Lawmakers approach 39-year streak of failed veto overrides, but that's not stopping them from trying

 

MADISON, Wis. (CBS 58) -- It's been nearly 40 years since the state Legislature was successful in overriding a governor's veto, but lawmakers keep trying and that's exactly what happened at the Wisconsin State Capitol Tuesday, May 14.

Senate Republicans voted to override nine bills previously rejected by Gov. Tony Evers that address things such as PFAS pollution, known as forever chemicals found in water and other household products, expanding teacher apprenticeship programs, and mandating audits of elections.

They're all issues both sides want to prioritize, but Democrats and Republicans can't agree on the language of the bills which resulted in finger pointing and tense moments during debate on the floor.

"This is a political chess game for the Democrats and the governor," said Sen. Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) when discussing framework to spend $125 million to combat PFAS contaminants. "You are playing with people's lives."

During debate on a GOP bill that would require the non-citizens to have ID cards indicating they're not eligible to vote, Sen. Tim Carpenter called out his colleagues to "push back on some of this Republican garbage being brought up."

This week is reserved for lawmakers to come back into session to try and override Evers' vetoes, but without the support of two-thirds or a "supermajority" in each chamber the bills passed by Senate Republicans are mostly meaningless.

While Republicans in the Senate have a two-thirds majority, Assembly Republicans do not.

It's part of the reason why successfully overriding a governor's veto is a challenging task and something that hasn't happened in 39 years.

Out of the 2,000 bills that have been fully vetoed in state history, 83 were overridden by the Legislature, according to a memo by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau.

The last time lawmakers were successful in overriding a partial veto was 1985 when former Democratic Gov. Tony Earl was in office. Lawmakers haven't successfully overridden a full veto since 1981.

Democratic Sen. LaTonya Johnson said it was "completely ludicrous" to override bills knowing Assembly Republicans don't have the votes to follow suit.

"This is just pure political theater," Johnson said. "There is no purpose for us being here."

Despite a 39-year streak of failed veto overrides, lawmakers are likely to continue to try as many see it as an opportunity for political messaging heading into a continuous election year.