A face mask required sign. (IMAGE: Courtesy of Fox 11 WLUK)
TWO RIVERS, WI (WTAQ) – Republican state legislators have not been big fans of Governor Tony Evers’ executive mask mandate issued on Thursday.
That includes Representative Shae Sortwell of Two Rivers, who says his opposition isn’t even really about the masks.
State Representative Shae Sortwell (R-Two Rivers). (IMAGE: Courtesy of Wisconsin State Legislature)
“The primary issue here is that he is re-issuing an emergency declaration based off of the exact same circumstance that we had earlier in the year. The legislature already chose months ago to not extend that,” Sortwell tells WTAQ News, “Simply waiting for it to expire and then issuing the exact same thing all over again, I don’t see as legal. So could we challenge it in court? We could, possibly…The fact that this is illegal, I think the legislature probably should come back in with a joint resolution say this just cannot continue. We can’t allow lawlessness to continue in Wisconsin.”
Sortwell points out that the order was issued under a chapter of the state code that would allow the legislature to reconvene and override it by a joint declaration. Whether that will actually happen, however, is hard to say – but Sortwell reports that there have been discussions about the idea.
While Sortwell isn’t particularly fond of government mandated mask orders, he doesn’t mind businesses making their own rules.
“It’s their private business, they get make a choice as to what happened at their business. If they want to tell you that you all have to wear polka-dot ties to come into their business, as far as I’m concerned, that’s their right to do so,” Sortwell says, “If somebody is doing something at your business but you don’t want them doing whatever that is you have the right to ask them to leave, and they don’t leave, it would be trespassing.”
Several local law enforcement agencies have said they will not enforce the order – or will only respond if there are calls regarding trespassing.
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