Jun 3, 2022 | Election Central, Wisconsin Family Voice
This week, Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin announced its endorsement of Governor Evers in his reelection campaign. The press release says the governor “has shown the people…exactly who he is: a champion for women’s health and a leader who will fight to ensure…everyone has access to the health care they need, when they need it. The stakes of this year’s elections couldn’t be higher…with the U.S. Supreme Court poised to overturn Roe v. Wade and the possibility that Wisconsin’s criminal abortion ban could go into effect.”
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin spent $750,000 to help get Evers elected the first time. In the last two years, he has rewarded them with over $2 million in taxpayer funds.
The Human Rights Campaign PAC also announced its endorsement of Gov. Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul for reelection.
“Human rights,” apparently, is a subjective term. The organization praised both Evers and Kaul for their “support” of the LGBT community, which implies that a lack of promotion of the LGBT agenda is somehow pitted against natural human rights. “From day one of his governorship, Governor Evers has prioritized the advancement of equality for the LGBTQ+ community. He enacted non-discrimination protections for transgender state employees and has stood strong against efforts by anti-equality forces in the state legislature to pass anti-LGBTQ+ legislation,” reads the organization’s statement for Gov. Evers.
As we well know, religious freedom and free speech rights–values fundamental to our nation’s founding–have been trampled upon in the name of so-called “equality.”
Endorsements matter because they tell voters about shared values and beliefs. We know exactly where the Human Rights Campaign and Planned Parenthood’s priorities lie through their endorsements–and the governor’s, too.
If pro-abortion and LGBT radicals are singing their praises for Gov. Evers, we can only expect that he will double down in promoting these ideologies if he were to be reelected.
Planned Parenthood’s main concern is expanding abortion in Wisconsin, and it knows that so long as Evers remains governor, it will continue to receive financial support, regardless of how taxpayers want their money to be spent.
The Human Rights campaign is not actually concerned with protecting human rights, but rather with promoting lies about human sexuality. Under the guise of “equality,” the organization is advancing promiscuity and mass delusion, and endorsing candidates who will support its radical position.
These endorsements can impact voter behavior, which is critical in tight races.
WFA PAC has issued a few endorsements for this fall, and there are still more to come. So far, WFA PAC has endorsed Rebecca Kleefisch and Kevin Nicholson for governor and David Varnam for lieutenant governor.
Each of these candidates gives evidence of a commitment to defending the sanctity of human life, parents’ rights, education freedom, limited government, capitalism and the free market, religious freedom and more.
They understand that Wisconsin’s most important natural resource is the family, and they are committed to strengthening, promoting, and preserving it.
They strongly support the biological reality that life begins at conception and deserves protection from that moment.
WFA PAC’s endorsements act as a “seal of approval” that says to voters “this candidate has been carefully and fully vetted.”
These candidates reflect WFA’s values and beliefs, just as Planned Parenthood and the Human Rights Campaign’s endorsements reflect theirs.
Stay tuned for more endorsements from WFA as the fall election approaches.
Apr 12, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
Gov. Tony Evers took action on 78 bills last week, signing 35 and vetoing 43. He vetoed a number of bills that would have made beneficial laws in Wisconsin. With these vetoes, Evers has set a new gubernatorial veto record for a single session. He’s vetoed 98 bills.
Several of the bills pertained to election reform. Senate Bill 942 required the Elections Commission to disclose any failures of the Commission or Departments of Transportation, Corrections, and Health Services to abide by election laws. The Department of Administration would also be required to remove positions and funding from state agencies as punishment for failure to abide by election laws.
In his rationale, Gov. Evers called the bill a “flagrant violation of the separation of powers” and a threat to “independent elections.” Ironic, no?
Election integrity is a major issue throughout our country right now, with Wisconsin in several ways leading the pack. Many voters are rightly concerned that their voice is being undermined by fraud. Had it been signed into law, SB 942 would have helped safeguard secure and transparent elections and re-instill confidence in Wisconsin voters. Unfortunately, this was not a priority for Evers.
