La Crosse County Board approves referendum question

Question will ask voters whether state should accept federal Medicaid funds

LA CROSSE, Wis. (WKBT) — La Crosse is joining a handful of other counties who will ask Gov. Scott Walker to take a second look at federal funds for Medicaid this November.

This week, the county board approved an advisory referendum that will ask residents whether the state should accept money from the federal government that would help pay for Medicaid. Walker was one of 25 governors across the country who rejected that money back in 2013. Now, 8 Wisconsin counties, including La Crosse, have adopted the question that will show up on the November election ballot.

“It’s only an advisory referendum, but there are several counties throughout the state that are passing the same referendum – it’s places like Milwaukee and Eau Claire, and even Dane County had it in front of them last night,” said Sharon Hampson, 1 st vice chair of the county board. “It’s really quite a lot of the population of Wisconsin that’s encouraging the same thing.”

Because the referendum is only an advisory one, it doesn’t have any teeth – meaning the question won’t force Walker to take action.

That’s not the only advisory referendum that will appear on the ballot – La Crosse County also approved a question that will ask its residents whether the state should raise Wisconsin’s minimum wage to $10.10 an hour. Currently, minimum wage here is at $7.25.

Neither of those county board votes was unanimous.