Gov. Tony Evers and conservatives are united against GOP plan giving lawmakers power to impose new fees

MADISON – Gov. Tony Evers is hinting he will veto a provision of the state budget that would allow a handful of lawmakers to establish new vehicle fees if it gets to him. 

Republicans on the Legislature's Joint Finance Committee tucked the provision into the budget in a late-night session last week. In the days since, conservatives have come out against it, raising questions about whether it will survive. 

"I think that’s shaky policy, not only for the rest of the Legislature but also the executive branch," Evers said in an interview Tuesday. 

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The Democratic governor said he saw the proposal as undemocratic because it would let 16 of the state's 132 lawmakers set new fees of any amount based on how many miles people drive. 

Setting such fees should be decided by the full Legislature, Evers said.

"I don’t think we need to short circuit the process we have," Evers said.

His comments come as conservatives raise concerns about the provision.

GOP Sen. Duey Stroebel of Saukville joined Democrats to vote against the measure in committee. Republican Sen. Steve Nass of Whitewater said it could cause him to vote against the budget and Republican Sen. Dave Craig of Big Bend told the conservative MacIver Institute he was troubled by the proposal. 

Republicans control the Senate 19-14 and the Assembly 63-36. Republicans can't afford to lose the votes of more than two GOP senators on the budget because Democrats are unified in their opposition to it. 

Under the GOP plan, the state would spend up to $2.5 million on a study looking into new fees. The new fee system could involve tolls or installing devices in people's cars that monitor how much they drive.

Once the study was completed, the finance committee could adopt any system it wanted regarding mileage-based fees. 

Evers could veto the committee's plan, but the committee could override the veto with a two-thirds vote. Republicans control the committee 12-4, giving them more than two-thirds of the votes on the committee.

In a memo to lawmakers, the conservative advocacy group Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin urged lawmakers to reject the plan.

"A mere 16 members of a legislative committee would determine if the government can track your mileage and charge you a yet-to-be-determined fee — an unprecedented authority for a legislative committee," the memo reads. 

You can find out who your legislators are and how to contact them here: https://maps.legis.wisconsin.gov/

Contact Patrick Marley at patrick.marley@jrn.com. Follow him on Twitter at @patrickdmarley.