State Senate Passes Bill Deleting State Treasurer

The State Senate passed Assembly Joint Resolution 5 this evening on a vote of 20-13. 

As you know, AJR5/SJR4 deletes the state treasurer from the constitution and replaces the treasurer with the lieutenant governor on the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands. Senator Mark Miller (D-Monona) offered an amendment that would have put the state superintendent on the BCPL instead of the lieutenant governor, but that amendment was rejected on a party-line vote.

Senator Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma) argued that deleting the state treasurer puts the state at risk of  financial fraud and abuse and that it would be better to reinstate the duties of the treasurer that were previously reassigned to other state agencies. Senator Janet Bewley (D-Bayfield) also spoke against AJR 5, arguing that the distribution of powers is important to Democracy and that deleting a constitutional officer results in the consolidation of power.

Senator Rick Gudex (R-Fond du Lac), AJR 5’s author, told the Senators that the resolution puts the question to the people and lets them decide if they want a treasurer or not. He also highlighted the fact that the last two state treasurers have run on the platform of deleting the position. 

Since AJR5/SJR 4 amends the state constitution, it must be passed in two consecutive session of the Legislature. AJR 5 has now officially passed the Legislature this session. It can now be re-introduced in the 2017-18 session for second consideration. After the bill is passed for the second time by the Legislature, it will be put to voters in a statewide referendum.