The News: The Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty (WILL) filed a lawsuit on behalf of retirement account participants, Rick Braun and Fred Luehrs, against the U.S. Secretary of Labor for a new rule permitting the use of environmental, social, and governance (commonly referred to as “ESG”) factors in retirement investing. The suit was filed in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin. Imposing ESG factors not only violates the Employment Retirement Income Security Act of 1974 (ERISA), which governs the operation of retirement plans and protects the hard-earned savings of millions of employees from mismanagement and abuse, but undermines the

Forty-four persons lost their lives in 1,770 Dane County injury-related motor vehicle crashes last year, according to preliminary data from the Traffic Safety Commission (TSC), which reviews county crash data reported by police departments and the WI State Patrol. The number of crashes with injuries decreased 22% from 2021 but the number of fatalities increased 24%. “This is an alarming trend,” said Cheryl Wittke, executive director of Safe Communities of Madison-Dane County and TSC co-chair. “It should be a wake-up call to everyone to think about how to stay safer when using Dane County streets and highways to ensure this

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) today announced the handgun range at the Columbia County Shooting Range at Mud Lake Wildlife Area will be closed starting Feb. 23 to address safety concerns for shooters. The closure is to ensure the backstop for the handgun range is working effectively and appropriately. The date for re-opening is undetermined. The closure only affects the handgun range, and the rifle and shotgun ranges will remain open. Range users are encouraged to check the range webpage for updates on the closure. The rifle and shotgun ranges will remain open under the current schedule. For

MADISON, WI – The Wisconsin Women’s Council is pleased to share recent changes to its leadership and announce new members: Jenifer D. Cole was hired in the fall to serve as the new Executive Director for the Women’s Council. She replaces former director, Christine Lidbury, who retired after 18 years of service in the role. Since 2010, Jenifer has held various positions in state government, including with the Department Workforce Development (DWD), Department of Children and Families (DCF), and the Supreme Court of Wisconsin’s Office of Lawyer Regulation and Board of Bar Examiners. She most recently served as DWD’s Legislative Liaison for two

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined Senators Brian Schatz (D-HI) and John Thune (R-SD) to introduce the Internet Platform Accountability and Consumer Transparency (Internet PACT) Act, bipartisan legislation which updates the Communications Act of 1934 by requiring social media companies to establish clear content moderation policies and holding them accountable for content that violates their own policies or is illegal. The bill is also cosponsored by U.S. Senators John Barrasso (R-WY), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Bill Cassidy (R-LA), John Hickenlooper (D-CO), and Shelley Moore Capito (R-WV). “Right now, content moderation policies are confusing for users and loosely enforced by online

[Madison, Wis.] — Today, leading advocates for women’s health praised a new bill, authored by Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara and Rep. Nate Gustafson, which increases critical access to essential breast cancer screenings. Roughly two out of five women have dense breast tissue where a mammogram alone cannot effectively detect evidence of breast cancer, and this bill makes it easier for women to receive additional life-saving testing. Health insurers in Wisconsin are now required to provide one annual mammographic screening to women over 50, and two screenings to women aged 45-49 who meet certain criteria, at no out-of-pocket cost to the patient. Unfortunately, the supplemental

Madison, Wis. — Today, Sen. Rachael Cabral-Guevara and Rep. Nate Gustafson introduced legislation to eliminate patient cost-sharing for breast imaging services. This critical women’s health initiative will increase access to life-saving cancer screenings for those who need it. Under current state law, health insurance policies are required to provide two mammographic screenings for women aged 45-49 under certain criteria and one annual screening to women over 50 at no out-of-pocket costs to the patient. However, for the 40% of women with dense breast tissue, where a mammogram alone may not be enough, the average out-of-pocket costs for diagnostic or supplemental breast screenings

In Case You Missed It, the Biden-Harris Administration has hit the ground running to implement the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which is already delivering results for the people of Wisconsin. To date, $218 billion in Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding has been announced and is headed to Wisconsin with over 170 specific projects identified for funding, according to the White House. By reaching communities all across Wisconsin – including rural communities and historically underserved populations – the law makes critical investments that will improve lives for Wisconsinites and position the state for success.  The enclosed fact sheet additionally spotlights the following projects

At approximately 7:10 a.m. on Tuesday, February 21, 2023, the Green County Sheriff’s Office responded to a disturbance in the downtown area of the Village of Brooklyn and were notified shortly thereafter that a shot had been fired by an individual involved in the disturbance.  Upon their arrival, deputies locked down the area and specialized units, along with members of the Dane County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene. The individual suspected of being involved in the disturbance and of firing the shot was located about 2 1/2 hours later in the Village of Oregon and taken into custody.  The