By Lydia Larsen for Inside Climate News.
Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Wisconsin News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service Collaboration

Environmental groups in Wisconsin are urging voters to reject two proposed amendments to the state constitution in the upcoming Aug. 13 primary. The measures, if approved, would remove the governor from the process of allocating certain federal funds and instead place control in the hands of the legislature. Members of Wisconsin's Republican-controlled legislature proposed the amendments in an attempt to rein in what they see as a series of oversteps by the state's Democratic governor, Tony Evers.

In addition to the environmental groups, voters rights groups, the Wisconsin Democratic Party and other concerned citizens say the changes would introduce delays into federal disaster relief funding and generate uncertainties in the process through which the state allocates federal funding. The proposed changes come at a time when the state is poised to receive millions from the Inflation Reduction Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for clean energy projects.

"These amendments disallow the governor from doing the things necessary to protect human health and the environment in an expeditious way," said Meleesa Johnson, executive director of Wisconsin's Green Fire, a non-partisan conservation organization.

Representative Robert Wittke, a Republican who wrote and sponsored the amendments, said the changes are a non-partisan move that would lead to better governance of federal funds within the state. The ballot measure stems from a disagreement between Republican state legislators and Evers regarding the state's allotment from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Evers vetoed a bill that would give the legislature oversight on ARPA spending, saying that any disagreements or delays would prevent Wisconsinites from getting the aid they need. He ultimately ended up spending the money on assistance for small businesses, infrastructure upgrades, pandemic response and the tourism industry.

The amendments are intended to apply to a small number of federal funds that do not have a specifically designated use, such as the $5 billion in ARPA funds. According to the state constitution, the governor can allocate those federal funds without the legislature's approval. These dollars ultimately make up a small portion of the total federal money that enters the state each year.

After Evers vetoed the legislature's attempts to exert more control over the ARPA funding in March of 2021, Republicans introduced these amendments to prevent a similar situation from occurring again.

Johnson sees these amendments as part of a sustained movement that undermines the checks and balances in the state's constitution. In the past 15 years, a series of laws and court cases have slowly moved power to the legislative branch, thus limiting the executive branch's ability to protect natural resources. Johnson believes these amendments on the August ballot are another step in this movement.

To Jennifer Giegerich, the government affairs director for the Wisconsin Conservation Voters, the amendments are a dramatic change for a problem that doesn't really exist. After all, most federal funds enter the state with a designated purpose. Those are line items in the state budget that's approved by both houses of the legislature and the governor. Instead, what the amendments will do is create confusion among voters and, if approved, among the courts, administrative offices and officials that will have to negotiate how to interpret the broad language, she said.

"There's a whole lot of concern about what [the changes] would actually mean," Giegerich said. "It's very confusing language and we just don't have any idea of what that could open the door to."

According to an analysis from the University of Wisconsin Law School, it's unclear if the passed amendments could impact the allocation of federal funds on a wider scale. It's common for issues relating to new constitutional amendments to end up in the courts and it's very possible the same could happen in this case. The courts could ultimately decide the exact limits of what federal funding is covered under these amendments.

Disaster Relief Funding

One of the main concerns for environmental groups is that the amendments, if approved, would tie up federal funding for disaster relief. The governor is responsible for declaring a state of emergency. This declaration begins a process of applying for and subsequently bringing funds from the Federal Emergency Management Agency into the state and allocating them appropriately.

This change is especially relevant as Wisconsin continues to see more flooding and extreme weather due to climate change. June was the state's sixth wettest month on record, and heavy rains led to flooding and storm damage. This summer is a big flip from last year, which was the fifth driest June in Wisconsin's history.

Tony Wilkin Gibart, the executive director for the Midwest Environmental Advocates, said that even if the legislature doesn't aim to be an obstacle in this process, their involvement would ultimately slow down the process. It's possible that in the event of a natural disaster, such as a flood, tornado or drought, the legislature would need to be in session to allocate the money if the new amendments go into effect.

"That's antithetical to the whole purpose of disaster relief," Gibart said. "Emergency assistance is the last type of funding we would want to be delayed for political reasons."

Wittke said he and his colleagues considered this issue and, given the agencies through which the emergency relief funds move, it shouldn't impact that kind of funding.

But the Wisconsin Policy Forum, a non-partisan policy research group, said in a report that the changes could affect the deployment of emergency funds and, in the case of delays or extreme situations, cause the state to lose out on funding.

Inflation Reduction Act Grants

Grants from the IRA, including $3 million for the state's Office of Sustainability and Clean Energy and $62 million for solar development, help the state work on climate projects without specific money from the legislature. Although Evers proposed money in the state budget for clean energy and other environmental projects, the Republican-controlled legislature historically has not approved money for climate related projects, making federal grants, especially the IRA, one of the only avenues for supporting these programs.

At the moment, it's difficult to predict how the amendments would impact the state's ability to spend other types of federal funds. Given the vague language in the amendments, it's possible Wisconsin would become less competitive for federal grants, including those under the Inflation Reduction Act, according to Wilkin Gibart.

Tribes, municipalities and nonprofits within the state would not be affected by the amendments, as the constitutional changes only apply for money entering the state government.

Nearby states, including Michigan, Illinois and Minnesota, are doing their best to take advantage of IRA funding, according to Courtney Bourgoin, senior policy and advocacy manager at Evergreen Action, an environmental advocacy group. These states have passed laws that help align their policies to IRA funding opportunities.

