Wisconsin voters to decide on removing governor's power to spend federal money

Wisconsin voters will decide next month in a ballot initiative whether the governor should have discretion over spending federal money that comes without specific spending requirements.

In the Aug. 13 primary election, voters in Wisconsin will choose whether to pass two constitutional amendments that would give the state legislature authority on how to spend federal money, taking away that power from the governor, The Associated Press reported.

Wisconsin Republicans passed the two questions twice in the state legislature before sending them to voters for approval. While the one amendment prohibits the state legislature from delegating its power on how money is spent, the other prevents the governor from spending federal money without the approval from the legislature.

The ballot initiative stems from $5.7 billion in aid that Wisconsin received from the federal government during the COVID-19 pandemic between March 2020 and June 2022. Just $1.1 billion of the funds had specific requirements for how the money was to be spent.

State Sen. Howard Marklein (R), who co-sponsored the initiative, said at a legislative hearing that the amendments would increase “accountability, efficiency, and transparency.”

However, Julie Keown-Bomar, executive director of Wisconsin Farmers Union, argued that if the amendments are passed, then the state government “will become even more dysfunctional.”

In-person early voting for the primary election begins Tuesday and ends on Aug. 11.