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Evers signs law that enshrines limited health care bargaining rights for police, firefighters
Police officers and firefighters have received a guarantee that their union contract negotiations can include how much they must pay for health care coverage and who gets covered under legislation that Gov. Tony Evers signed Wednesday. The new law overrides a state labor commission opinion that local governments had no obligation to offer health care […]
Wisconsin Watch director says nonprofit outlet will discuss voluntary union recognition
A day after employees at the investigative news outlet Wisconsin Watch announced they had organized a union and were seeking voluntary recognition, the nonprofit organization’s executive director and CEO said the organization plans to discuss that step. “The Wisconsin Watch Board and I have reviewed the letter requesting recognition of the newly formed Wisconsin Watch […]
Wisconsin health tech hub makes the first cut for potential funding
Wisconsin’s bid to be named as health regional technology hub advanced Monday, federal officials announced, setting the stage for the state to apply for up to $75 million in federal grants for the state’s biotechnology industry. The Wisconsin Biohealth Tech Hub was one of 31 projects around the nation advancing to the next step in […]
Wisconsin Watch employees seek union representation for nonprofit newsroom
Employees at Wisconsin Watch are asking the nonprofit investigative reporting newsroom’s administration to voluntarily recognize a union that they announced Monday. “This is not about money. This is not about benefits or anything like that,” Wisconsin Watch reporter Jacob Resneck told the Wisconsin Examiner. The primary focus, he said, was to promote a more democratic […]
Lawmakers pitch legislative package to expand protections for Wisconsin renters
A Milwaukee pilot program that has provided legal representation to tenants facing eviction would go statewide under draft legislation that Democratic lawmakers began circulating last week to recruit cosponsors. The proposal is part of a package of nearly two dozen draft bills that senators and representatives have drawn up to establish stronger protections for tenants […]
Job growth continues in September, drawing more people into Wisconsin’s workforce
The number of jobs in Wisconsin reached a new record in September for the third month in a row, the state labor department reported Thursday. The unemployment rate, while still at a historic low and below the U.S. as a whole, edged up slightly. That may be driven as much by an increase in the […]
How a proposed child care tax credit helps wealthier households
A Republican proposal to offer larger tax credits to help families offset their child care costs is a better deal for families with higher incomes, based on a Wisconsin Examiner analysis of the proposal. To get the full value of the improved tax credit that is part of legislation that the Wisconsin Senate passed Tuesday, […]
Senate GOP passes tax cut, abortion bills and transgender restrictions in contentious floor session
The Wisconsin Senate’s Republican majority passed their rewrite Tuesday of workforce legislation that Gov. Tony Evers proposed in August, leaving nothing of Evers’ original bill and guaranteeing its eventual veto. That vote came first in a cluster of contentious debates over legislation destined for the governor’s veto pen. It was followed by a confrontation over […]
Evers moves $170M to extend child care support into 2025
Gov. Tony Evers announced Monday his administration would shift $170 million toward Wisconsin child care providers as stopgap funding to stave off a potential fiscal cliff early next year and extend state support for providers into 2025. Evers made the announcement as a state Senate committee voted to eliminate more than twice that amount in […]
Republicans swap out Evers’ child care proposals with a tax cut he’s already vetoed
The Wisconsin Senate’s Republican leader put out a top-to-bottom rewrite Friday afternoon of the workforce bill Gov. Tony Evers proposed in August that replaces every item in the original $1 billion package with a $2.5 billion tax cut that Evers has already vetoed once. The Senate committee that was assigned the legislation is scheduled to […]
Wisconsin joins 24-state group urging Supreme Court to reverse abortion medication limits
Wisconsin joined a brief Friday by nearly half of all U.S. states urging the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a lower court decision that placed new restrictions on the abortion medication mifepristone. The friend-of-the-court brief, backed by a coalition of attorneys general in 24 states, urges the high court to reverse a decision by the […]
Senate committee to vote on eliminating work permits for younger teens
A Senate committee will vote Friday on legislation that would end required work permits for younger teenagers — a measure favored by some business groups as well as a right-wing think tank and opposed by worker safety advocates. SB-436, introduced Sept. 20 by Sen. Cory Tomczyk (R-Mosinee), would abolish work permits currently required for 14- […]