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The Wisconsin chapter of the American Legion is opposing new legislation that would give Gov. Scott Walker the authority to appoint a new state veterans’ secretary.

The organization’s 22-member Executive Committee voted earlier this week to oppose certain provisions in the bill. In a statement, Legion State Commander Robert Batty said that during the Executive Committee meeting, many members “were animated in expressing their opposition to shifting this authority away from the veteran’s community over to a politically elected position.”

The bill was previously endorsed by the state’s chapter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. In a statement issued earlier this month, VFW State Commander Bruce Lemmer said the secretary must be elevated “to a cabinet position … to assure public accountability.”

The Legion, however, says such a move could make it overly partisan.

The Legion committee also voted to oppose another provision reducing the terms of members of the Wisconsin Board of Veterans Affairs from six years to three. Board members are appointed by the governor, and such a reduction in term lengths would give Walker and other governors more opportunities to appoint new members.

The bill, sponsored by State Rep. Kevin Petersen (R-Waupaca) and other Republicans, would also weaken the board’s power to directly supervise the state Department of Veterans Affairs – another change opposed by the Legion. Currently, all rules proposed by the department must win the board’s approval, but the legislation would remove this requirement; the board’s opinions would only be advisory. (The rules, as now, would still undergo review by the state Legislature.)

The committee didn’t oppose (and at least one member favored) expanding the board from seven members to nine and requiring that the governor appoint a member from each of the state’s eight congressional districts. Walker proposed such a plan in his campaign but didn’t suggest giving the governor the authority to select the veterans’ secretary.

Under the bill, the governor would be required to “personally consult” with leaders from at least six veterans’ organizations in the state before choosing a veterans’ secretary. The bill doesn’t specify which groups would have to be consulted.

Wisconsin currently lacks a veterans’ secretary. Former Secretary Ken Black resigned on April 1, and the veterans’ board hasn’t yet named a replacement.

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