Primary

The Wisconsin Constitution requires the legislature to appropriate funds from the state treasury only by passing a law, which requires a vote by both houses of the legislature. Wis. Const. art. VIII, 2. Question 1 would add a new provision to say that the legislature cannot delegate this "sole" power to appropriate funds. In times when Wisconsin receives undesignated federal funds from the U.S. government, the Wisconsin Constitution does not limit the ability of the governor to choose how the funds he accepts are divided among state and local agencies. Question 2 would add a new provision to the Constitution to prohibit the governor from choosing how to allocate such federal funds he accepts unless the legislature, through a joint resolution or some other process to be developed by the legislature, agrees with the governor s proposed allocation of those funds.