Wisconsin Assembly speaker denies paralyzed lawmaker request

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Republican speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly told a paralyzed Democratic state representative in a letter Thursday that he will not grant his request to call in to committee meetings by phone but will pursue other accommodations to appease the lawmaker.

Speaker Robin Vos sent Rep. Jimmy Anderson the letter just hours after The Associated Press contacted every Republican in leadership to see if they agreed with barring Anderson from calling into meetings.

None of the lawmakers commented. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel first reported on Anderson's request on Monday.

Vos tells Anderson that he can't change the Assembly meeting rule "by fiat" and the full Assembly would have to vote. However, Vos reiterated his opposition to allowing lawmakers to phone into committee meetings, a practice that's not allowed in many other state legislatures but that the Wisconsin Senate does permit.

"This tends to lend itself to disruptive, ineffective meetings," Vos wrote to Anderson. "Additionally, it is disrespectful to the members of the public who come to testify on legislation. I have always been disappointed to walk into a Senate hearing to see a chairperson surrounded by only phones because the members did not show up in person to listen to testimony."

However, in an attempt to accommodate Anderson, Vos said he would make a videographer available upon request for meetings Anderson can't make so he could potentially watch them via a livestream or on tape later. Vos said he would also consider changing the rules to allow for paper ballot voting, a process in which the lawmaker can vote without being present.

But Vos also took issue with Anderson for taking his complaint to the press.

"Instead of resorting to political grandstanding, you could have called my...