Jim Steineke
Wisconsin Republicans push forward on anti-abortion bill
Shortly after Texas implemented the most extreme anti-abortion bill in the nation, Wisconsin legislative Republicans are moving forward on an extreme bill of their own, which authors Sen. Roger Roth (R-Appleton) and Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna) named the “born alive” bill. The measure was introduced last session as well and passed the Legislature […]
Nass asks Republican leadership to sue UW System over COVID mask mandates
Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) wants to pick a fight with Tommy Thompson. Last month, Nass and his fellow Republicans on the Joint Committee for the Review of Administrative Rules passed a motion attempting to force all UW System COVID-19 policies to first be approved by the committee. Thompson, the interim president of the UW System and […]
GOP donor group announces the agenda for surprise legislative session
The Legislature quietly announced Friday that it will convene in a special session Tuesday for a veto override vote — but Democratic legislators and the public were not informed of what would be on the agenda. Democrats and the public didn’t have to wait for Republicans to make an announcement, however. Tuesday morning before legislative […]
Democrats call out ‘systemic racism’ by Assembly Republican leaders for punishing their free speech
Republicans in the Legislature generally shrug off accusations from Democrats that they are being callous to Wisconsinites by refusing to provide health care coverage or elitist by giving tax breaks to the wealthy while making it harder for low-income families to get food or child care. But there’s one charge that generates a quick reaction: […]
The Wisconsin Legislature’s cynical run for the border
As Vice President Kamala Harris arrived in Milwaukee to promote President Joe Biden’s $2.3 trillion jobs and infrastructure plan, state Republicans were focused like a laser beam — 1,500 miles to the south, on the states that share a border with Mexico. Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke and Assembly Speaker Pro Tempore Tyler August sent […]
New GOP voting measure: prohibit non-citizens from voting
The Wisconsin Constitution guarantees that every U.S. citizen 18 and over is a qualified elector, however nowhere does it specifically state that only U.S. citizens are qualified to vote in state or local elections. That is a problem that needs to be addressed, according to Sen. Roger Roth (R-Appleton) and Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke […]
Gov. Evers and Legislature address police reform on same day with differing approaches
Gov. Tony Evers issued an executive order Wednesday afternoon directing state law enforcement to update its use of force policies. The order came shortly after the Assembly Speaker’s Task Force on Racial Disparities subcommittee on law enforcement policies and standards came out with its recommendations. The governor’s order only binds agencies managed by the state, […]
Republicans revoke Evers’ mask order, Evers issues another one
Republicans in the Assembly voted 52- 42 on Thursday to overturn Gov. Tony Evers’ mask order after several hours of speeches. However, within an hour after the Legislature adjourned, Evers — knowing this was coming — signed a new executive order and an emergency order “establishing a statewide public health emergency and requiring face coverings […]
Hintz: Vos and Steineke use speakers task forces to avoid action
Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz calls Majority Leader Jim Steineke’s statements regarding the Speaker’s Task Force on Racial Disparities “offensive and appalling.” On Wednesday, an email that Steineke sent to Speaker Robin Vos in August, suggesting that Vos set up the group and appoint him to lead it, was reported by Up North News. The […]
GOP rejects special session on unemployment
Gov. Tony Evers cited fixing the unemployment insurance (UI) benefits system as a high priority during his State of the State speech on Jan. 12. He called a special session of the Legislature to take place Tuesday to take up bills to fix the problems that have plagued the UI benefits office during the COVID-19 […]
D.C. mob riot versus Act 10 and Black Lives Matter protests
When a violent mob stormed the DC Capitol, breaking through police lines and crashing barriers, encouraged by President Donald Trump, to stop Congress from ratifying the election results, the minds of some Wisconsin Republicans immediately turned to the sustained but peaceful Act 10 protests at the Wisconsin Capitol in 2011. Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke […]
Democratic committee members denounce ‘forum for debunked conspiracies’ at Assembly hearing next week
As Trump’s last-ditch efforts to overturn Wisconsin’s presidential election results wind their way through the courts, Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and Majority Leader Rep. Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna) announced that the Assembly Committee on Campaigns and Elections will hold a public hearing about the 2020 presidential election on Friday, Dec. 11 at 10 a.m. “With numerous […]