Rep. Warren Petryk

People have been asking me about the two referendum questions that are on ballots for the Aug. 13 election. Despite their peculiar wording, the questions address your fundamental right to be heard in Madison about how billions of federal funds sent to Wisconsin are spent. 

These ballot questions aim to change a state policy that has suppressed your input through the legislative process for almost a century. The policy granting the governor the authority to assign federal funds without legislative approval began in 1931. The reasoning at the time was that money needed to be spent right away because information moved too slowly throughout the state. Given today’s technology, lawmakers and the general public can now obtain information instantly, making this argument obsolete. 

This disastrous policy was on full display recently after Congress passed several COVID relief bills during the pandemic. The governor didn't consult you, the people of Wisconsin, nor your Legislature, before going on a $5 billion spending spree with your tax dollars. As a result, money was allocated to the governor's personally chosen projects, which might not have benefited the Chippewa Valley. The governor's unilateral decision-making process has also raised multiple questions regarding accountability and transparency in the distribution of public monies. 

Having one person, regardless of party, with this authority highlighted the urgency to change current practice to establish a process of fair distribution of resources. And this isn't the first time this has been tried. The Democratic-controlled legislature, which included Democrats from the Eau Claire area, voted aye in 2009 to oversee federal funds the state received in 2008 as a result of the Great Recession. And the governor vetoed a similar piece of legislation known as the "Truth in Spending Act" that was passed in 2021 to provide similar oversight over federal COVID funds. 

The simple question put to voters is: Should one individual be able to spend your tax money without the public having a say in it? A yes vote means the legislature must approve all spending and a no vote means the governor continues to spend these funds without legislative oversight. That is why when this question came up for a vote on the floor of the Assembly my response was a resounding “aye.” 

And as a reminder about the election, clerks around Wisconsin will be looking for election workers for the upcoming elections. Election workers are generally required to be registered voters. However, 16 and 17-year-olds who meet certain requirements are permitted by law to work as poll workers in Wisconsin. Along with helping your local clerks, this can be a fantastic way to introduce young people to the political process.