Senate Bill 938 also would have helped safeguard fair elections. It required the Department of Transportation to mark IDs that are invalid for voting purposes. Evers claimed that “there is no evidence of non-citizens voting in this state.” That’s an interesting way to dodge the well-documented trail of evidence of voter fraud in Wisconsin in general. Regardless, this measure would have prevented fraudulent votes from being cast and boosted voter confidence.
In addition, Senate Bill 939 would have made several changes to the process of obtaining an absentee ballot such as restricting automatically sent ballots, prohibiting sending ballots before voters request them, and others. Again, the bill would have helped prevent election fraud and safeguarded our form of government in Wisconsin, but Evers blocked it from becoming law. Again, given the well-documented voter fraud in Wisconsin that involved absentee ballots and nursing homes, SB 939 should have been a no-brainer.
Fact: Governor Tony Evers has vetoed every election reform bill given to him—and there have been many since January 2021.
Throughout the pandemic, we’ve seen governors in many states, including in The Badger Srate, abuse their emergency powers and enact tyrannical Covid restrictions. To protect individual liberties, we need to place limits on such powers through legislation. We had the opportunity to do so in Wisconsin with Assembly Bill 912, which would have placed limits on emergency powers during emergencies, but again, Evers blocked it.
Assembly Bill 414 is another vital piece of legislation that Evers shot down. The bill would have banned Critical Race Theory (CRT) training for any local or state employees. CRT is a racist worldview that is plaguing education and government agencies. No employee should ever have to endure harmful indoctrination to keep their job. In his poor rationale, Evers simply claimed that he is opposing the bill because it infringes upon the executive branch. Does he need a reminder that it is the legislature’s duty to write laws?
Lastly, Evers vetoed several bills that would allocate taxpayer-funded federal Covid relief monies to specific entities with specific amounts rather than his unilateral disbursement of these funds to groups that he is paying back or that will support his re-election this fall. Unfortunately, Evers refused to ensure that Covid relief funds are used fairly and efficiently.
Evers is clearly not honoring the will of the Wisconsin people. Voters wanted to see these measures passed, and their elected representatives did so. It is Evers’ job to listen to his constituents.
Thankfully, there is an election coming up this fall, and we have the power to hold this governor accountable.
Mar 30, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
The Wisconsin Superintendent of Public Instruction, who is now our governor, refused to grant an independent Catholic school transportation benefits unless it agreed to not call itself “Catholic.” Now the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) is requesting that the U.S. Supreme Court review the case to determine whether the superintendent violated the First Amendment.
Wisconsin provides funding to private schools as long as there is not overlapping attendance between multiple private schools that are affiliated with the same sponsor. The Department of Public Instruction denied students at St. Augustine transportation because there is another Catholic school in the area. St. Augustine, however, is independent and not affiliated with Archdiocese, rendering Evers’ decision unlawful.
WILL previously won a lawsuit when an appeal court ruled that Tony Evers did break the law. However, the court did not address the constitutional question regarding religious liberty.
It’s clear that the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment prohibits Evers from giving St. Augustine school this ultimatum.
“The critical constitutional questions at the heart of this case remain unresolved,” said Anthony LoCoco, deputy counsel for WILL. “Government bureaucrats cannot withhold a benefit by imposing their own religious definitions on institutions like St. Augustine School.”
Government officials have been hostile toward private and religious schools in Wisconsin and refused transportation funding for years, suggesting that their discrimination is intentional.
“I do think one takeaway from this case is just how far government officials are willing to go in fights against parents and families in private schools. We’ve been at this now for six years, and we’ve been to the Supreme Court twice now, and they’re still unwilling to pay this transportation aid,” LoCoco continued. “The ordinary Wisconsin family cannot afford six years of litigation just to get their kids to school.”
The court’s decision will impact not just Catholics, but people of all faith backgrounds. Any institution that identifies with a religion could be denied funding or discriminated against if the court sides with Evers’ decision. If institutions must decide between professing their faith and receiving funding to keep their operations running, they do not truly have religious liberty.
