LRB-1644/1
RAC:amn
2021 - 2022 LEGISLATURE
January 21, 2021 - Introduced by Senators Nass, Bradley, Kapenga, Stroebel,
Felzkowski, Jacque, Testin, Marklein and Wanggaard, cosponsored by
Representatives Ramthun, Horlacher, Sortwell, Magnafici, Wichgers,
Cabral-Guevara, Brooks, Jagler, Gundrum, Macco, Skowronski,
Thiesfeldt, Brandtjen, Allen, Dittrich, Moses, Knodl and Schraa.
Referred to Committee on Senate Organization.
SJR3,1,3 1Relating to: terminating the COVID-19 public health emergency, including all
2emergency orders and actions taken pursuant to declaration of the public
3health emergency.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This joint resolution resolves that the public health emergency declared by the
governor in Executive Order #104 on January 19, 2021, in response to the COVID-19
coronavirus, is unlawful and is terminated. The termination of the public health
emergency applies to all actions of the governor and all emergency orders issued
pursuant to the declaration of the public health emergency.
SJR3,1,74 Whereas, under the United States Constitution and the Wisconsin State
5Constitution, the structural separation and limitation of governmental powers is
6foundational to our republican form of government, in that it ensures the
7government exercises only that authority to which the governed have consented; and
SJR3,1,98 Whereas, under section 323.10 of the statutes the governor may issue an
9executive order declaring the existence of a public health emergency; and
SJR3,2,3
1Whereas, section 323.12 of the statutes grants the governor certain powers that
2may be used in responding to the specified public health emergency, as defined in
3section 323.02 (16) of the statutes; and
SJR3,2,84 Whereas, the governor's authority to use the powers granted under section
5323.12 of the statutes automatically expires 60 days after the declaration of the
6emergency, unless the legislature extends the state of emergency by joint resolution,
7or at such time as the legislature rescinds the executive order declaring the
8emergency, whichever occurs first; and
SJR3,2,129 Whereas, on March 12, 2020, Governor Tony Evers issued Executive Order #72
10declaring a public health emergency for the COVID-19 coronavirus, which gave the
11governor access to the powers identified in section 323.12 of the statutes for the
12purpose of taking immediate action on the COVID-19 coronavirus emergency; and
SJR3,2,1713 Whereas, the legislature has not extended the state of emergency related to the
14COVID-19 coronavirus emergency identified in Executive Order #72, with the result
15that the governor's authority to address the COVID-19 coronavirus using the
16emergency powers identified in section 323.12 of the statutes expired on May 11,
172020; and
SJR3,2,2218 Whereas, given that legislative oversight is vital to ensuring the governor's
19proper exercise of the emergency powers granted by section 323.12 of the statutes,
20legislative oversight is rendered useless if the governor ignores the temporal
21limitations on the emergency powers by continuously reissuing emergency
22declarations for the same emergency; and
SJR3,2,2523 Whereas, under section 323.10 of the statutes, any extension of the declaration
24of emergency caused by the COVID-19 coronavirus requires a joint resolution of the
25legislature; and
SJR3,3,3
1Whereas, the Wisconsin Supreme Court has already reaffirmed the
2legislature's constitutionally mandated participation in any further response to the
3COVID-19 coronavirus in Wisconsin Legislature v. Palm; and
SJR3,3,64 Whereas, Executive Order #82 was unlawfully issued on July 30, 2020, to
5address the very same COVID-19 public health emergency that expired with
6Executive Order #72 on May 11, 2020; and
SJR3,3,97 Whereas, Executive Order #90 was unlawfully issued on September 22, 2020,
8to address the very same COVID-19 public health emergency that expired with
9Executive Order #72 on May 11, 2020; and
SJR3,3,1210 Whereas, Executive Order #95 was unlawfully issued on November 20, 2020,
11to address the very same COVID-19 public health emergency that expired with
12Executive Order #72 on May 11, 2020; and
SJR3,3,1613 Whereas, it is incumbent upon the three branches of government to act as
14checks on one another's power in order to vigorously protect and defend the principle
15of structurally separated and limited power, so as to protect the governed from
16abusive government; and
SJR3,3,1917 Whereas, the legislature can and must take immediate action to protect the
18integrity of the legislative powers authorized under the Wisconsin Constitution and
19the integrity of this republican form of government; now, therefore, be it
SJR3,3,25 20Resolved by the senate, the assembly concurring, That the governor had
21no authority to issue Executive Order #104 on January 19, 2021, and it was therefore
22void from the date of its issuance, as were any and all of the governor's actions or
23orders related to the declared public health emergency to the extent the authority
24for those orders or actions depended on Executive Order #104, or sections 323.10 or
25323.12 of the statutes; and
SJR3,4,7
1Be it further resolved, That regardless of whether Executive Order #104
2should ever be construed as having conferred on the governor any authority to
3exercise the powers granted by section 323.10 of the statutes, Executive Order #104
4is hereby terminated and revoked. The revocation of Executive Order #104
5terminates any and all of the governor's actions or orders related to the declared
6public health emergency to the extent the authority for those orders or actions
7depend on Executive Order #104, or sections 323.10 or 323.12 of the statutes.
SJR3,4,88 (End)
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