Wisconsin Assembly to vote on repealing statewide mask order

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Assembly was poised Thursday to repeal Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ mask mandate, a move that would jeopardize more than $49 million in federal food assistance and brush aside warnings from health experts and make Wisconsin one of only 10 states without a statewide order.

The Assembly is scheduled to vote Thursday on a resolution doing away with the mandate. The Senate approved the resolution Tuesday. State law gives the Legislature the power to overturn emergency orders without the governor's signature, making Thursday's vote final.

Wisconsin has had a statewide mask mandate since August. It was scheduled to run until March 20.

Repealing the governor’s emergency health order will undo the mask mandate but also put in jeopardy more than $49 million in federal food assistance for low-income people. The COVID-19 aid bill passed by Congress last year gives states the federal money but only if they have emergency health orders in effect, a memo from the nonpartisan Legislative Fiscal Bureau said.

This month alone, nearly 243,000 Wisconsin households received $49.3 million in federal assistance, the memo said.

Democratic Rep. Evan Goyke, of Milwaukee, said Thursday he hoped the information would cause Republicans to pause and not vote to pass the resolution.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos did not immediately return a message seeking comment.

The resolution was moving quickly through the Legislature. It was introduced last week, not subject to a public hearing, passed by the Senate on Tuesday and up for final approval Thursday in the Assembly.

More than two dozen public health organizations, as well as state and local health officials, have urged the Legislature to reconsider the vote. Wearing masks is one of the...