A bill introduced by Rep. Spencer Black, D-Madison, Wednesday would put limits on the deployment of Wisconsin National Guard Troops into combat areas.

According to Black, the legislation would require the governor to review the federalization orders, which can include overseas deployment of the Wisconsin National Guard, and take any appropriate action he or she deems necessary, such as refusing to deploy the troops.

Federalization of National Guard Troops occurs when the guard is needed in times of war if the president is unable to carry out the law using only federal troops. Guard troops from across the nation have been federalized as a result of the Iraq war, as well as the war in Afghanistan over the past few years.

When the Guard is not federalized, it assists with state and regional conflicts including things like riots and natural disasters but is not allowed to leave American soil.

The last Wisconsin National Guard Troops to be deployed to Iraq, members of the 32nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, left Madison in mid-February.

Although National Guard troops are still being sent overseas as part of the War on Terror, Black said he questions the legitimacy of the deployments.

“There’s been some question raised about whether Congressional authorization of the federalization of the guard still applies, because the purposes for which it was authorized have essentially been achieved…finding weapons of mass destruction… in Iraq,” Black said. “In the future, I think we need an orderly process for Wisconsin to review the federalization process. We’ve learned a hard lesson from Iraq.”

Even though the bill was introduced Wednesday, Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Madison, has already signed on as the Senate Lead Author.

However, Republican lawmakers expressed disapproval of the proposal.

“God help us all if our national defense policies are decided on the streets of Madison,” said Rep. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, in a statement. “It’s terribly demoralizing for the men and women in uniform to hear that elected officials, such as Black and Erpenbach, support the troops, but not the cause they are fighting for.”

According to Nass spokesperson Mike Mikalsen, the attempts to “hamstring” the United States’ ability to defend itself is something that will only benefit America’s enemies.