By Republicans in Wisconsin rejected more than 500 proposals from Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, on Tuesday. This included proposals to legalize cannabis, including paying for the renovation of the Milwaukee Brewers’ stadium and creating a paid family leave program. AP News report.
Evers called the move “ridiculous”. He proposed using Wisconsin’s record $7 billion budget surplus to fund the state’s spending priorities, but Wisconsin’s Republican leaders ultimately I refused. The members voted 12 to 4 for him to remove his Evers clause in the budget request.
“With a historic $7 billion surplus, we have a historic responsibility and opportunity to invest in long-ignored needs and build the future we want for our state,” Evers said. I got Said Before listing the number of 540 priorities rejected in threads on Twitter.
“These are not biased ideas, controversial concepts, or Republican or Democratic priorities, they are about doing the right thing. If you can afford to do that, this vote is a stupid and wasted opportunity.
The Republican-controlled Congress has removed cannabis reform language from past budget bills, so it’s not necessarily a shock move, at least for cannabis. Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin have also previously warned that they would not allow a proposal to legalize adult-use marijuana to proceed.
The cannabis plan allows adults 21 and older to purchase and own up to 2 ounces of cannabis and grow up to 6 plants for personal use. The Revenue Department would have been responsible for regulating new cannabis markets and issuing business licenses to future professionals in the cannabis field.
Evers’ office Estimate If the reform is enacted, the state will generate $44.4 million in “segregated tax revenue” from legal cannabis, increasing the state’s General Fund tax revenue by $10.2 million in fiscal 2025.
The governor is known for his ongoing pardons, mostly involving low-level crimes and cannabis offenses.the current April 2023Evers achieved 933 pardons in just over four years in office.
“Giving people who have tried to learn from the mistakes of the past and strive to grow to a fresh start is one of the most rewarding parts of my job as governor,” Evers said.
The governor also included legalization of recreational and medical cannabis in the 2021 budget and decriminalization and medical cannabis in the 2019 proposal, so the onslaught of rejected proposals is already visible to Evers. It could be a case of feeling. All reforms were blocked by the Republican Congress.
Last month, Congressman Robin Vos Said of Associated Press Republican lawmakers in the state have personally worked to build support for a medical cannabis program aimed at gaining bipartisan support, which could become law later this year. Voss also said he is against legalizing recreational cannabis and does not want to create a medical program that will pioneer the adult market.
But Wisconsin voters already seem to be broadening their horizons. Marquette Law School in August 2022 poll Of 811 voters in the state, 51% of Republicans, 75% of independents, and 81% of Democrats supported legalization, demonstrating bipartisan support. A total of 69% of registered voters believed cannabis should be legal.
Additionally, continuing to stall cannabis legalization could erode potential state revenue.a report According to a paper published earlier this year, 50% of Wisconsin’s 21+ live within 75 minutes of an out-of-state cannabis retailer, a number that could rise as Minnesota moves closer to legalization. .
