Here & Now

Rep. Dean Knudson Describes Plan To Overhaul GAB

ZAC SCHULTZ:

BACK IN THE WISCONSIN CAPITOL ON WEDNESDAY, REPUBLICANS UNVEILED THEIR LONG-PROMISED BILL TO OVERHAUL THE GOVERNMENT ACCOUNTABILITY BOARD. REPUBLICANS WANT TO GO BACK TO OLD PARTISANS ETHICS AND ELECTIONS BOARD. WE BEGIN WITH THE REPUBLICAN COAUTHOR OF THE BILL, REPRESENTATIVE DEAN KNUDSON, WHO JOINS US FROM RIVER FALLS. THANKS FOR BEING HERE.

DEAN KNUDSON:

IT’S MY PLEASURE.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

THE GAB WAS CREATED TO BE A NONPARTISAN AGENCY, WITH RETIRED JUDGES SITTING ON THE BOARD, BUT A LOT OF REPUBLICANS SAY IT WAS THE STAFF THAT ACTUALLY RAN THE BOARD AND THAT THEY WERE PARTISAN.

DEAN KNUDSON:

CORRECT. IT WAS A WELL-INTENTIONS EXPERIMENT, BUT WE NOW KNOW IT’S BEEN AN EIGHT-YEAR FAILED EXPERIMENTS. THEY FAILED TO FOLLOW THE LAW.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

NOW, ONE OF THE BIGGEST THINGS THAT THE GAB HAD TO DEAL WITH WERE ALL THE RECALL ELECTIONS THAT HAPPENED A FEW YEARS AGO, CERTIFYING THOUSANDS OF SIGNATURES AND CERTIFYING THE ELECTIONS THEMSELVES. HOW WOULD THAT PROCESS HAVE LOOKED DIFFERENTLY UNDER THE MODEL YOU’RE PROPOSING?

DEAN KNUDSON:

WELL, THERE’S A NUMBER OF THINGS THAT WE’RE SUGGESTING REALLY HAVEN’T WORKED WELL AND NEED TO BE CHANGED. IT’S VERY IMPORTANT THAT AT THE TOP WE THINK THAT THERE OUGHT TO BE TWO SEPARATE COMMISSIONS. WE’LL HAVE AN ELECTIONS COMMISSION THAT HAS FOUR CITIZENS AND TWO OTHERS THAT HAVE CLERK EXPERIENCE THAT HAVE ACTUALLY BEEN CLERKS IN WISCONSIN RUNNING ELECTIONS ON THE GROUND. THEY KNOW THE BUSINESS INSIDE AND OUT. AND THEY’LL ACTUALLY BE BOARD MEMBERS. BELOW THEM, ON THE ELECTION SIDE, WHAT THEY WILL CHOOSE AND NOMINATE AN ELECTIONS ADMINISTRATOR. THAT CHIEF ADMINISTRATOR WILL BE SUBJECT TO SENATE CONFIRMATION AND A FOUR-YEAR TERM. AND WE THINK THAT PROVIDES A NEW LEVEL OF ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE VOTERS, TO THE PEOPLE, TO THE LEGISLATURE. ON THE ETHICS SIDE, IN THE SAME FASHION, WE’LL HAVE SIX MEMBERS, THREE PUT FORWARD FROM EACH PARTY, FOUR OF THEM FROM THE LEGISLATIVE LEADERS AND TWO CHOSEN BY THE GOVERNOR FROM POOLS — A POOL OF THREE PUT FORWARD BY LEGISLATIVE DEMOCRATS AND A POOL OF THREE PUT FORWARD BY THE REPUBLICANS. THAT’S THE NEW STRUCTURE AT THE TOP. BUT JUST AS IMPORTANTLY ARE SIGNIFICANT CHANGES WE’RE MAKING DOWN THE WAY IN THE WAY THAT THEY OPERATE. THEY’LL BE REPORTING, SOMETHING THEY WERE REQUIRED TO DO AND HAVE FAILED TO DO. WE’RE GOING TO HAVE MORE COMMON REPORTING TO THE LEGISLATURE. AND WE’RE GOING TO ENSURE THAT THEY DEVELOP CONSISTENT, UNIFORM WRITTEN POLICIES TO BE FOLLOWED DURING INVESTIGATIONS AND IF FORMS ARE NOT FILED ON TIME, THAT THEY’RE ALL HANDLED UNIFORMLY, INSTEAD OF THE AD HOC, MAKE-IT-UP-AS-YOU-GO FASHION THAT IT’S BEEN DONE IN THE PAST.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

