Vos tells WisPolitics Assembly prone to go on-line gaming invoice this spring

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos instructed WisPolitics his chamber doubtless will go laws to permit on-line gaming in Wisconsin, although the ultimate model of the invoice might differ from the one abruptly pulled from a ground calendar final month.

During a year-end interview in his Assembly workplace, the Rochester Republican stated his colleagues have expressed two issues. 

One is that solely Native American tribes are allowed to supply gaming, a difficulty that Vos acknowledged lawmakers can do little about within the close to time period.

The second is the proliferation of gaming past simply the end result of a contest and now together with quite a few prop bets that may be positioned about numerous aspects of a sport. That consists of  which staff scores first or the variety of walks a pitcher points in a baseball sport.

“When you and I were younger, placing a bet on a game, it usually meant who won or who lost,” Vos stated. “Now you can have literally hundreds of machinations during the course of a single baseball or football game. Some people think that’s really creating problem gaming in the long run. So we’re trying to see if there are some restrictions that could go into effect. So you couldn’t have that, you know, hyper gaming. So I think those are two areas that people are looking at.”

Current legislation solely permits gaming in Wisconsin on tribal lands. AB 601 would enable on-line bets as long as they went by means of servers on tribal lands. The invoice is predicated on a “hub and spoke system” utilized in Florida that has been upheld by the federal courts. 

Conservative teams such because the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty have argued towards the invoice, which GOP leaders pulled from the Assembly calendar final month to handle issues from caucus members.

The invoice faces an unsure future within the Senate. GOP Sens. Rachael Cabral-Guevara, of Appleton, and André Jacque, of New Franken, voted towards it in committee this fall. Unless at the very least certainly one of them modifications their thoughts, their opposition alone would go away the Senate in need of the 17 GOP votes wanted to go it on the ground with out Dem assist.

“The final version that we’ll get across the finish line, I don’t know that yet, but I do think that before we adjourn, we’ll enact that,” Vos stated.

The longest serving speaker in state historical past gave WisPolitics a preview of the spring ground interval. Vos stated it should wrap up within the Assembly by Feb. 19, the final usually scheduled day for a daily session day.

Generally, Vos stated Assembly Republicans will push a number of concepts to handle affordability, together with property tax payments.

Vos stated Republicans hope to shine off an modification to the state Constitution that might handle the partial veto Dem Gov. Tony Evers issued within the 2023-25 funds. It prolonged by 4 centuries an annual improve in per pupil spending of $325 per scholar. The modification would bar guvs from utilizing partial vetoes to create or improve taxes or charges and would go to voters subsequent 12 months for a referendum if it clears each homes. 

Vos additionally argued state-imposed property tax charges should be tightened with Republicans hoping to announce subsequent month new steps on that entrance subsequent month. Vos added with declining enrollment in faculties, the state wants to have a look at discovering methods to consolidate providers to make districts extra environment friendly. The Assembly handed a sequence of payments on that entrance this fall.

“It seems to me that in the same way that we operated 50 years ago, in a world where technology wasn’t even part of how we operated, has to be considered,” Vos stated.

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, R-Oostburg, instructed WisPolitics earlier this month laws to present utilities with present infrastructure the primary shot at constructing new powerlines doubtless wouldn’t come up in his chamber this spring. Vos stated within the new interview the invoice — dubbed ROFR for proper of first refusal — is unlikely to get a ground vote in his chamber. Both leaders backed the utility trade supported invoice, but it surely drew opposition from conservative teams reminiscent of Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin. 

“It’s really a shame, but probably not,” Vos stated of the invoice attending to the ground.

Vos additionally:

*once more stated he’s trying on the finish of January or February for an announcement on whether or not he’ll search reelection in 2026. Vos was first elected to the Assembly in 2004 and have become speaker in 2013. He has held the publish for longer than anybody else in state historical past. Vos stated he’s nonetheless speaking along with his spouse about his future, and that dialog isn’t one thing that essentially simply takes a weekend as the 2 speak about their choices.

“You know, ‘Do you want to go through another two years? What’s the world going to look like?’” Vos stated.

*stated it’s too early to debate whether or not he’ll lead the Republican Assembly Campaign Committee effort this fall no matter his resolution on reelection. Still, he expressed confidence Republicans will maintain management of the Assembly after subsequent fall regardless of chatter about Dems’ efficiency in New Jersey and Virginia, the place they gained the guv’s races and picked up seats within the Legislature. Vos stated even when these outcomes had been extrapolated to Wisconsin, Republicans would nonetheless come again within the majority in his chamber.

Republicans now management the chamber 54-45.

Vos has a half-dozen “majority makers” in his caucus, an inventory that features: Dean Kaufert, of Neenah; Bob Donovan, of Greenfield; Clint Moses, of Menomonie; Todd Novak, of Dodgeville; Jessie Rodriguez, of Oak Creek; and Pat Snyder, of Weston.  

Vos stated he wouldn’t converse individually to every of these members’ plans for subsequent 12 months, however he expects the overwhelming majority to run once more.

Kamala Harris took extra votes than Donald Trump final fall within the districts of Donovan, Kaufert, Novak and Rodriguez, and having a GOP candidate who can outperform the highest of the ticket can be key in these seats, significantly if 2026 seems to be a powerful 12 months for Dems.

“While Democrats are talking about transgenderism and hating Donald Trump, I think that Republicans are talking about affordability. How do we make Wisconsin a place where you can buy a home, raise a family and send your kids to college?” Vos stated.

*known as the Dem guv area the “island of misfit toys” and dismissed every as a weak contender. In Vos’ thoughts: former Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes has already misplaced statewide and has critical challenges “with his background and his persona;” Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez has none of Evers’ positives and numerous his negatives; Madison state lawmakers Francesca Hong and Kelda Roys “don’t even know what the center looks like because they’re so far to the left;” the “business lane” of Joel Brennan and former WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes “has had zero fire;” and Milwaukee County Exec David Crowley hasn’t “lit a fire” below anybody.

Some GOP operatives have raised issues about U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, the Republican frontrunner. That consists of whether or not he would wrestle to carry out Donald Trump voters with out the president on the ticket and if he would give voters in southeastern Wisconsin motivation to return again into the Republican fold after drifting away over the previous decade.

Vos argued each Tiffany and Washington County Exec Josh Schoemann are sturdy candidates. He stated Tiffany, R-Minocqua, particularly would wish to place his consideration on south central and southeastern Wisconsin.

“So my advice to him would be, rent a condo, right?” Vos stated of Tiffany. “Live in southeastern Wisconsin, because it’s where you’re going to make a huge difference.”

WisPolitics beforehand interviewed Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu, Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein and Assembly Minority Leader Greta Neubauer. 

See these year-end interviews here.