Author
Evers signs bill allowing pharmacy students, techs to give COVID-19 shot
Pharmacy students and technicians who have been trained in vaccination will join the ranks of people able to deliver the COVID-19 shot in Wisconsin. Gov. Tony Evers signed legislation Friday expanding the roster of professionals authorized to give the vaccine to include pharmacy technicians and students. He signed the bill at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, […]
‘We are not out of the woods yet’
A year into the COVID-19 pandemic in Wisconsin, much of the news is getting better — but public health specialists say we need to remain vigilant. Case numbers and deaths are down in the state. Vaccinations are up, and vaccine supplies are increasing. More vaccine providers are coming on board, and by early March, local […]
Senate passes bill to start unemployment fix as Evers signals his OK
Wisconsin State Senate passes bill to start unemployment insurance fix as Gov. Tony Evers signals his willingness to sign the bill
Evers signs bill with PPP-related tax break once criticized as ‘double benefit’
Businesses that got tax-free federal funds for business expenses will be able to receive a state income tax deduction on those expenses under legislation that Gov. Tony Evers signed Thursday. Evers applied his signature to AB-2 and issued a statement highlighting $480 million in tax savings included in the legislation, Wisconsin’s first new state law […]
Legislators advance unemployment fix, revive COVID-19 deal
After scuttling a compromise on their last COVID-19 response bill and snubbing a call by Gov. Tony Evers to kickstart an update of Wisconsin’s creaking unemployment insurance computer system, legislative Republicans made a partial gesture to address both problems Wednesday. The Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee (JFC) rewrote the governor’s proposal to replace the state’s unemployment […]
PPP-linked tax break heads to governor’s desk
Businesses that received federal loans during the COVID-19 pandemic and got to keep the money tax-free will get an additional state tax deduction, costing the state more than $400 million under legislation that passed the Assembly and Senate Tuesday. The hefty tax break is part of a broader and largely uncontroversial bill to update Wisconsin’s […]
Walker administration’s BadgerCare work mandates blocked by Biden
A work requirement for some Wisconsin Medicaid recipients has been put on hold and will likely be scrapped following action by the Biden administration. The decision was welcomed Monday by health care advocates, who said that the requirement violated the underlying objectives of the federal Medicaid program, which in Wisconsin is called BadgerCare. “The purpose […]
Federal health insurance marketplace reopens for three months
Wisconsin residents without health insurance were able to start signing up again Monday Feb. 15 for coverage under the Affordable Care Act (ACA). The federal health insurance marketplace at HealthCare.gov, which is used by 36 states including Wisconsin, will remain open through May 15 under a new enrollment period that President Joe Biden authorized in […]
New report shows nursing home COVID-19 cases, deaths have fallen
After months of alarming increases in COVID-19 cases and deaths among Wisconsin nursing home residents, a new report indicates that news may be getting better. In the four-week period ending Jan 17, both the rate of new infections and the rate of deaths among Wisconsin nursing home residents were cut almost in half compared with […]
Tax break on business costs covered by PPP clears committee
Democrats on the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee sought changes Wednesday to more narrowly focus a $450 million state income tax break for businesses that received COVID-19 help from the federal government. But the Republican-controlled committee rejected all of them before sending the measure to the full assembly. The overall bill, AB-2, primarily consisted of routine, […]
Injunction motion aims to bring high court back into the mask order fight
The Waukesha plaintiff who is suing in the Wisconsin Supreme Court to end Gov. Tony Evers’ health emergency and mask order now wants the court to block the governor’s latest COVID-19 emergency declaration. Jeré Fabick filed a motion late Tuesday as part of his ongoing lawsuit against the governor, which was argued before the state […]
Senate bill boosts addiction treatment, Medicaid coverage for prisoners before release
A bipartisan bill to be introduced Wednesday would allow prisoners to get addiction treatment covered by Medicaid starting 30 days before their release from jail or prison. The bipartisan measure, coauthored by Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), would create an exception to a federal law that bars virtually all federal health coverage for prisoners. Joining Baldwin […]