Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has signed a sweeping package of Republican-authored lame-duck legislation that restricts early voting and weakens the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general.
The measures restrict early in-person voting to two weeks before an election. The legislation gives Republicans control of the state jobs creation agency, and blocks Democratic Gov.-elect Tony Evers from withdrawing Wisconsin from a multi-state lawsuit challenging the Affordable Care Act.
The bills also serve to eliminate the state Justice Department's solicitor general's office and allow legislators to intervene in state lawsuits, ensuring they can defend Republican policies if Democratic Attorney General-elect Josh Kaul won't.
Evers is ripping Republican incumbent Walker for signing the legislation, issuing a statement saying Walker is ignoring the will of voters who elected him. The Governor-elect says the people asked politicians on Election Day to solve problems, not "pick petty, political fights."
He added that the people of Wisconsin should expect more than what they've gotten over the last few weeks.
Walker ignored pleas from Democrats and some Republicans to veto the measures, saying enacting them tarnishes his legacy.