Every institution and every individual must be free to express their faith and identify with a religion, without contingencies. This is the very principle that our country was founded on. “The constitutional freedom of religion is the most inalienable and sacred of all human rights,” wrote Thomas Jefferson.
Any effort to repress this freedom is an attack on the very foundation of America.
Further, any refusal to allow religious liberty is also an attack on human dignity. Our ability to contemplate the transcendent, search for Truth, and profess our faith is bound to our humanity.
Join Wisconsin Family Action in prayer that the US Supreme Court establishes justice and protects human dignity by upholding religious liberty in Wisconsin, and use your voice to talk to your neighbors about this continued assault on religious freedom right here in our own backyards.
Mar 2, 2022 | News, Uncategorized, Wisconsin Family Voice
This week, Wisconsin Family Action (WFA), represented by Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), joined Pro-Life Wisconsin and Wisconsin Right to Life in issuing a letter to Governor Evers demanding that he explain the legal basis for the two grants he has given to Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin.
The funds for the grants, totaling $2.4 million for Planned Parenthood alone, have come from a couple of COVID-19 federal relief programs. The state legislature has passed several bills that would have directed at least some of the funds, but the governor has vetoed all of them.
Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin received $1.4 million from the “COVID-19 Pandemic Response Nonprofit Grant Program” and then received an additional $1 million last month from the “Equitable Recovery Grant Program.” Both programs were concocted by the governor, without legislative approval or permission.
WILL attorneys assert that Governor Evers has no authority to create grant programs, has disregarded appropriate department rulemaking to govern the distribution of the funds, and has violated state law that prohibits federal funds being given as a grant to pregnancy programs that promote, refer for, or perform abortions.
WFA president, Julaine Appling, commented on the governor’s actions:
“The people of Wisconsin deserve a full explanation of the legal authority Governor Evers is using to justify his largesse to Wisconsin’s largest abortion provider. This is the peoples’ tax dollars. Some might consider what the governor has done as a kind of ‘quid pro quo’ since Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin spent $700,000 to help get the governor elected in 2018.
“This isn’t the first time the governor has acted with questionable authority. Two years ago, he unilaterally extended an emergency declaration that exceeded the 60-day statutory limit. The Wisconsin Supreme Court ultimately stopped that power grab.
“In this instance, the Governor is giving our hard-earned tax dollars to an organization whose number-one funding source is the killing of unborn babies. Through our elected officials in recent years, ‘we the people’ have made it clear we don’t want public funds to support abortion in any way; and state laws have been put in place to stop that in many instances.
“Unless Governor Evers has a solid legal basis for these grant programs and the distribution of these millions to Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, he is apparently just fine with taking the law into his own hands. The voters may have something to say about that this fall.”
The letter sent to Governor Evers is available HERE.
Feb 15, 2022 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
Gov. Tony Evers plans to give Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, Inc., another $1 million in COVID relief funding. This is the second time our governor has used COVID relief funds to award Planned Parenthood with a massive sum of taxpayer dollars. Instead of helping families who have been affected by the pandemic, Evers is choosing to support abortionists.
The most recent funding is part of the governor’s “Equitable Recovery Grants,” which allocates $82 million to various parts of the state. He’s chosen to use this money in ways that have nothing to do with COVID but do pander to his liberal supporters.
Because of this, many Republican policymakers are skeptical of Evers’ motives. “It’s such a brazen political giveaway at this point I don’t know what else there is to say, other than Gov. Evers would rather give $1 million to the state’s largest abortionist as opposed to law enforcement or any number of ways he could be helping kids,” said Senator André Jacque.
Some speculate that this is a campaign strategy, as Planned Parenthood has consistently supported Evers and his Democratic colleagues. Planned Parenthood Advocates spent over $700,000 in 2018 and 2019 to help elect Evers and other Democrats.
Evers’ loyalty clearly lies with Planned Parenthood, not his constituents.
The governor has vetoed every pro-life bill that we’ve given him, and has promised to “veto any legislation” that decreases access to abortion. Twice he even dismissed a bill that would require doctors to care for babies born alive after botched abortions.
