State Republican Lawmakers Propose Withholding Salary of State Officials Who Continue Working Beyond Term Expiration

Thursday, February 8th, 2024 -- 12:00 PM

(Molly Beck, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel) Republican lawmakers are proposing to withhold the salary of state officials who continue working beyond the expiration of their term, a measure that would cut paychecks to the state's top election official if signed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

According to Molly Beck with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the proposal comes after a protracted battle between Republicans who control the state Legislature and the Wisconsin Elections Commission over whether commission administrator Meagan Wolfe should keep her job amid pressure from supporters of former President Donald Trump who have targeted Wolfe as a symbol of false claims of election fraud during the 2020 election.

The bill also would have applied to a former Department of Natural Resources Board chairman who also stayed in his position beyond the expiration of his term, a move that triggered a lawsuit and subsequent court ruling that has allowed Wolfe to stay in her job legally.

"There is no constitutional or statutory prohibition on a holdover period after an incumbent’s term has expired, meaning that the incumbent doesn’t need to go through the appointment or confirmation process to retain their position. Instead, they can remain in that position until an appointee is confirmed," the four lawmakers wrote in a memo to colleagues seeking support.

"As we have seen, if the appointing authority or Senate fails to act, the holdover may stay in office as long as they would like while continuing to receive a taxpayer-funded paycheck," the lawmakers wrote. "(The bill) seeks to hold political appointees in an executive branch position accountable by withholding their salary and other payments 90 days after the expiration of their term."

The bill is proposed by Republican Sens. Duey Stroebel of Town of Cedarburg and Romaine Quinn of Cameron and GOP Reps. Dave Maxey of New Berlin and Tom Michalski of Elm Grove.

The bill would cut off salaries and other state-funded payments to the officials holding over after 90 days. It applies only to officials within the executive branch, which covers Wolfe, according to the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau.

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