Madison, WI — State Senator Eric Wimberger (R-Green Bay), vice-chair of the Legislative Council Study Committee on Wisconsin National Guard Sexual Misconduct Procedures, commends the Joint Legislative Council for voting to introduce legislation proposed by the study committee.  This study committee was formed in response to recent concerns that the Wisconsin National Guard failed to handle and respond properly to sexual assault and harassment claims. “Men and women who choose to serve in the Wisconsin National Guard deserve to feel safe and comfortable addressing any type of assault or harassment,” said Wimberger. “The legislation we put forward increases transparency and accountability, and

MADISON – Today, the State Building Commission met to review and act upon items referred by either the Administrative Affairs or Higher Education subcommittees relating to the 2023-25 Capital Budget. Following the same blueprint as the last two budget cycles, all the Republicans on the State Building Commission opposed all capital building projects. When the commission is deadlocked in a 4-4 vote each building project fails.  “In another episode of Republican obstruction, the Republicans on the Building Commission voted to reject every single item in the Capital Budget. Even building projects that their own districts desperately need,” said Representative Alex

Madison, WI – The State Legislature passed 2023 Senate Joint Resolution 21 (SJR 21), a call on the governor to hold a special election to elect someone to serve as Secretary of State. Pursuant to Wis. Stat. 8.50(4)(c), the governor has the authority to call a special election to fill this vacancy. State Sen. Duey Stroebel (R – Cedarburg) issued the following statement: “Evers appointed former State Treasurer and unsuccessful U.S. Senate candidate Sarah Godlewski to serve the remainder of outgoing Doug La Follette’s term. La Follette’s retirement conveniently comes just three months into a four-year term after his November re-election.” “Evers’ action

MADISON — Gov. Tony Evers today released a statement after Republicans on the State Building Commission (SBC) deadlocked the Commission on a 4-4 vote on every motion that included projects in the governor’s capital budget recommendations, rejecting the governor’s proposed nearly $3.8 billion in investments in state infrastructure. Gov. Evers’ plan, released last month, represented one of the strongest investments to date for Wisconsin’s facility infrastructure and included major projects in both Republican and Democratic legislative districts in 28 counties across the state. Additionally, the governor’s recommendations were expected to provide approximately 45,000 family-supporting jobs and an estimated $6.8 billion in economic

MILWAUKEE, Wis. –  In a poll of Milwaukee Bar Association members released today, the vast majority of participating attorneys soundly rejected Dan Kelly’s qualifications to join the Wisconsin Supreme Court. Trust in Kelly’s qualifications has dropped sharply from 2020. When MBA members were polled ahead of the Wisconsin Supreme Court election that year, 44 percent found him qualified, compared to 42 percent who said he was not.  “We knew Dan Kelly is extreme, and apparently leaders across the legal system, including his colleagues, agree that he’s extremely unqualified for this position,” said Janet for Justice Spokesperson Sam Roecker. “Judge Janet Protasiewicz has the trust of

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined Senator Sherrod Brown (D-OH) and a group of Democratic colleagues in sending a letter to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), supporting CMS’s efforts to thoroughly examine current Medicare Advantage (MA) practices to improve care delivery for beneficiaries. Specifically, the letter urges the Administration to engage with stakeholders to strengthen and finalize proposals related to MA to reduce excessive payments to plans and bolster the Medicare program for all seniors and other beneficiaries. The senators raised their concerns about reported overpayments that

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) proposes to issue an authorization for the incidental taking of a rare frog, which may result from the Grant County Fish Habitat Improvement Project. Incidental take refers to the unintentional loss of individual endangered or threatened animals or plants that does not put the species’ overall population at risk. The DNR proposes to improve fish habitat at two locations in Grant County. The project will address bank stabilization issues, excessive channel widening and entrenchment, as well as the lack of instream habitat for brown trout, on the Grant River and Big

WISCONSIN —  Today, Governor Tony Evers and Wisconsinites who have benefitted from the Affordable Care Act joined Protect Our Care and Citizen Action to highlight the 13th anniversary of the landmark health care legislation.  Speakers explained how they – and the state as a whole – have benefitted from the law, which expanded access to quality, affordable health care. The historic legislation eliminated lifetime caps, expanded Medicaid, and secured protections for millions of people living with pre-existing conditions.  The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) built on the strong foundation of the ACA by lowering premiums for middle and working class families

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D-WI) joined a group of 13 Democratic and Republican senators in calling on the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to ensure rural and tribal communities receive their fair share of federal broadband grants. The members urged FCC to update the National Broadband Map each month, rather than every six months, so broadband grants will be awarded based on the most accurate information. The National Telecommunications and Information Agency (NTIA) is awarding $42.5 billion in funding to states under the Broadband Equity Access and Deployment (BEAD) program created by Congress last year. NTIA is relying

Madison, WI – Today, a public hearing was held on Assembly Bill 36, which would create a timeline for the processing of a sexual assault kit by the State Crime Lab. The bill, authored by State Representative David Steffen (R-Howard) and State Senator Jesse James (R-Altoona) builds upon legislation passed last session that worked to eliminate the state’s backlog of sexual assault kits by creating processing andprotocol requirements for law enforcement and health care professionals. “This legislation is the final step to ensuring that victims of sexual assault receive the timely response they need when it comes to the processing

MADISON, Wis. — Today, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that far-right candidate for Wisconsin Supreme Court Dan Kelly appeared at an event headlined by anti-abortion extremist Matthew Trewhella. During his speech in St. Croix County, Trewhella compared public health guidance during the COVID pandemic to the Holocaust. Trewhella has previously said the murder of an anti-abortion provider was “justifiable homicide.” Trewhella is only the latest far-right extremist to ally himself with Kelly. Last week, the Wisconsin Examiner reported that election denier and conspiracy theorist Scott Presler had arrived in Wisconsin for a month to campaign for Kelly. Kelly’s proximity to dangerous extremists and his open