Evers has been staunchly pro-abortion since day one, causing serious harm to our state. The good news is that this year is a gubernatorial election year, and we have the power to make a change. Our governor seat will be up for grabs on November 8th, and by exercising our civic duty, we can begin to transform Wisconsin into a state that values all life.
While we await our opportunity to elect a pro-life governor this fall, we can still vouch for the unborn and work to pass vital pro-life legislation.
Earlier this month, the Senate held a hearing on Senate Bill 923, a crucial piece of pro-life legislation that would prohibit abortion after a baby’s heartbeat can be detected.
This bill highlights the humanity of every unborn child and would save thousands of babies every year.
Contact your state senator and state representative and urge them to support Senate Bill 923. (Put your address in the search space at the top right of the page.)
Wisconsin families and the unborn deserve better. Let’s seize our opportunity this year to change the landscape in Wisconsin through our spring and fall elections. It’s time to elect a governor who is committed to helping families thrive and protecting the most vulnerable.
Please pray that Wisconsin is transformed culturally and legislatively so that every life is valued and protected.
Mar 31, 2021 | Wisconsin Family Voice
On Wednesday, March 31, 2021, the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down Governor Tony Ever’s illegal mask mandate.
“The 4-3 ruling was issued in a 78-page decision Wednesday morning.
Republican lawmakers filed suit in October on the mandate.
They said the governor did not have the authority to extend the state’s public health emergency beyond 60 days without approval from the legislature.
The majority of justices agreed.”
Read more HERE
Wisconsin Family Action president Julaine Appling says, “This long-awaited decision by the state’s high court is encouraging. The rule of law must be respected, most especially in a crisis. The judicial branch has exercised its appropriate authority to check the power of the executive branch. Governor Evers will now need to work within the lawful limits of his authority.”
Sep 23, 2020 | News, Wisconsin Family Voice
No, this isn’t a mistake. IT’S HAPPENING AGAIN.
This week on Tuesday, September 22, 2020, Governor Evers declared another 60-day statewide Public Health Emergency (Executive Order #90) that begins today and continues through November 21, 2020. He also issued Emergency Order #1 which mandates “face coverings” (aka, “masks”) statewide. This is the governor’s third statewide 60-day emergency declaration dealing with COVID-19.
We have been in contact with legal experts on whether the governor has authority to issue yet another statewide emergency declaration. They have advised us that just as his second declaration was illegal, so this one is as well. At a minimum, this order raises questions about whether, for instance, churches and private schools have the right to exercise autonomy in this matter.
We want to reiterate that Wisconsin Family Action has not and will not take a position on masks or other the other aspects of the order that the governor issued under the authority of this declaration. However, we will oppose illegal actions by elected officials. Please understand it is the emergency declaration order that gives the governor the authority to issue the mask mandate and it is that order that is illegal. How many 60-day emergency declarations dealing with one issue does he get? We agree with the legal experts: he gets one such order, not multiple ones done in a serial manner.
Meanwhile, while the attorneys deliberate regarding a possible legal challenge, the state legislature does have a way to stop the governor’s order. The law that gives the governor authority to issue a Public Health Emergency (Chapter 323.10) states that the Order can be revoked by the Governor issuing another Executive Order or by the state legislature passing a Joint Resolution. Obviously the governor is not going to revoke his own emergency declaration order. So, the quickest way to stop this illegal power grab by the governor is for the state legislature to take action by passing a joint resolution..
After the Governor’s Order was released, State Senator Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) issued a statement in which he calls on the legislature to take immediate action..
We believe this legislative approach is the best option to quickly counter the Governor’s newest edict. We are asking that you AS SOON AS POSSIBLE make 3 phone calls to help make this special legislative session and a joint resolution a reality:
You can find contact information for your elected officials HERE (just put your address in the area at the top right of the page).
We know this is a confusing and challenging time for everyone. We are hoping our state legislators will step up and do the right thing in this instance and act as a “check and balance” to the executive branch. This is yet another powerful reminder that ELECTIONS HAVE VERY REAL CONSEQUENCES. Remember that as you vote this fall!