BUT REGARDING SOMETHING AS BIG AS A RECALL ELECTION, IS THERE A POSSIBILITY THAT A PARTISAN BOARD COULD HAVE DEADLOCKED 3-3 AND THE ELECTIONS WOULDN’T HAVE HAPPENED?

DEAN KNUDSON:

I THINK YOU’LL SEE THAT CITIZEN MEMBERS WILL WORK QUITE WELL ON THIS. WE’RE GOING TO A STRUCTURE THAT, UNLIKE OUR FAILED EXPERIMENT, WAS THE FIRST OF ITS KIND IN THE NATION, OFTEN HELD OUT AS A MODEL, BUT WE NOW SEE THAT NO OTHER STATE HAS FOLLOWED THAT MODEL AND I DON’T BELIEVE ANY OTHER STATE EVER WILL. INSTEAD NOW WE’LL BE GOING TO A STRUCTURE THAT ALMOST 40 STATES HAVE USED. IT’S TRIED AND TRUE. IT REALLY WORKS. AND I’M CONFIDENT THAT THEY’LL BE ABLE TO COME TO GOOD DECISIONS.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

ONE OF THE BIGGEST COMPLAINTS RECENTLY HAS BEEN THE GAB’S INVOLVEMENT IN THE JOHN DOE INVESTIGATIONS, ESPECIALLY THEIR ACTIVITY IN HELPING GET THAT — THE COUNTY PROSECUTORS INVOLVED. BUT WASN’T THAT THEIR JOB, TO ENFORCE POTENTIAL CAMPAIGN VIOLATIONS?

DEAN KNUDSON:

THE PROBLEM THAT’S HAPPENED WITH THE GAB IS TOO OFTEN THEY FELT LIKE THEY WERE ABOVE THE LAW. IT WAS ALWAYS DANGEROUS AND THE FOUNDERS OF OUR COUNTRY RECOGNIZED THAT IF YOU CONCENTRATE THE POWER, THE LEGISLATIVE, EXECUTIVE AND JUDICIAL POWER ALL IN ONE, THAT THAT CAN BE A THREAT TO LIBERTY. WHAT WE DID IN WISCONSIN, WE NOT ONLY DID THAT, WE GAVE THEM SUM SUFFICIENT FUNDING, MEANING THAT THEY GET UNLIMITED FUNDING, AND WE GAVE THEM SECRECY POWERS, THE ABILITY TO DO CONFIDENTIAL INVESTIGATIONS. OUR JOHN DOE LAW IS DESIGNED TO GO AFTER PEOPLE THAT ARE DRUG DEALERS OR GANG MEMBERS AND THINGS LIKE THAT. AND THAT LED TO WHAT IS NOW MANY COURTS HAVE RULED WAS AN UNCONSTITUTIONAL INVESTIGATION AND IT SHOULD NEVER HAVE HAPPENED. IT’S A NATIONAL EMBARRASSMENT FOR WISCONSIN.

ZAC SCHULTZ:

THAT’S ALL THE TIME WE HAVE TODAY. REPRESENTATIVE KNUDSON, THANKS FOR YOUR TIME.

DEAN KNUDSON:

THANK YOU. GOOD TO BE WITH YOU.