New Assembly and Senate Committees Augment Governor Walker’s Efforts At Restoring Balance in Relationship Between Washington, Wisconsin
January 26, 2017 – Milwaukee, WI – On Tuesday, members of the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty’s (“WILL”) Center for Competitive Federalism (“CCF”) testified before the newly created Assembly Committee on Federalism. In addition to representatives from the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute, the Committee heard testimony from WILL’s President Rick Esenberg, CCF Director Mario Loyola, and CCF Associate Counsel Jake Curtis.
The Assembly Federalism and Interstate Relations Committee was created by Speaker Robin Vos in December. The Assembly Committee compliments the Senate’s Financial Services, Constitution and Federalism committee, which has yet to meet. The creation of both Committees coincided with Governor Walker’s letter to President Trump, welcoming “the historic opportunity to pursue change that aligns with our founders’ original vision for vigorous, innovative states.”
“As the first committee of its kind in Wisconsin and one of the few standing committees nationwide to focus on federalism, the Committee is in a unique position to advance legislation that restores a constitutional relationship between the federal government and the states and raise the public’s understanding of the progressive federal takeover of state institutions,” noted CCF Director Mario Loyola.
“It is exciting to see so much momentum behind a founding principle that is now more relevant than ever,” stated Associate Counsel Jake Curtis. “The Assembly’s leadership, Chairman Vorpagel, and members of the Committee (both Republican and Democrat) deserve special recognition for taking the time to shed light on the at times coercive nature of the federal government.”
“We were thrilled to have the opportunity to participate in the Committee’s first hearing,” commented WILL President Rick Esenberg. “We look forward to releasing a bold list of action items in the coming weeks that will, among other things, assist the Committee in establishing a clearly defined scope of jurisdiction.”
For additional information regarding the Center for Competitive Federalism, including a full listing of its recent policy reports and model legislation, please visit the CCF website.
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