MADISON, Wis. — Democrats in the Wisconsin State Legislature are introducing a bill that would create a statewide mask mandate through the legislative process.
Citing Republican arguments on the floor of the Assembly Thursday saying their attempts to throw out Gov. Tony Evers’ emergency order was about the governor’s powers and not about the mask mandate, Democrats Friday announced their plans to introduce a bill that would put a statewide mask order in place for the remainder of the pandemic, until President Joe Biden declares the national coronavirus emergency over.
“The Republicans who voted to overturn Wisconsin’s mask order have sworn up and down that it ‘isn’t about masks,’ and there was bipartisan opposition in both houses to overturning it, so I look forward to strong bipartisan support for this bill,” Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz said in a statement announcing the proposal.
“Here’s the chance for the Republicans to prove it,” State Sen. Jim Erpenbach of Middleton said, saying those across the aisle had a chance to work with Democrats to put a mask mandate in place.
“Wisconsinites perceive this as Republicans and Democrats fighting over a mask, and collectively we should be fighting the virus,” Sen. Erpenbach said.
Democrats say the legislation is needed in case the Wisconsin Supreme Court rules against the governor’s ability to issue successive emergency orders to keep a mask mandate in place.
“You can’t beat a pandemic in court,” Sen. Erpenbach said, stressing the importance of masks when it comes to getting life back to normal in Wisconsin.
“If we mask up and we make it through the vaccine rollout, we’re going to be so much better in a couple months than we are today.”
The announcement comes just before the State Senate is set to take up a coronavirus relief bill Friday.
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