Briefs
As expected, Evers vetoes GOP bill that replaced child care and other aid with tax cut
Gov. Tony Evers vetoed the Republican rewrite of his special session bill Monday, declaring it “wholly out of touch with what Wisconsinites, including child care providers, some of our state’s largest employers, working parents, students, and our state’s higher education institutions, are asking for and need.” Evers’ rejection of the bill was widely expected. The […]
Local, state officials condemn neo-Nazi march in Madison
About 20 neo-Nazis marched up State Street from the UW-Madison campus to the Capitol on Saturday and gathered at James Madison Park in front of the Gates of Heaven synagogue, a historic 19th-century building run by the city parks department. “To see neo-Nazis marching in our streets and neighborhoods and in the shadow of our […]
Job numbers ease slightly, but state economist sees little cause for concern
Wisconsin jobs and unemployment figures cooled slightly in October, but the changes weren’t significant enough to suggest the economy is shifting, according to the state labor department. Wisconsin employers reported a projected 3.014 million jobs in October, down about 1,400 from September, the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) reported Thursday. There were 900 fewer construction […]
Senate forces through update to alcohol regulations over objections of wedding barn owners
A bipartisan group of Wisconsin lawmakers on Tuesday forced an update to the state’s alcohol laws through the state Senate even though the new regulation had been blocked in committee after the owners of wedding venues across the state claimed it would kill their industry. The Assembly passed its version of the bill on a […]
Environmental group argues Wisconsin’s gerrymandered maps disenfranchise parents of lead poisoned children
Wisconsin’s legislative maps, which are drawn to heavily favor Republicans, have disempowered parents on the North Side of Milwaukee, preventing them from pushing their elected representatives to work toward removing the lead pipes that remain in their neighborhoods, a legal brief filed on Monday by an environmental group argues. The “friend of the court brief” […]
Milwaukee County stops taking fathers to court to pay back Medicaid for childbirth costs
Milwaukee County is on the verge of ending the practice of demanding that unwed fathers pay back the Medicaid program for the cost of covering the birth of their children. Dane County, which in 2020 stopped going to court to claw back those Medicaid dollars from fathers, is poised to drop pending cases that remain […]
Democrats propose state law to help limit book bans
Democrats in the state Legislature are proposing new standards they say could help quell a tide of bans and restrictions on books in schools across the country. “Last year, the American Library Association reported 1,269 demands to censor library books and resources, the highest number of demands since the organization began collecting data 20 years […]
Regulators cut rate increase for Wisconsin Power and Light, put off decision on coal plant
State utility regulators approved a rate increase for Wisconsin Power and Light Thursday that was almost half what the electric power provider sought but put off decisions on two broader issues that had been raised by the company in its petition. The Public Services Commission (PSC) voted to set aside how the cost of a […]
Republican lawmakers ask judge to demand WEC appoint new administrator
Republican legislative leaders have asked a Dane County judge to rule that the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) has a duty to appoint a new administrator. The Republicans made the argument after the state Department of Justice argued in a new legal filing that the commission has the option of appointing a new commissioner but doesn’t […]
Group continues to pressure Vos on WEC administrator impeachment resolution
A group is continuing to pressure Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) to bring a resolution to impeach Wisconsin Election Administrator Meagan Wolfe to a vote, despite Vos’ public statements that it’s unlikely the Assembly will take up the issue. The Wisconsin Elections Committee, Inc, a nonprofit group that has been running attack ads against Vos […]
Tax deduction for the unborn passes Senate in bill destined to be vetoed
The state Senate passed legislation Tuesday declaring that expectant parents can take a deduction on their state income taxes months before the birth of a child. Debate on the measure, SB-344, was one-sided during the eight minutes it was up for a vote. The only lawmaker to speak about it was a Democratic opponent. Gov. […]
UW enlists business leaders to push for new engineering building funds
The University of Wisconsin-Madison kicked efforts to persuade the Legislature to come up with nearly $200 million for a new engineering building into higher gear Monday. The UW announced a campaign including digital and newspaper advertising, social media and a video spot to reverse the Republican legislative majority’s decision in June against funding the building […]