This week we were supposed to see a Knowles-Nelson compromise bill pass out of the Senate. Instead, Republicans doubled down on partisanship. Democrats reiterated their desire for compromise and declined to support a bill that is Knowles-Nelson in name only. Wisconsin is now left without funding for conservation.
And as of today, the program appears headed for a lapse in funding, even though the way forward is painfully clear.
Monday > Joint Finance Committee
The Joint Finance Committee advanced the Senate Republican reauthorization proposal – the one that funds nonprofit land acquisition at just $2.5 million AND bans land protection across portions of the state. It passed along party lines, but the hearing made clear that this bill was never negotiated across the aisle.
As Rep. Deb Andraca put it, “This proposal is not the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program that 93% of Wisconsinites support.”
Noting that the Democratic reauthorization proposal never received discussion in the legislature, she added, “you would rather bow down to the most extreme members of your party than even give our Democratic-led bill a vote in committee … So no, this is not the best that you could do. This is the best that you chose to do.”
Watch full JFC meeting on WisEye
The hearing also made clear that some of the bill’s most damaging provisions are retaliation for the Wisconsin Supreme Court ending the unconstitutional practice of blocking conservation projects with anonymous objections.
Holding the Stewardship Program hostage over a court ruling isn’t a policy argument. It’s a political hit.
Wednesday >The Senate stalls
The full Senate was scheduled to vote on the Republican proposal Wednesday. Instead, Republican leaders pulled the bill from the floor entirely because they didn’t have enough votes in their own caucus to pass it.
Let that sink in. This is a bill that guts the Stewardship Program in order to appease opponents of conservation in the Republican caucuses. Republican leaders wrote the bill, added new restrictions in committee, scheduled a floor vote, and yet still couldn’t muster the votes to pass it on a party line vote.
Despite all those self-imposed headaches, they still choose not to compromise with Democrats.
Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein was adamant yesterday morning that her caucus remains willing to negotiate, but compromise means moving toward the middle, not moving further and further away from the Democratic position.
Watch pre-session conference on WisEye
