Wisconsin Ag Connection - DNR Secretary Appointment Bill Heads to the Governor

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DNR Secretary Appointment Bill Heads to the Governor
Wisconsin Ag Connection - 11/06/2009

A movement to strip the governor's authority from appointing the Department of Natural Resources Secretary as a cabinet position only has one more hurdle to overcome--the governor himself. On Thursday, the State Senate voted to restore the appointment authority back to the DNR Board. Prior to 1995, the seven-member panel had selected the agency's top leader--but that process changed under the Tommy Thompson administration in the 1990s.

According to Rep. Spencer Black, the bill's lead author, the move is aimed at taking politics out of the process of selecting the DNR's top official.

"The strong bipartisan support in both the Senate and Assembly reflects how important restoring the independence of the DNR is to the citizens of the state," Black said in a statement. "Decisions about our outdoors should be based on science and what is best for our environment, not on what is best for politicians and special interest groups. I hope the Governor will take this into account when he considers his action on the bill."

However, nobody is certain on how Doyle will act when the document reaches his desk. He originally campaigned in favor of the idea, but later changed his position.

Black says if Doyle vetoes the bill, there may be enough votes among his colleagues to overturn such a decision.