Great!

Assembly Bill 388 – partially vetoed, this bill eliminates the Government Accountability Board (GAB) and creates two new commissions – the Elections Commission, which will administer and supervise elections, and the Ethics Commission, which will administer and supervise ethics, campaign finance, and lobbying regulations.  Both commissions will be comprised of members from all sides of the political aisle who will serve five year terms.  The integrity of the election process will be protected by the proper checks and balances to the oversight of these new commissions.  The Governor exercised a partial veto to ensure that the Governor’s office receives an adequate number of nominations for the commission appointments of county or municipal clerks and former judges.  This bill was authored by Representative Dean Knudson (R – Hudson) and Senator Leah Vukmir (R – Wauwatosa).  The bill passed by the Assembly by a vote of 58-39.  It was concurred in the Senate as amended by a vote of 18-14.  Because it was amended in the Senate, the Assembly concurred with those amendments by a vote of 58-37, respectively. It is Act 118. – See more at: http://walker.wi.gov/newsroom/press-release/governor-scott-walker-signs-10-bills-law#sthash.9cMHJZGN.dpuf

The partial veto is fairly innocuous. It prevents the legislature from just giving him just one nominee from each category to force a choice.

Walker, who did not hold a press event to sign the legislation, used his partial veto powers to tweak the measure. As written, the legislation would have required lawmakers from each party to provide him with a list of up to three former judges and up to three former clerks to appoint to the commissions.

Walker modified that to require them to provide him with three nominees for each category, rather than up to three. That will give the governor more options in choosing the appointees for the two new agencies.