Wisconsin Rep. Worries about possible Bird Flu Emergency Order

Rep. Brill Worried over Possible Bird Flu Executive Orders

One of Wisconsin’s Republican assemblywomen is worrying about another, possible public health emergency.

State Rep. Lindee Brill, R-Sheboygan Falls, on Tuesday said she has concerns that Gov. Tony Evers could turn the bird flu outbreak into another public health emergency.

“It seems that more and more headlines are emerging designed to stoke anxiety among the public about the potential for a bird flu pandemic. In light of this, I am calling on Governor Evers to be open with the people of our state regarding how he would handle a future public health emergency,” she said in a statement.

Brill said many people in Wisconsin still remember the governor’s public health emergency orders from the COVID outbreak.

"Whether it was keeping our children out of school, forcing the public to wear face coverings, placing onerous restrictions on churches that restricted our ability to worship, or one of his several other authoritarian dictates, it is clear to most that this Governor did not value the freedom of the individual when issuing his mandates during Covid,” she added.

Brill and Sen. Cory Tomczyk, R-Mosinee, are sponsoring a proposaed constitutional amendment that would stop Evers, or any other governor, from going down the same path again.

“While protecting civil liberties in the midst of an emergency may not be a priority of this Governor, I believe preserving Wisconsinites’ rights must be our paramount concern," she said. "This is a common-sense approach to safeguard the religious liberties Governor Evers so callously abrogated during Covid.”

Both Wisconsin’s public health managers and the state’s Department of Agriculture have confirmed several bird flu cases in commercial bird flocks across the state. Thousands of birds have been put down as a result.

There has also been one human case of the bird flu. That person worked with an infected flock of birds in Barron County. Those birds were culled, but the person who got sick has recovered.

Brill said, for now, she is simply asking for some clarity from the governor.

“The people of our state deserve to know whether this governor has learned his lesson before we find ourselves in another public health emergency,” she explained. “The Legislature can only do so much to preserve freedom, especially when a Governor disregards it as a priority. That is why I am calling on him today to outline his plan for protecting our citizens’ rights in the unfortunate event we face another pandemic threat.”