Senate panel endorses letting Natural Resources Board appoint DNR secretary

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A Wisconsin Senate panel is the latest to endorse the idea of letting the state Natural Resources Board appoint the DNR secretary.

But the committee changed the bill to require Senate confirmation.

Jim Holperin, D-Conover, who chairs the panel, calls it a minor change.

He says the Senate approves Cabinet secretaries and many other appointees. The Assembly’s chief sponsor, Madison Democrat Spencer Black, says the change is OK with him because the Legislature would still not have the power to fire them.

The Assembly has passed the DNR bill, and the full Senate could take it up early next month.

Supporters say it would take the politics out of hunting, fishing, and environmental matters.

But Gov. Jim Doyle and the state’s largest business group say it would also make the DNR less responsive and accountable.

Tags: dnr secretary, wisconsin, appointment