by State Rep. Warren Petryk

Recently on a cold Friday afternoon, the governor chose to use his veto pen to stop a comprehensive COVID relief package that would have provided additional resources and preserve future federal dollars for Western Wisconsin to combat this virus and limit its effect on our lives. This comprehensive measure the legislature passed was a reflection of the different ideas my constituents and businesses have expressed throughout the pandemic regarding what they need help with to ensure our state is in the best position to recover from this pandemic.

Assembly Bill 1 (AB 1) contained over 44 provisions to help our state. One of the most important provisions would provide an additional $100 million in state funds to put towards combating the virus. These funds would have been used to provide much-need resources for our local health departments or to purchase more test supplies and vaccines for our state.

AB 1 also contained several provisions to address the administration’s failure to get the unemployment insurance backlog under control. As people continue to wait for answers, AB 1 would have required the Department of Workforce Development to extend call center hours and create a public plan to address the backlog. Additionally, according to a memo by the non-partisan Fiscal Bureau, the veto of AB 1 will also cost the state $6.5 million in federal unemployment insurance funding. This is funding that, right now, can help pay for unemployment insurance benefits for those people who lost their job through no fault of their own.

This irresponsible veto by the governor delays provisions that would have sped up our state’s response to COVID. AB 1 would have allowed dentists and pharmacy students to use their medical background to administer the vaccine. Also, this legislation would have provided additional protections for our seniors and most vulnerable Wisconsinites by eliminating copayments for COVID tests and vaccines. Additionally, his veto eliminates a provision that would have protected patients from surprise health billing statements that was included in Wisconsin’s previous COVID relief package from last year. In his veto message, the governor stated he wanted to maintain the power to keep places of worship closed and wanted full discretion over future federal COVID funds without including the input of our citizens. AB 1 contained common-sense provisions that people support and I’m disappointed he used his powers to stop much-needed relief for our state.