Starting in 2015, the Republican leadership in the legislature under Robin Vos turned sharply. The focus shifted from working towards a consensus to get things done for the people of Wisconsin, to making money for leadership and their campaign coffers.
The Genesis of the Trend
The turning point was a bill to end the practice of requiring prevailing wage for Wisconsin’s road projects. Prevailing wage requires road builders to pay “union wage” for all projects in the state.
The bill was sent to the Assembly Committee on Labor, chaired by Representative Andre Jacque. Against Robin Vos’s command—and yes, command is the right term—Jacque gave the bill a hearing instead of letting it die per Vos’s wishes.
Note: John Gard, a former speaker himself, was representing the road builders. The inflated price tags on road projects benefited the industry greatly.
After Jacque held the hearing, the die was cast. Vos immediately removed Jacque from his committee and took away his staff. I saw the writing on the wall: a caucus standing by while the “wolf” (how fitting a name) chewed on the carcass of a fellow member for holding a hearing on a bill that eventually passed the Assembly unanimously. Ironically, Vos later included “ending prevailing wage” in his end-of-session list of achievements.
Power Struggles and the 2020 Election
Vos held a tight-fisted grasp on the caucus until the 2020 election. He initially demanded an investigation, naming Janel Brandtjen as Chair of the Campaign and Elections Committee, only to later throw her under the bus.
By March of 2021, the entire caucus voted yes on AR-15, which directed Brandtjen to investigate the election. However, as evidence was uncovered, Vos began to retreat. After criticism from Donald Trump, Vos hired former Justice Michael Gableman, giving him full authority. When Gableman reached the same conclusions Brandtjen had reached six months earlier, Vos fired him too.
Retaliation Against Representatives
The pattern of retaliation continued throughout 2024. When representatives acted against leadership’s wishes, the consequences were swift:
- Tim Ramthun: Staff fired.
- Rep. Horlacher & Rep. Scott Allen: Staff effectively removed by stripping their committees.
- Wichgers, Allen, Behnke, and Brandtjen: As the four most conservative members, they currently have limited staff and no committee chair assignments.
Furthermore, Vos rewrote the rules so these representatives only receive a lower-paying Legislative Assistant (LA) salary instead of a Research Assistant (RA) position. This makes it difficult to retain quality staff who know the district. Meanwhile, at the end of 2024, Speaker Vos maintained eight staffers, many earning $100,000 or more.
Silencing the Voice of the People
The Assembly Rules allow any legislator to ask for “unanimous consent” to bring a resolution to the floor. When Rep. Brandtjen attempted this for AR-18, leadership refused to recognize her.
As State Representative Scott Allen stated:
“Each representative in this body has earned the right to stand up and be heard on behalf of their constituents. When leadership prevents a representative from exercising that right, they silence the voices of the 60,000 people whom they represent.”
The Legislator’s Bill of Rights
We can no longer rely on Republican leadership in Wisconsin to exercise restraint. Our representatives need a Bill of Rights to protect their ability to serve.
The WCD proposes the following:
- Public Accountability: Any action that punishes or affects a Republican legislator must be voted on publicly.
- Staffing Equity: All non-freshmen legislators receive a full-time Research Assistant (RA).
- Committee Assignments: Every non-freshman gets a committee chair. If committees are scarce, sophomores draw numbers for assignments.
- Transparency: No Voice Votes. All votes must be recorded.
- Financial Integrity: Leadership cannot demand money from members.
- Open Elections: Leadership elections must be open votes. Voters deserve to know who their representatives are empowering.
- Floor Rights: Every legislator must be able to ask for unanimous consent to bring a resolution to the floor (enforcing existing policy).
- Restoring Committee Power: A Committee Chair cannot be removed by leadership without an open vote by the caucus.
We want to hear from you. The WCD is open to suggestions from our readers. Feel free to share your thoughts or email us at: bill.savage62@gmail.com
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