TUE PM Update: Assembly passes pharmacy benefit managers bill; State of the Tribes address

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — The Assembly today unanimously backed a bill to create new regulations for middlemen between drug makers and pharmacies that negotiate prices with both. Pharmacy benefit managers are currently regulated by federal law, but the Office of Commissioner of Insurance has no authority over them. AB 114 would put a series of regulati… 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 Me     Forgot Password

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American Bridge announces new $1 million buy in Wisconsin

American Bridge today announced a new $1 million buy in Wisconsin as it continues to try undercutting President Trump’s support among those who voted for him four years ago, particularly rural voters. The latest buy will run for three weeks on broadcast and cable TV as well as radio starting tomorrow in the Green Bay-Appleton, La Crosse and Wausau markets, the group said. It also plans to add more to the buy to continue it for an additional six weeks. There is also a digital component to the effort. The campaign includes a 30-second TV spot featuring a man identified

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Bloomberg running three new TV ads in Wisconsin, 27 other states

Wisconsin is one of 28 states where presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg is running three new TV ads that declare he’s the only Dem in the race who can beat President Trump. A state-based spokesman said the spots are running in the Milwaukee, Madison, La Crosse, Green Bay and Wausau media markets. They are running on cable and broadcast TV, as well as digitally on streaming services such as CBS Online, Hulu and YouTube. The campaign didn’t say how much it was spending on the new spots. In one, Bloomberg declares “Mr. President, it won’t work” after saying Trump will try

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Assembly unanimously passes pharmacy benefit manager bill

— The Assembly today unanimously backed a bill that would create new regulations for middlemen between drug manufacturers and pharmacies that negotiate prices with both.  Pharmacy benefit managers are currently regulated by federal law, but the Office of Commissioner of Insurance has no authority over them. AB 114 would put a series of regulations in place, such as requiring PBMs to be licensed, with the goal of holding down prescription drug prices. Bill author Rep. Michael Schraa praised bipartisan cooperation in crafting the measure, which has garnered over 100 cosponsors. The Oshkosh Republican said lawmakers “put together what we really

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Rep. Vos: Statement on ‘State of the tribes address’

Madison…Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) released the following statement after the 16th Annual State of the Tribes address given by Chairman Ned Daniels, Jr. of the Forest County Potawatomi Community. “I would like to thank Chairman Daniels for his speech that highlighted our shared challenges, including human trafficking, the opioidz epidemic, broadband access and the workforce shortage. He also acknowledged the progress that has been made in many areas. I appreciate that he specifically mentioned the POPE Agenda and the Speaker’s Task Force on Water Quality. It’s through increased communications and an understanding of our mutual concerns that we can better address

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Rep. Considine: Welcomes tribal leaders to state capitol

Madison – Rep. Dave Considine (D-Baraboo) participated in the 16th annual State of the Tribes Address at 1:00PM today at the Wisconsin State Capitol. Forest Potawatomi Chairman Ned Daniels delivered this year’s address, which strives to improve communication between the state government and Wisconsin’s sovereign tribal nations. “There are eleven sovereign tribal nations in Wisconsin. Each year, I enjoy welcoming each one to the Capitol. The topics in Forest Potawatomi Chairman Daniels’ address included taking care of our land, water, and each other. His words resonated with me, as a citizen and steward of public land. “It is important that we respect

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Rep. Steineke: Oshkosh-West student, teacher, and resource officer to be named Assembly ‘Hometown heroes’

MADISON – The Wisconsin State Assembly will recognize Duaa Ahmad, Ken Levine, and Officer Mike Wissink from Oshkosh, Wisconsin as “Hometown Heroes” at the upcoming Assembly session on February 20th. Ahmad, Levine, and Wissink, who were nominated by their State Representative, Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh), were at Oshkosh West High School on December 3, 2019, when an incident involving Officer Wissink and a student occurred. After Officer Wissink was stabbed by the student, he fired his gun to disarm the student. Upon hearing the gunshots, Ahmad led 100 fellow classmates out of the school and across the street to the Mosque she

