Wisconsin Legislature not ready to come back for virus

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin’s Republican legislative leaders said Wednesday they want to understand what’s in the $2 trillion federal stimulus package before they take any action at the state level in reaction to the coronavirus, and that they're considering temporarily waiving the one-week waiting period to receive unemployment benefits.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos urged caution because of the national economic downturn, saying he doesn’t know if Wisconsin's current budget will be able to balance next year and that he assumes that the state’s projected budget surplus of $620 million will never materialize.

Vos and Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald, seated apart from one another while hosting a teleconference from inside the Assembly parlor, both said they didn't think Gov. Tony Evers “safer at home” order, which began Wednesday, would extend beyond its current end date of April 24.

“The longer this order goes, the more businesses are never going to have a chance to reopen,” said Vos, who owns a popcorn business.

Vos and Fitzgerald declined to praise or criticize Evers for issuing the order, though they said he could have done a better job communicating with the state about what was happening.

“It is what it is at this point,” Fitzgerald said. “It wasn’t the smoothest thing, certainly, that’s happened so far. I understand we're in a difficult point in time now.”

Vos and Fitzgerald said there had been no discussion of the Legislature cutting short any of Evers’ emergency orders that have resulted in the closure of all K-12 schools and nonessential businesses.

As of Wednesday, the state reported that it has had 585 positive COVID-19 cases, which was up from 457 on Tuesday. Wisconsin has also had at least seven deaths, which was...