MADISON – State Rep. Josh Zepnick has a “D” behind his name, but he’s no longer meeting with Democrats in the Assembly in the face of calls for his resignation for allegedly kissing two women without their consent.

“Rep. Zepnick is no longer caucusing with us,” Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) said.

Zepnick, of Milwaukee, said Wednesday the decision was his and that it applied only to closed-door caucus meetings. Attending the open caucus meetings would allow him to get briefings from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau and other nonpartisan agencies.

Hintz would not say if the decision was made by him or Zepnick, other than to say “we came to that agreement” in a series of near-daily talks.

Hintz signaled he would not seek to remove Zepnick from the Assembly, saying he and other Democrats are focused on other issues.

Hintz and other Democrats this month called on Zepnick to step down after the Capital Times detailed the accounts of two unnamed women who said Zepnick kissed them without their consent at political events in 2011 and 2015.

Zepnick has said he was drinking irresponsibly in those years, did not remember the incidents and was apologizing to the women. He has said he got sober after a 2015 drunken driving arrest and conviction.

He has declined to step down and has said he won’t decide until later whether to run for re-election next year.

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Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) this month removed Zepnick from all legislative committees at the request of Hintz.

Hintz indicated he would not attempt to have Zepnick pushed out of the Assembly.

“We’ve taken action,” Hintz said. “We’ve asked him to resign. I’ve used the tools available to me. At some point, I think it’s up to the voters and so I think that’s where we are.”

Similarly, Vos said he did not want to convene proceedings to remove Zepnick from the Assembly. He noted voters could try to recall him if they don't want him representing them.

"So why should I say that we're going to take the place of the voters, of the people who he represents," Vos said. "So I think that's the process that's most appropriate. And, hey, if Democrats want to launch a recall drive of one of their own, more power to them."