"It's unfortunate to be in such a historic, opportune moment that you'd see [Wisconsin] Republicans racing to prevent investment in their own state," Bourgoin said.

Wittke said that if the federal government specifies the purpose of the funding, he doesn't believe it would affect how that money is allocated in the state

In applications for these highly competitive federal grants, state agencies need to explain how they will use the federal dollars. The amendments could complicate the arguments these agencies can make in grant applications, Wilkin Gibart said. Additionally, delays in allocating the money could mean that the state could lose it.

If the amendments are approved by voters, it's up to the legislature to determine how the new rules will work, and so far, it's not clear what that would look like, Hillary Vedvig, the director of government relations at the Nature Conservancy in Wisconsin, said.

Because of this, it's almost impossible to know the exact effect the amendments will have on the state's ability to accept IRA funding or other federal funding for conservation projects in the state.

"It's just really hard to pinpoint exactly what's on the line," Vedvig said. "So we're taking the position that everything is on the line, because it all could be."


Lydia Larsen wrote this article for Inside Climate News.


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Members of the Texas Legislature are back in Austin for its 89th legislative session.

After newly elected lawmakers are sworn in, members will vote on a new Speaker of the House.

Cal Jillson, professor of political science at Southern Methodist University, said it appears moderate Rep. Dustin Burrows, R-Lubbock, has enough support from both Democrats and middle of the road Republicans to beat the more conservative Rep. David Cook, R-Mansfield, but Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton could try to sway the vote.

"We'll see how strongly Patrick, Abbott and Paxton weigh in behind Cook to try to get the conservative speaker that they haven't been able to get for the past decade," Jillson explained.

Republicans have the majority in both the Senate and House of Representatives. Jillson pointed out school vouchers, border patrol, the power grid and water issues are top priories for lawmakers.

After the 2023 session, Abbott convened several special sessions in an unsuccessful attempt to pass a school voucher program. Jillson expects funding for both private and public schools will be addressed over the next 140 days.

"I think they have enough revenue available to start a voucher program and then to go ahead and expand public school funding," Jillson observed. "The trick is in the details. "

He pointed out the proposed voucher program was scaled back from two years ago. Funding for public schools has not increased since 2019.

Border security is also a top priority for the Republican Party. Jillson stressed with President-elect Donald Trump in the White House, lawmakers will be able to pass more legislation without pushback from Washington.

"There may well be a state border patrol bill to put more Texas uniforms on the border," Jillson projected. "Certainly, there will be more attempts to give local law enforcement more power to arrest people they find in the country illegally."


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The League of Women Voters of Florida is taking a personal approach to restoring voting rights for returning citizens.

The group is sending thousands of handwritten postcards to people with felony convictions, many of whom are unaware they may already be eligible to vote. The postcard initiative is part of a broader effort to ensure people know their rights and have the legal support they need to navigate Florida's complex voting restoration process.

Cecile Scoon, copresident of the League of Women Voters of Florida, described the importance of direct outreach to returning citizens and said the postcard campaign has made a significant impact.

"I have personally looked at people's records and they were not voting for over 10 to 20 years, but they didn't know that their felony charge was dropped to a misdemeanor," Scoon outlined. "So, 'I never filed a court paper.' I just read their records and that person was voting, like, within a week -- crying, excited."

The League's efforts began with Florida's 2018 passage of Amendment 4, which restored voting rights to most people with felony convictions. However, added fines and fees requirements created barriers, and while the state introduced a process to verify voter eligibility, advocates said it remains too complex and confusing for many returning citizens.

Scoon highlighted the challenges posed by the state's requirement, emphasizing incomplete or missing records often prevent people from proving they have paid their fines and fees.

"We proved that many of the records were lost, but the government was saying, 'You have to show me that you paid it.' If someone diligently looked for their records, 20 or 30% can't find them all," Scoon explained. "So, how are you going to prove you paid something, then there's no record, or they paid, and the probation office moved and didn't keep the record?"

She noted the League is advocating for legislative reforms to simplify voter eligibility verification. Despite challenges, like returned postcards due to the transient nature of returning citizens, Scoon pointed out they have managed to reach 5,000 people with felony convictions and yielded positive results.

She added anyone who needs assistance from the League's pro bono attorneys can call 407-710-5496 or email canivote@lwvfl.org.

Arkansas lawmakers are at the Capitol today for the start of the 95th Legislative session. Over the next 88 days, legislators will discuss more than 2,000 bills that have been filed since November.

University of Arkansas Political Science Professor Andrew Dowdle said legislators will also attempt to implement bills passed during the first term of Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders.

"Part of that is the Learns Act, where about half of all new state spending is going to private school vouchers," said Dowdle. "There was also an Arkansas Forward report to try to find savings in state government."

He said the report includes measures to slash $300 millions from the state's budget in six years, and a plan to pay state workers more competitive salaries.

One of Sanders' more controversial plans is to build a new 3,000-bed prison in Charleston, in Franklin County. Dowdle said the proposal has received pushback from residents in the area.

"Nobody seems to want a prison in their own neighborhood," said Dowdle. "You usually end up finding more support for prisons in rural areas at times where you end up having higher times of unemployment, and I don't think Charleston would really see itself in that light."

State Sen. Bryan King, R-Green Forest, has filed a draft bill opposing the new prison.

His proposal addresses reducing overcrowding in county jails by investing in new construction, expansions, or renovations in jails with the highest prisoner backlog.


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