Madison, Wisconsin – Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers vetoed 41 bills passed by the Republican-led Legislature on March 29, rejecting the GOP’s $3 billion tax cut, promises of political loyalty to college employees and a plan to determine how many wolves would be hunted each year.
In more than five years as governor in the Republican-controlled Legislature, Evers vetoed more bills than any governor in Wisconsin history.
The wolf bill that Evers vetoed would have required state wildlife managers to set a specific numerical target for the state’s wolf population.
Republicans adopted the measure after the state DNR failed to set a challenging cap on the state’s wolf population in its up-to-date management plan.
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State wildlife officials told lawmakers that not having a challenging limit gives the DNR more flexibility in managing the species, allows local wolf packs to fluctuate and gives the population a better chance of maintaining wolf numbers for many years.
Some hunting advocates support setting a population limit, arguing that the lack of a target leaves both wolves and humans unprotected.
Evers, in his veto message, said setting a numerical goal did not take into account the social, scientific, biological and legal complexities of the recovered wolf population. He also said he opposes the Legislature’s micromanagement of the DNR.
Evers also vetoed a bill banning antlerless deer hunting in northern Wisconsin for four years, sparking considerable debate.
He added that the bill had many opponents Keeper of the Milwaukee Journal, including those who have noticed the wide variation in deer densities across the north, as well as supporters of the state’s Deer Advisory Council process, an entity created a decade ago to aid set local harvest goals and antler permit levels.
(Story by Scott Bauer/Associated Press)
