Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors: Set to begin public deliberation on 2018 budget

Contact: Brian Rothgery 414-278-4230 or brian.rothgery@milwaukeecountywi.gov MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee County Executive declined an invitation to present his budget to the Board of Supervisors today at their September meeting, again breaking with longstanding tradition and opting to deliver a budget address at Mitchell International Airport. “There is a concern that County Executive Abele has failed to recognize that, like a typical household, he must learn to budget within our community’s means,” said County Board Chairman Theodore Lipscomb, Sr. “County Executive Abele continues to ignore the will of the voters, who opposed his $60 wheel tax by a landslide 72% margin

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Rep. Pocan: Statement on Supreme Court agreeing to hear Janus v. AFSCME

Contact: Ron Boehmer 202-225-2906 WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02) today released the following statement regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to hear the case Janus v. AFSCME Council 31. “For decades, the U.S. has affirmed the rights of public sector unions, but the case before the Supreme Court is part of a continued, coordinated attack by anti-union, anti-worker special interests. Not only are workers under assault from the Trump Administration’s policies, they are now about to be dealt a secondary blow by a Supreme Court that now includes Neil Gorsuch, a justice that should not be on

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Senators Johnson and Baldwin: Recommend U.S. Marshal Candidates

Contact: Ben Voelkel John Kraus WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) announced Thursday their recommendation to the White House to consider five Wisconsinites to serve as U.S. Marshal for Wisconsin’s eastern and western districts. The candidates were among those recommended by a federal nominating commission established by the senators to advance qualified candidates for nominations in Wisconsin. The full text of the Wisconsin senators’ letter of recommendation to the White House is available here and below. September 28, 2017 The President The White House Washington, DC 20500 Dear Mr. President: We are pleased to recommend

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Pence touts GOP tax reform effort, praises Walker’s record on taxes

Vice President Mike Pence Thursday praised Gov. Scott Walker’s record on taxes as he touted the GOP’s efforts to overhaul the nation’s tax code, saying the model the guv created could be used at the national level. “You’ve got a governor here who has cut taxes a bunch in Wisconsin and lots of economic growth has followed,” Pence told local business leaders, community officials and Wisconsin famili… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, click here for a WisPolitics free trial and to view the different subscription options. Username or E-mail Password * Remember

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THU PM Update: Pence touts GOP tax reform effort, praises Walker’s record on taxes

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Vice President Mike Pence today praised Gov. Scott Walker’s record on taxes as he touted the GOP’s efforts to overhaul the nation’s tax code, saying the model the guv created could be used at the national level. “You’ve got a governor here who has cut taxes a bunch in Wisconsin and lots of economic growth has followed,” Pence t… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, click here for a WisPolitics free trial and to view the different subscription options.

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Rep. Hebl: Requests stronger environmental enforcement measures

CONTACT: Rep. Gary Hebl, (608) 266-7678 (MADISON) –Member of the Assembly Committee on the Environment and Forestry Representative Gary Hebl (D-Sun Prairie), along with Democratic colleagues, sent a letter to new Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Dan Meyer requesting that he bring back the stronger environmental enforcement standards that existed before 2011. Hebl noted that from 2000-2010, actions taken to correct environmental violations were much higher than in the period since Governor Walker took office in 2011. “Across the board, actions taken against environmental violators are down,” Hebl said. “Notices of Violation are down 47%. Citations are down 56%.

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National Alliance for Public Charter Schools: Congratulates recipients of 2017 U.S. Department of Education charter schools program grants

Contact: Vanessa Descalzi vanessa@publiccharters.org Today the U.S. Department of Education announced the recipients of $253M in annual Charter Schools Program (CSP) Grants, the first such awards under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which include separate and specific grants for: Funding State Entities—to support the creation of new charter schools $144.7M; Replication and Expansion of High-Quality Charter Schools—$52.4M; and Credit Enhancement—to help charter schools meet the cost of facilities $56.25M. “We congratulate the winners of this year’s grant competition and look forward to supporting their success,” said Nina Rees, President and CEO of the National Alliance for Public Charter Schools.

