Wisconsin gave its Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules strong-form veto and indefinite suspension powers over state regulations. Was Wisconsin unique among U.S. states in granting this much legislative power?

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Wisconsin’s Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR) was unique in the nation. It was one of only eight state-level committees authorized to exercise strong-form vetoes over administrative rules—alongside Arkansas, Connecticut, Illinois, Nevada, North Carolina, North Dakota, and South Dakota—and the sole committee empowered to indefinitely suspend rules outside the ordinary legislative process (). This latitude allowed a ten-member panel to block rules for years without full legislative debate or gubernatorial presentment, drawing criticism that Wisconsin stood apart from the 42 other states that limit committee review to advisory or short delays (, ). When the Wisconsin Supreme Court struck down these statutes in Evers v. Marklein, 2025AP002020-OA (Jul. 8, 2025), it explicitly cited INS v. Chadha (1983) to reaffirm bicameralism and presentment, restoring a process more typical in other states where committee oversight cannot override the legislative and executive branches directly (, ).

Wisconsin gave its Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules strong-form veto and indefinite suspension powers over state regulations. Was Wisconsin unique among U.S. states in granting this much legislative power?

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