Press Release
MADISON, WI -- Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) released the following statement:
“The Assembly will open the Special Session after 12 p.m. today.
“After the tragic events this past week, the best way forward is not through divisive and partisan politics but through bipartisan cooperation. The Speaker’s Task Force is an opportunity to bring people together to find solutions.
“I’m pleased but not surprised the Speaker’s Task Force has garnered a great deal of support. Republicans, Democrats, local leaders and state public health officials have all expressed an interest in participating. In order to have a more productive and meaningful dialogue, the task force will now include community members.
“I have asked Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke to head up the task force and lead the important statewide discussion on racial disparities, educational opportunities, public safety, and police policies and standards. I will ask the task force to make legislative recommendations that provide a foundation for Wisconsin’s future."
Assembly Republicans have been leaders in enacting critical law enforcement reforms. In 2014, Wisconsin became the first state in the nation to require outside investigations of officer-involved deaths. In 2017, the Assembly approved reforms for police body cameras, which provided the basis for a bipartisan Legislative Council Study Committee. The recommendations from that committee received unanimous support in the legislature and became law this year. (2019 Wisconsin Act 108).
Last Update: Aug 31, 2020 11:55 am CDT
