On Thursday October 28, a marathon 9-hour committee hearing about Wisconsin redistricting was held. Only two people — the bills’ authors — testified in favor of the maps. In stark contrast, more than 200 people from all parts of the state traveled to Madison to show their disapproval of the maps, including scholars well versed on redistricting. The hearing highlighted the many deficiencies of the proposed maps.   To help educate legislators prior to voting on SB621 / AB624, voters across Wisconsin are sending the attached memorandum to their State Senators and Assembly Representatives, making five points: 1) in Wisconsin

Today, the Milwaukee Common Council adopted an amended 2022 City of Milwaukee budget in the amount of approximately $1.75 billion. The budget addresses many of the key Council priorities for the city, including public safety, public health, and implementing long-term fiscal sustainability. The budget will now head to Mayor Tom Barrett who will have until the close of business on Tuesday, November 16 to sign the budget or issue any vetoes. Finance and Personnel Committee Chair Alderman Michael J. Murphy thanked his colleagues, who he credited for working on two budgets at the same time – the 2022 city budget and the

MADISON– Representative Nancy VanderMeer (R-Tomah) and Senator Robert Cowles (R-Green Bay) released the following statements after a bill they authored, 2021 Assembly Bill 302, was signed into law today as 2021 Wisconsin Act 86: “Water meter projects are both common and necessary as meters may become less accurate over time, resulting in over or under billing. However, replacing water meters costs more and gets slowed by the PSC approval process, especially with the perpetually unclear language surrounding exemptions,” said Senator Cowles. “Act 86 makes a simple change to remove a costly, time-consuming, and unnecessary regulatory rubber stamp for these necessary projects by our local water utilities. I want to thank the Wisconsin Rural Water Association for bringing this

MADISON– Representative Jeremy Thiesfeldt (R-Fond du Lac) and Senator Robert Cowles (R-Green Bay) released the following statements after a bill they authored, 2021 Assembly Bill 300, was signed into law today as 2021 Wisconsin Act 85: “The PSC approval process can not only be costly, but it can also be timely lasting months or even a full construction season. Additional delays racked up before the review by the Commissioners and public comment period can further delay a process, putting a halt on some urgent and necessary projects,” said Senator Cowles. “The responsibilities placed upon local water utilities can make it a hard

WILL supported new law to develop online dashboard for public school spending The News: Governor Tony Evers signed public school spending transparency legislation (AB 378 / SB 373) into law, Friday, initiating a new process to shed more light on how public schools spend public dollars. The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) supported the bipartisan legislation to establish a commission of public-school representatives to determine how to collect and display the information online. The Quote: WILL Director of Education Policy, Libby Sobic, said, “WILL is proud to work with Senator Felzkowski and Representative Magnafici to craft and champion

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today took action on eleven bills. The bills include: Assembly Bill 132, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 81:   Requires certain entities that send immunization-related mail to ensure that any information that may disclose an individual’s immunization status is not visible on the outside of the piece of mail.   Assembly Bill 190, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 82:   Requires the Law Enforcement Standards Board to regulate jail and detention officer training, and to regulate recruitment standards for officers; and  Requires law enforcement agencies to keep an employment file for each employee and create a procedure for law enforcement agencies, jails, and juvenile detention facilities recruiting for officers to receive and review a

WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. – Responding to and recovering from a disaster is a community-wide effort, with public agencies, volunteer groups, businesses and residents all playing a role in the process. Ensuring those many interests can share information and find resources can be crucial to protecting people and restoring services as quickly as possible.   Improving the public and private sector communication and planning that goes on before, during, and after a disaster was the focus of Wisconsin Emergency Management’s (WEM) third annual Public-Private Partnership Summit, held this week at the Wilderness Resort’s Glacier Canyon Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells. The

Madison, WI – Today, Governor Evers will be signing SB 373, authored by Sen. Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk), into law. This bill will provide Wisconsinites with access to information and details regarding how their school district is spending their taxpayer dollars. “I am thrilled that this bill is being signed into law today. Over the last several years, I have worked with stakeholders throughout the education community to forge a consensus on making school district spending information accessible to the public. I want to thank my partners, Senator Darling, Representative Magnafici, and Representative Wittke for all their hard work on this.” The aim

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today signed Executive Order #139 ordering the flags of the United States and the state of Wisconsin to be flown at half-staff on Mon, Nov. 8, 2021, in honor of Navy Hospital Apprentice 1st Class Keefe R. Connolly, who lost his life in the attack on Pearl Harbor. “I want to thank all the folks who have worked to ensure Navy Hospital Apprentice 1st Class Connolly was able to return home after all these years so he can be laid to rest in his home state,” said Gov. Evers. “We are thankful for his service and his sacrifice,

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Following reports that the Biden Administration is considering paying illegal immigrants up to $450,000, Rep. Mike Gallagher (R-WI) joined Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH), Rep. Tom McClintock (R-CA), and nearly 135 members of Congress in introducing the Illegal Immigration Payoff Prohibition Act. This bill would prevent the attorney general from making settlement payments to illegal immigrants whose cases involved breaking immigration laws. “The War on Common Sense continues. At the same time President Biden’s open-border policies have created a record crisis on our southern border, the Biden Administration is considering paying illegal immigrants up to $450,000.

MADISON, Wis.—Following the release of today’s jobs report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics that shows 531,000 nonfarm payroll jobs were added in October nationwide, exceeding the BLS’ estimate by 81,000, Opportunity Wisconsin program director Meghan Roh issued the following statement: “The employment data released today is a strong affirmation that the Biden-Harris agenda and the American Rescue Plan—which have put shots in the arms of nearly 200 million Americans, delivered relief to small businesses, and allowed us to safely reopen our economy—are working.  “We are grateful to the elected officials who have championed our recovery, and we look forward to continuing

MADISON – The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSC or Commission) announced today that it received 14 applications requesting $274,914.48 in funding for the most recent round of Wisconsin’s Refueling Readiness Gant Program. The program is designed to foster fueling infrastructure resilience and create Fueling Points of Distribution or Designated Disaster Fueling Facilities which will stay open in long-term power outages or declared emergencies. The Commission is expected to award up to $215,000 in December 2021. “These grants will not only provide peace-of-mind to residents but also offer support to our first responders and utility line trucks during an emergency,” said PSC Chairperson Rebecca Cameron