MADISON, Wis. — Yesterday, the Wisconsin State Assembly finished debating the 2023-2025 biennial budget. Representative Shelia Stubbs issued the following statement: “Last night, the Wisconsin Legislature concluded the 2023-25 biennial budget debates and sent the controversial bill to the desk of the governor. The process to craft a state budget that adequately meets the needs of Wisconsin and Wisconsinites has been long and contentious. And sadly, the budget brought forth and passed by my Republican colleagues does not achieve this goal. During the budget process, I and my democratic colleagues have been consistently disappointed by the exclusion of many practical

MADISON—WI, On Thursday, June 29th, 2023, the United States Supreme Court issued a ruling that ends Affirmative Action for college admissions. Rep. Shelia Stubbs (D-Madison) released the following statement: “Yesterday, our United States Supreme Court struck down decades-long precedent that allowed for affirmative action to be used during the college admissions process. Today, I am left reeling from this decision that will effectively end the use of a tool to ensure equal opportunity is given to students of color as they seek a higher education. Affirmative action has worked to protect and enhance the life chances of groups that have

Expansion Supports Working Families and Aims to Resolve the Benefits Cliff Madison, Wis. – Last night, the Wisconsin State Assembly supported working families by confirming its support for the expansion of child care benefits by advancing the state budget bill on to the Governor for approval.  The support of the State Assembly is another key milestone in the Benefits Cliff Coalition’s work to address the benefits cliff for citizens of Wisconsin.  Under the current benefit structure, workers have little to no incentive to grow in their careers or accept promotions or higher wages.  “As a state, we must all be

Madison, Wis. – Yesterday, The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) ruled on Students for Fair Admissions, Inc. v. President and Fellows of Harvard College. With the 6-3 ruling, the court struck down affirmative action programs for college admissions. The decision reverses decades of precedent allowing colleges and universities to consider race in their admissions process. SCOTUS had upheld this ability twice over the past twenty years and as recently as 2016. In response, Assistant Democratic Leader Representative Kalan Haywood (D-Milwaukee) released the following statement: “It is frightening and disturbing that the conservative justices on this activist court are steadily taking

MADISON – State Representative Elijah Behnke (R-Oconto) issued the following statement regarding his vote on the state budget: “In this budget we had a historic $4.4 billion tax cut, invested over one half billion dollars in roads, and increased K-12 aid by over $1 billion. We invested $125 million to start combating PFAS. While no budget can be perfect for everyone and every district, this was an overall win for Wisconsin. “I would like to take this time to thank the members of the Joint Committee on Finance, their staff, and all the people involved in crafting this budget. I

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Rep. Gallagher (R-WI) today released the following statement on the Supreme Court’s decision to block President Biden’s student loan bailout.  “President Biden’s student loan bailout was reckless and unlawful and today’s Supreme Court ruling confirms that. This decision puts an end to this grotesque abuse of executive authority and is a victory for any hardworking Wisconsinite who worked to pay off their debt, saved money for theirs or their kids tuition, or served in the military to earn education benefits. “For years, Congress has stood idly by as the Executive Branch has expanded its authorities and used radical interpretations

State Assembly passes budget bill in 63 – 34 vote Madison – Representative Nedweski is proud to have voted for a budget made for Wisconsin. The approved bill makes historic investments in critical programs while putting money back in the pockets of hard-working people. $4.4 billion will be returned to taxpayers, the largest tax cut in state history. “The people of Wisconsin know best how to spend their own money. Instead of spending billions on the Governor’s liberal wish list, Republicans are returning funds that were overpaid to the people who actually earned them. It’s as simple as that.” said Rep.

WASHINGTON, DC – Chairman Mike Gallagher (R-WI) of the Select Committee on the Chinese Communist Party joined United Kingdom Members of Parliament (MPs) – Chair Alicia Kearns and Bob Seely of the Foreign Affairs Select Committee – to demand answers from the London-based HSBC bank. Following a CCP directive, reports indicate that HSBC is barring British Nationals (Overseas) in Hong Kong from accessing their pension funds. Chairman Gallagher: “On June 30th, three years ago today, the Chinese Communist Party imposed the National Security Law and collapsed the last, shaky pretense of “One Country, Two Systems” in Hong Kong.  Unfortunately, the British bank HSBC,

MADISON – Today, on the final day of Pride Month, the U.S. Supreme Court released a decision in 303 Creative LLC v. Aubrey Elenis. The Court ruled that certain public businesses may refuse to serve LGBTQ+ couples. The Wisconsin Legislative LGBTQ+ Caucus released the following statement in response to the ruling:  “We are deeply saddened by the Supreme Court’s ruling. As Justice Sotomayor states in her dissent, ‘Today, the Court, for the first time in its history, grants a business open to the public a constitutional right to refuse to serve members of a protected class.’  “This decision weakens public accommodation nondiscrimination

62-year-old bridge has suffered from significant structural deterioration, risking economy and Wisconsinites’ safety SUPERIOR, WI – Today, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin and Governor Tony Evers were joined by Wisconsin Department of Transportation Secretary Craig Thompson, Superior Mayor Jim Paine, and local stakeholders to highlight the continued need to replace the Blatnik Bridge and urge the Biden administration to invest in the project. President Biden visited the Blatnik Bridge in 2022 to discuss how the bridge could benefit from the Baldwin-supported Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. “I voted for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to bring federal funding home to Wisconsin to repair our bridges

Madison – After voting to support the Legislature’s 2023-2025 Biennial State Budget Thursday evening, Representative Nancy VanderMeer (R-Tomah) released the following statement: “I was happy to support yet another responsible budget put together by Wisconsin Assembly Republicans and my colleagues on the Joint Committee on Finance. I must highlight that once again, earlier this year in February, as is now commonplace, the governor proposed a budget that would have resulted in the largest fiscal imbalance of any Wisconsin budget on record and a structural deficit of about $1.4 billion in fiscal year 2025. The governor’s proposal would have dramatically raised taxes

MADISON, Wis. — This week, the MAGA majority United States Supreme Court released egregious decisions that promote discrimination against the LGBTQ+ community, strike down affirmative action in college admissions, and will leave generations of hardworking students mired with debt. The following are statements from Mike Browne, Deputy Director at A Better Wisconsin Together: “No matter who we love, what we look like, or how we identify, we all deserve equal rights, respect, and freedom under the law.  “It is vile, appalling, and gravely disappointing that a court that should be protecting our rights and freedoms would, as Justice Sotomayor wrote in