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DCF Media: Seeking Wisconsin’s outstanding adoptive parents

Contact: Joe Scialfa or Gina Paige ― 608-266-9000 (MADISON) – November is National Adoption Month and to honor those special Wisconsin Families who open their hearts and homes to provide “forever families” for children and youths, the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) is seeking nominations for the 2017 Governor’s Outstanding Adoptive Parent Awards. To recognize and thank adoptive parents for their efforts to improve the lives of children, DCF is requesting nominations for adoptive parents who go above and beyond, especially those who have adopted sibling groups, teenagers, children with special needs and/or foster care children to be

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Senate committee clears bill to set up an occupational licensing requirement review

A Senate committee today approved a bill that would set up a review of the state’s occupational licensing requirements. The bill from Sen. Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, and Rep. Rob Hutton, R-Brookfield, would create an Occupational License Review Council that would study those requirements and see whether some should be eliminated. It passed the committee this morning on a 3-2 party-line vote. The … Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, click here for a WisPolitics free trial and to view the different subscription options.

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Vukmir’s campaign confirms she met with Bannon

Leah Vukmir’s U.S. Senate campaign confirmed she met with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. The Hill reported Bannon, chairman of Breitbart News, is looking at 2018 elections in nearly a dozen states, including Wisconsin, after backing Roy Moore in his Alabama GOP U.S. Senate primary win. “Leah is the proven conservative in this race, and she’s meeting with conservatives across Wisconsin and in W… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, click here for a WisPolitics free trial and to view the different subscription options.

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Vinehout defends character reference for attorney convicted of possessing child pornography

Dem guv candidate Kathleen Vinehout is defending the character reference she wrote for a Leg Council attorney who was later convicted of possessing child pornorgraphy. Vinehout said in a statement she was “shocked and disturbed” by the allegations. She used similar language in the 2015 letter, though she added the allegations were “completely inconsistent with the skilled expert” she worked with f… Please log in to access subscriber content. If you don’t have a subscription, click here for a WisPolitics free trial and to view the different subscription options.

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Milwaukee County Exec. Abele: To tour energy assistance sites to help kick off new season

Contact: Melissa Moore Baldauff, Director of Communications 414.278.4216 772.579.6936 Melissa.Baldauff@MilwaukeeCountyWI.gov Milwaukee, Wisconsin – After a record-breaking 2016-2017 season of helping Milwaukee County residents afford the energy they use to keep their homes safe and warm, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele will on Friday, September 29th, at 9:00 a.m., conduct a tour of one of the Milwaukee County Energy Assistance Program sites to see how they have been able to serve more applicants than ever while having the lowest wait-times in program history. The event will take place at  728 N James Lovell and is open to the media. WHEAP program staff and customers will also be available for

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Sen. Taylor: Walker and forty-fifth President Sweeten deal for Foxconn

Contact: Jordan Krieger 608-266-5810 Madison, Wisconsin — Today, Vice President Mike Pence is in Wisconsin to talk tax reform with Governor Walker and local business leaders. However, early reviews of the administration’s plan to overhaul the tax code continue to be characterized as “lacking details” and a huge gift to corporations. Under the plan, corporations could see a new top rate of 20 percent, a move that may cost the government $1.8 trillion over a decade according to recent estimates. On Tuesday, the New York Times reported that North Carolina offered $570 million, about a fifth of what Wisconsin’s GOP

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Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors: Confirms Director of new office on African American Affairs

Contact: Brian Rothgery 414-278-4230 or brian.rothgery@milwaukeecountywi.gov MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors confirmed the County Executive’s appointment of Nicole Brookshire to head the County’s Office of African American Affairs today (18-0). County Board Chairman Theodore Lipscomb, Sr., announced his support for Ms. Brookshire, and expressed an eagerness to work with the office that supervisors initiated in 2015. “Supervisors urged the County Executive to create the Office on African American Affairs to lead Milwaukee County’s efforts to promote equal opportunity, reduce racial disparities, and tackle issues central to the rights and needs of African American residents of Milwaukee County.

