Currents
January 2019
> continued from page 6
What they do is assert, in relatively minor ways, the
Legislature’s power in preparation for divided govern-
ment. The two states have been under unified GOP
control since 2011, but voters in both chose Democ-
rats to take over as Governor and Attorney General
next year.
As a result, lawmakers in Wisconsin are trying to
increase their control over state litigation. They want
to prevent the new Attorney General, Josh Kaul, from
pulling out of the lawsuit that Wisconsin and 19 other
states have brought against ObamaCare.
Lawmakers also want a say before the next Gov-
ernor, Tony Evers, asks the feds for changes to
jointly administered programs, such as Medicaid.
The Legislature wants to weaken the Governor’s
authority over administrative rules. Oh, and the legis-
lation would restrict early voting in Wisconsin to two
weeks, instead of as much as six weeks now. This
package passed Wednesday, and Governor Scott
Walker has suggested he will sign it.
In Michigan, one proposal would let the Legisla-
ture intervene in lawsuits involving the state. A sec-
ond would shift oversight of campaign finance from
the Secretary of State - another office flipping red to
blue - to a new bipartisan commission. A different
panel would gain authority over a proposed replace-
ment oil pipeline under the Straits of Mackinac, a
project many Democrats oppose.
The Legislature may also tweak referendums that
voters approved last month. Michigan’s new inde-
pendent redistricting commission could be barred
from hiring experts affiliated with either party. Law-
makers may slow the phase-in of a $12 minimum
wage, approved in September, from 2022 to 2030.
Democrats don’t like these changes, but they are
perfectly normal policy disputes. Yet by rushing them
through to beat the clock, GOP lawmakers open
themselves to charges of political cynicism. If the
public decides Republicans are abusing their power,
the solution is political: Vote them out in two years.
Lawmakers seem to recognize this. In Wisconsin,
they tried to move the date for the 2020 presidential
primary to March from April. That way a conservative
state Supreme Court justice up for a re-election vote
in April wouldn’t be swamped by an anti-Trump
wave. But the GOP abandoned it after heavy criti-
continued on page 8 >
954-974-2820
$2.00 OFF
$1.00 OFF 49Ę
8.5 x 11
Greeting Cards
$2.00
OFF
Packages over
COLOR copies
Shipping - minimum package $10
$1.00
Order
Business
Card EACH
$10.00
/31/2019
Exp.01
Exp.
11/30/09
Exp. 11/30/09 Exp. 01/31/2019
Exp. 11/30/09
Must Show
Must
Show Beach
Coupon
Show
Coupon
1231 Coupon
S. Powerline Rd.,
Pompano
(Next to Must
the Bagel
Shack)
7