Bill limiting essential designation heads to Senate

In a 59–35 vote, the Wisconsin Assembly approved a Republican-authored bill limiting government officials’ ability to close select businesses in an emergency, according to a Wisconsin State Journal report. The legislation, now in the hands of the state Senate, would block any governmental official from labeling a business as essential or nonessential and mandate that any regulation on businesses imposed during an emergency would have to be applied to all businesses uniformly. The bill is in response to Gov. Tony Evers’ executive order issued in March 2020 ordering nonessential businesses to close after a pandemic was declared.