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Rep. Spreitzer and Sen. Ringhand: Introduce bill to increase crisis intervention training grants for law enforcement agencies

Contact: Rep. Mark Spreitzer 608-237-9145 Madison, Wisconsin — Today, State Rep. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) and State Senator Janis Ringhand (D-Evansville) introduced legislation to provide law enforcement agencies the necessary tools to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations. Currently, many law enforcement agencies lack the ability to send their officers to attend weeklong Crisis Intervention Training (CIT) programs without additional funds. As a result, many law enforcement officers lack crisis intervention training. This legislation would increase the amount of money the Department of Health Services (DHS) is required to award in grants for mental health crisis intervention team training for law enforcement agencies and

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Rep. Pocan: Statement on Supreme Court agreeing to hear Janus v. AFSCME

Contact: Ron Boehmer 202-225-2906 WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Representative Mark Pocan (WI-02) today released the following statement regarding the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to hear the case Janus v. AFSCME Council 31. “For decades, the U.S. has affirmed the rights of public sector unions, but the case before the Supreme

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Senators Johnson and Baldwin: Recommend U.S. Marshal Candidates

Contact: Ben Voelkel John Kraus WASHINGTON — U.S. Senators Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.) announced Thursday their recommendation to the White House to consider five Wisconsinites to serve as U.S. Marshal for Wisconsin’s eastern and western districts. The candidates were among those recommended by a federal nominating commission

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Rep. Hebl: Requests stronger environmental enforcement measures

CONTACT: Rep. Gary Hebl, (608) 266-7678 (MADISON) –Member of the Assembly Committee on the Environment and Forestry Representative Gary Hebl (D-Sun Prairie), along with Democratic colleagues, sent a letter to new Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources Secretary Dan Meyer requesting that he bring back the stronger environmental enforcement standards that

Read More »

National Alliance for Public Charter Schools: Congratulates recipients of 2017 U.S. Department of Education charter schools program grants

Contact: Vanessa Descalzi vanessa@publiccharters.org Today the U.S. Department of Education announced the recipients of $253M in annual Charter Schools Program (CSP) Grants, the first such awards under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), which include separate and specific grants for: Funding State Entities—to support the creation of new charter schools

Read More »

DCF Media: Seeking Wisconsin’s outstanding adoptive parents

Contact: Joe Scialfa or Gina Paige ― 608-266-9000 (MADISON) – November is National Adoption Month and to honor those special Wisconsin Families who open their hearts and homes to provide “forever families” for children and youths, the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families (DCF) is seeking nominations for the 2017

Read More »

Vukmir’s campaign confirms she met with Bannon

Leah Vukmir’s U.S. Senate campaign confirmed she met with former Trump adviser Steve Bannon. The Hill reported Bannon, chairman of Breitbart News, is looking at 2018 elections in nearly a dozen states, including Wisconsin, after backing Roy Moore in his Alabama GOP U.S. Senate primary win. “Leah is the proven

Read More »

Milwaukee County Exec. Abele: To tour energy assistance sites to help kick off new season

Contact: Melissa Moore Baldauff, Director of Communications 414.278.4216 772.579.6936 Melissa.Baldauff@MilwaukeeCountyWI.gov Milwaukee, Wisconsin – After a record-breaking 2016-2017 season of helping Milwaukee County residents afford the energy they use to keep their homes safe and warm, Milwaukee County Executive Chris Abele will on Friday, September 29th, at 9:00 a.m., conduct a tour of one of

Read More »

Sen. Taylor: Walker and forty-fifth President Sweeten deal for Foxconn

Contact: Jordan Krieger 608-266-5810 Madison, Wisconsin — Today, Vice President Mike Pence is in Wisconsin to talk tax reform with Governor Walker and local business leaders. However, early reviews of the administration’s plan to overhaul the tax code continue to be characterized as “lacking details” and a huge gift to

Read More »

Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors: Confirms Director of new office on African American Affairs

Contact: Brian Rothgery 414-278-4230 or brian.rothgery@milwaukeecountywi.gov MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors confirmed the County Executive’s appointment of Nicole Brookshire to head the County’s Office of African American Affairs today (18-0). County Board Chairman Theodore Lipscomb, Sr., announced his support for Ms. Brookshire, and expressed an eagerness to

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Rep. Spreitzer and Sen. Ringhand: Introduce bill to increase crisis intervention training grants for law enforcement agencies

Contact: Rep. Mark Spreitzer 608-237-9145 Madison, Wisconsin — Today, State Rep. Mark Spreitzer (D-Beloit) and State Senator Janis Ringhand (D-Evansville) introduced legislation to provide law enforcement agencies the necessary tools to de-escalate potentially dangerous situations. Currently, many law enforcement agencies lack the ability to send their officers to attend weeklong Crisis

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