Assembly Republicans say their legislative agenda next year will include drug testing for public benefit recipients and a reconfiguration of the state’s elections agency.
With Election Day just two weeks away, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos and other GOP representatives held a state Capitol press conference to talk about what people might expect from Republicans if they maintain control.
“Our goal is to hit the ground running right away in January, so that we have bills drafted, we have ideas that we’re putting forward today, so that we have no delay whatsoever,” said Vos.
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The lengthy plan, compiled by lawmakers’ taxpayer-funded state staff, includes dozens of proposals and is adorned with pictures of GOP lawmakers posing everywhere from the Capitol to a construction site.
The proposal to require drug testing for public benefits mirrors a plan Gov. Scott Walker has talked about on his campaign. Vos has also talked previously about changing the Government Accountability Board, but he said he’s not sure what to replace it with.
“All ideas are on the table. I think that what many of my colleagues and what I have heard all around the state as I travel is that the current system is broken. There are significant changes that need to happen, and hopefully after November, we’ll be able to forge a consensus to make that occur,” said Vos.
While many of the Assembly GOP ideas have already been talked about at length, their agenda also includes lesser-discussed plans like one that would help secure temporary employment for inmates before release.
Assembly Democratic Minority Leader Peter Barca issued a statement saying the GOP agenda showed Republicans have no plan to prioritize other important issues like support for public schools and affordable health care coverage.
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