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Proposal would grant tax breaks to businesses with expenses covered by PPP
What was supposed to be a routine piece of tax code legislation has become the vehicle for a $450 million or more tax break for Wisconsin businesses that received federal loans to help them in the pandemic. The proposed change would enable a business to take a tax deduction on expenses it incurred in the […]
Second case of new COVID-19 variant found in Wisconsin
A second Wisconsin resident has tested positive for a rapidly spreading new strain of the coronavirus responsible for COVID-19, state health officials said Tuesday. The case was found in Waukesha County. The variant, identified as B.1.1.7 of the SARS-CoV-2 virus, is believed to spread more easily, and may cause an increased risk of death, according […]
Union-backed survey finds public support for unions, especially for health care workers
Most Wisconsin voters support unions, particularly for health care workers, along with policies to help people recover from the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on health as well as on the economy, according to new survey findings. “Voters in this state are clamoring for help,” said Mario Brossard of Global Strategy Group, which presented the survey results […]
Nursing home workers in Wisconsin outpace their co-workers nationally in accepting COVID-19 vaccine
Although a national study reports that nearly two-thirds of nursing home workers who have been offered the COVID-19 vaccine have turned it down, Wisconsin appears to be an exception. Nearly two out of three of the state’s nursing home workers who have been offered the vaccine have accepted it, according to the state Department of […]
Evers vetoes COVID-19 bill, calling rejected compromise a ‘missed opportunity’
A month of sparring over new COVID-19 response legislation concluded Friday with Gov. Tony Evers, as widely expected, vetoing the Legislature’s first bill since April to address the pandemic. Evers acted shortly after the state Senate, voting along party lines, approved an amendment to the bill that the Assembly inserted on Thursday that added yet […]
Spotlight back on Supreme Court after COVID-19 order conflicts
For nearly three months, the Wisconsin State Supreme Court has been sitting on a case that is at the center of the Republican maneuver to kill the COVID-19 health emergency order that Gov. Tony Evers declared in January. With the flurry of activity on Thursday — as a divided state Assembly ended the Jan. 19 […]
Evers renews call for lawmakers to act on Unemployment Insurance system overhaul
Gov. Tony Evers urged the Legislature Thursday to stop sitting on his proposal to update the state’s beleaguered unemployment insurance (UI) system. GOP legislative leaders have ignored the governor’s special session call to pass bills to fix the system, gaveling in Jan. 19 and adjourning without action. Evers has proposed legislation to modernize the system […]
The racial and income fault lines over ‘back to school’
During a Jan. 12 floor debate, state Sen. Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield) called the use of virtual school amid the COVID-19 pandemic a “social injustice.” Kooyenga was decrying a proposal from state Senate Democrats to suspend standardized testing along with state grades for schools and districts that rely on student test scores. As he made his […]
Women outpace men in the early stages of COVID-19 vaccination
In the early weeks of the COVID-19 vaccine in Wisconsin, women are roughly twice as likely to get the shot. As of Monday, nearly 10% of Wisconsin women have gotten at least a first dose of a COVID-19 vaccine, compared with 5.2% of Wisconsin men, according to the state Department of Health Services (DHS), which […]
Why abolishing the state mask mandate could be bad for business
Robin Janson’s business has a simple rule for customers and employees: Wear a mask. “No mask? No exceptions,” is how she sums it up. Janson is the president of Urban Evolutions, an Appleton manufacturer of furniture and wall paneling made from reclaimed wood. The 24-year-old business has a showroom and retail store where it enforces […]
COVID relief bill continues to elude Wisconsin Legislature
Over the course of five chaotic hours on Thursday, Republicans in the Senate turned their backs on their own compromise COVID-19 legislation, while a controversial move to block Gov. Tony Evers’ authority to declare health emergencies screeched to a halt in the Assembly. The last minute pivot in the Assembly meant that the state’s current […]
Report finds benefits for economy, health in universal paid sick leave
While vaccines have been slowly rolling out for COVID-19 and state lawmakers are debating whether to throw out Wisconsin’s statewide mask requirement, a new report points to another tool that could help curb the spread of the coronavirus: Money. Not just money for public health departments or money to invest in medical prevention, treatment or […]