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U.S. Sen. Baldwin: Prioritizes Great Lakes Icebreaker after Trump’s budget does not include funding

WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senators Tammy Baldwin, Gary Peters (MI) and Debbie Stabenow (MI) reaffirmed their support for a new Great Lakes icebreaker. The Trump Administration recently released their proposed budget for FY 2021, which included no funding for a new icebreaker. Baldwin, Peters and Stabenow led a bipartisan effort urging the Administration to include adequate funding for the Coast Guard to acquire a new icebreaker for the Great Lakes. “Inadequate icebreaking capacity in the Great Lakes is costing us thousands of American jobs and millions in business revenue,” said Senator Baldwin. “By refusing to fund another Great Lakes icebreaker, President Trump’s short-sighted budget proposal

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VFW: Property tax relief for severely injured veterans cannot wait

Madison- The Veterans of Foreign Wars-Department of Wisconsin calls upon the state legislature to immediately act to provide property tax relief to our state’s most severely injured veterans. Companion bills SB 116 and AB 88 would expand the eligibility of the veterans and surviving spouses’ property tax credit to those veterans who are 70, 80 and 90 percent service connected within our federal VA system. For years Wisconsin has provided a property tax credit for veterans who are 100 percent service connected and for their surviving, un-remarried spouses. The United States has been at a state of war, around the

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MyVote Wisconsin: Website address lookup issues

MADISON, WI – The MyVote Wisconsin website is experiencing problems with address lookup for polling places this morning. Voters and clerks should use our backup service, https://www.gettothepolls.com/, while we fix the problem. The Wisconsin Elections Commission provides official polling place data to Get to the Polls, which is run by the Voting Information Project (VIP), a partnership of Democracy Works and the states to provide official information to voters about where to vote and what’s on their ballots where they look for it most—online. Having Get to the Polls as a backup is part of WEC’s contingency plan. We provide this information

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American Bridge announces new $1 million buy in Wisconsin

American Bridge today announced a new $1 million buy in Wisconsin as it continues to try undercutting President Trump’s support among those who voted for him four years ago, particularly rural voters. The latest buy will run for three weeks on broadcast and cable TV as well as radio starting

Read More »

Assembly unanimously passes pharmacy benefit manager bill

— The Assembly today unanimously backed a bill that would create new regulations for middlemen between drug manufacturers and pharmacies that negotiate prices with both.  Pharmacy benefit managers are currently regulated by federal law, but the Office of Commissioner of Insurance has no authority over them. AB 114 would put

Read More »

Rep. Vos: Statement on ‘State of the tribes address’

Madison…Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) released the following statement after the 16th Annual State of the Tribes address given by Chairman Ned Daniels, Jr. of the Forest County Potawatomi Community. “I would like to thank Chairman Daniels for his speech that highlighted our shared challenges, including human trafficking, the opioidz epidemic, broadband

Read More »

Rep. Considine: Welcomes tribal leaders to state capitol

Madison – Rep. Dave Considine (D-Baraboo) participated in the 16th annual State of the Tribes Address at 1:00PM today at the Wisconsin State Capitol. Forest Potawatomi Chairman Ned Daniels delivered this year’s address, which strives to improve communication between the state government and Wisconsin’s sovereign tribal nations. “There are eleven sovereign tribal

Read More »

VFW: Property tax relief for severely injured veterans cannot wait

Madison- The Veterans of Foreign Wars-Department of Wisconsin calls upon the state legislature to immediately act to provide property tax relief to our state’s most severely injured veterans. Companion bills SB 116 and AB 88 would expand the eligibility of the veterans and surviving spouses’ property tax credit to those

Read More »

MyVote Wisconsin: Website address lookup issues

MADISON, WI – The MyVote Wisconsin website is experiencing problems with address lookup for polling places this morning. Voters and clerks should use our backup service, https://www.gettothepolls.com/, while we fix the problem. The Wisconsin Elections Commission provides official polling place data to Get to the Polls, which is run by the Voting

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