)

It's similar to a bill Republicans proposed last year that would give the budget-writing Joint Committee on Finance oversight of any federal pandemic relief money.

Under the bill, the finance committee would have the power to review and reject any plan Gov. Tony Evers had for giving federal dollars to the elections commission.

"This bill ensures the people of Wisconsin, through their representatives, can review, amend, or block any efforts by the executive branch of the federal government to interfere with Wisconsin election administration," Vos and LeMahieu wrote in a co-sponsorship memo to the rest of the legislature.

https://www.wkow.com/news/new-round-of-election-bills-gives-legislature-say-over-money-naming-wec-lawyers/article_a8c8906a-83c2-11ec-93e6-177442deaa87.html