Governor Doyle, 38 State Representatives Reject Wisconsin Sportsmen and Women on DNR Secretary Appointment Bill

Poynette: Yesterday, Governor James Doyle and thirty-eight Wisconsin state representatives rejected the request of 270 hunting, fishing, trapping, forestry and other conservation and environmental groups to restore the appointment authority of the DNR Secretary back to the Natural Resources Board.

While the State Assembly voted by an overwhelming 58 to 38 margin to override Governor James Doyle’s veto of AB 138, the bill that would have restored the appointment authority to the NRB, a two-thirds majority was required because of Doyle’s reversal of his fourteen year support for the Board appointment. Doyle had repeatedly indicated such support to sports groups and individuals when he ran for elections. When the change was made to a Governor’s appointed system, then Attorney General Doyle called it a “wholesale attack on the way we protect the environment.”

In the last week before the vote, big business interests, such as the Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the Wisconsin Builders Association, the Wisconsin Realtors and the Wisconsin Farm Bureau lobbied state representatives heavily and the two-thirds majority to override the veto was lost. These groups and others opposed to the override contribute heavily to Doyle and the thirty-eight representatives that voted against Wisconsin sportsmen and women. As an example, it has been reported that these interests contributed $4.14 million to Doyle since 2003. Doyle’s aides including a DNR employee were actively lobbying against the override in the State Capitol yesterday.

Approximately two hundred blaze orange clad hunters, anglers trappers and other conservationists were at the Capitol to show their strong support for the veto override.
The following thirty-eight state representatives actually looked those sportsmen and women in the eye and voted no on the veto override.

Republicans Voting Against the Override: Ballweg, Brooks, Davis, Fitzgerald, Friske, Gottlieb, Gunderson, Gundrum, Honadel, Huebsch, Kerkman, Kestell, Kleefisch, Knodl, Kramer, LeMahieu, Lothian, Montgomery, Murtha, Nass, Newcomer, Nygren, Al Ott, Jim Ott, Petersen, Petrowski, Pridemore, Rhoades, Stone, Strachota, Townsend, Vos, Vukmir and Zipperer.

Democrats Voting Against the Override: Steinbrink, Young and Zepnick.
Independent Voting Against the Override: Wood
Democrat Paired Against the Override: Kessler

A special thank you to the following 58 representatives who resisted the heavy lobbying by the business interests and the Governor and voted to support Wisconsin sportsmen and women:

Republicans Voting for the Override: Bies, Kaufert, Meyer, Mursau, Nerison, Ripp, Roth, Spanbauer, Tauchen, Van Roy, and Mary Williams.

Democrats Voting for the Override: Barca, Benedict, Berceau, Bernard Schaber, Black, Clark, Colon, Cullen, Danou, Dexter, Fields, Garthwaite, Grigsby, Hebl, Hilgenberg, Hintz, Hixson, Hraychuck, Hubler, Jorgensen, Krusick, Mason, Milroy, Molepske, Nelson, Parisi, Pasch, Pocan, Pope-Roberts, Radcliffe, Richards, Roys, Schneider, Seidel, Sheridan, Sherman, Shilling, Sinicki, Smith, Soletski, Staskunas, Toles, Turner, Van Akkeren, Vruwink, Ziegelbauer and Zigmunt.

Democrats Paired for the Override: Annette Williams

Republican Scott Suder, a cosponsor and a strong supporter of the bill did not vote due to his active duty deployment in Afghanistan. We greatly appreciate his service and support.

The Wisconsin Wildlife Federation is the state’s largest conservation organization representing 168 hunting, fishing, trapping and forestry-related groups. The Federation is dedicated to conservation education and the advancement of sound conservation policies.

Wisconsin Wildlife Federation - George Meyer