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Education bills, most likely to be vetoed, dominate state Senate’s wrap-up session
With few surprises, the state Senate worked through what is expected to be its last regular floor session for 2022 on Tuesday. The most extensive debate centered on nine controversial education bills backed by the Legislature’s Republican majority in both houses. The debate over the education bills took up three hours of a session that […]
Senate poised to pass mix of divisive and unifying bills, then wrap up for the year
A proposed state constitutional amendment that would rewrite a decades-old state law and give greater control to the state Legislature over how Wisconsin spends money from the federal government will finish its first round in the Legislature on Tuesday in the state Senate. The Senate is widely expected to approve the amendment, in the form […]
Church group urges congregations to go slow on relaxing pandemic protections
While COVID-19 cases drop and the federal government is suggesting that it’s now safe for people to forgo masks in much of the U.S., an organization of Wisconsin churches is urging congregations to exercise caution. “The COVID pandemic is not over. Safer protocols can be adjusted, but should not be discarded altogether,” states the Wisconsin […]
Biden sweeps into Duluth-Superior to tout projects included in infrastructure law
Fresh off his first State of the Union speech for which he garnered the approval of anywhere from more than 70% to nearly 80% of people watching, according to polls, President Joe Biden traveled to Superior, Wis. and Duluth, Minn., Wednesday to promote projects included in last year’s bipartisan infrastructure law. The visit brought to life talking […]
New COVID-19 mask guidelines focus on individual judgment over mandates
New federal guidelines on community levels of COVID-19 and whether and when people should wear masks for protection are forcing public health providers to rethink recommendations for individuals and communities. The new guidelines emphasize individual decisions rather than public health orders. Nevertheless, they can still be used to encourage communities and groups to adopt shared […]
While requirements end, health officials say masks remain an important protection
COVID-19 mask requirements are ending in the only two jurisdictions that required them, but public health officials said Tuesday they would still encourage some people — especially those who are more vulnerable to the novel coronavirus — to continue wearing masks in public spaces to prevent the virus from spreading. Mask orders in Dane County […]
Bill would offer every Wisconsin child a chance to start saving from birth
A bipartisan proposal that would create a special savings account for every Wisconsin child at birth or adoption will get a public hearing Tuesday in the state Assembly. The legislation — AB-974/SB-947 — was introduced by Reps. John Macco (R-Ledgeview) and Evan Goyke (D-Milwaukee) and Sen. Janis Ringhand (D-Bayfield). If it is enacted, every child […]
Nurses seeking union at UW Health raise their campaign’s public profile
A campaign that began more than two years ago by nurses who want union representation at UW Health is stepping up its appeal for public support and attention, while the hospital system continues to reject collective bargaining. On Thursday, several hundred nurses and their supporters set up an informational picket line across the street from […]
National report: ‘Robust’ pandemic relief helped economy rebound quickly
Federal relief programs, the first enacted early in the COVID-19 pandemic and the most recent about a year later, helped power a swift economic recovery and ward off poverty for millions, according to a new report issued Thursday. The report, prepared by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) in Washington, D.C., found that […]
Carrots or Sticks? Lawmakers can’t agree on how to help employers who can’t fill jobs
For more than a year, Wisconsin employers have been complaining about their inability to fill countless jobs. Restaurants have cut hours for lack of staff, factory workers are putting in extra shifts and help wanted notices go unanswered. In response, policymakers in Madison have pursued widely divergent strategies to address the problem. In the Capitol, […]
Senate GOP election proposals pass without support from Democrats
Once again on Tuesday, Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature locked horns on voting. In the Senate, Republicans passed a proposed amendment to the state Constitution that would bar outside donors from helping local governments defray the cost of managing an election. They also passed a dozen bills on voting that Republicans said were necessary […]
Wisconsin’s union presence shrinks dramatically, new report finds
Wisconsin union membership has been cut in half over the last two decades, according to a new report released Tuesday. Former Gov. Scott Walker’s Act 10, which passed in 2011 and largely eliminated collective bargaining rights for public employees, is the single biggest reason for that decline, according to the Wisconsin Policy Forum, which produced the […]