Force lawmakers to get to work?

The lack of action by the Wisconsin Legislature has been well documented. They essentially took a year off. A year when a pandemic raged, our cities burned and people looked for action. But Wisconsin lawmakers went hundreds of days without even going to work. Perhaps it’s time to hold their feet to the fire. One Wisconsin State Senator has introduced what she calls The People’s Voice Act, designed to ensure that our lawmakers are at least talking about the things we care about. This bill would allow citizens to petition for a bill to receive a public hearing, where citizen voices could be heard on the issues important to them. Even with such pressing issues as preventing gun violence, reforming marijuana laws and developing a fair system of drawing legislative boundaries all enjoy broad public support. But none of them received even a single public hearing in Madison. In fact, less than half of the bills introduced in the last legislative session received a public hearing, where average citizens could speak out on the issues. Under the bill, any eligible voter could gather enough signatures to force a public hearing on an issue. It would ensure our lawmakers at least listen to their constituents, on both sides of the aisle. This bill would force our lawmakers to address the issues important to voters, and maybe make them show up for work a little more often.