Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — A Dane County judge today declined to block GOP-authored referendums on bail policies and qualifying for public assistance from the April ballot, finding lawmakers substantially complied with state law as they sought to place them before voters this spring. Dane County Circuit

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Gov. Tony Evers today at Fiskars headquarters in Middleton said many of his budget priorities are focused on addressing the state’s workforce shortage. Evers, alongside Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, a few lawmakers and some administration members, said the day after his budget

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Dem Gov. Tony Evers tonight will issue a call for cooperation as he hands off his budget to the GOP-controlled state Legislature, telling lawmakers their work can’t be “hindered by partisanship.” Republicans already have balked at some of the proposals Evers has

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Gov. Tony Evers today announced he’ll propose a more than $2.6 billion boost to K-12 public schools in the budget he releases tomorrow, a plan consistent with what he laid out in September. Along with the infusion of state aid, Evers wants

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Assembly Regulatory Licensing Reform Committee Chair Rep. Shae Sortwell said it seems like the Department of Safety and Professional Services has made “significant progress,” noting a decrease in complaints about licensing delays. Sortwell, of Two Rivers, and other Republicans have criticized DSPS

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Candidates and groups have already reserved more than $5 million in ads for Wisconsin’s Supreme Court race, according to a WisPolitics.com tally. That puts the contest more than halfway to topping the state record for the most expensive Supreme Court campaign with

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Milwaukee officials are expressing optimism about Gov. Tony Evers’ plan to call for dedicating 20 percent of future state sales tax collections to boost shared revenue by more than $576 million while also allowing local governments to levy a higher sales tax

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — A new TV ad from the liberal A Better Wisconsin Together Political Action Fund accuses conservative Supreme Court candidate Jennifer Dorow of letting criminals “off the hook.” The group filed notice with the Ethics Commission on Friday that it is spending $716,484

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Fair Courts America today announced it is launching a more than $500,000 TV buy backing Daniel Kelly in the state Supreme Court race, the latest escalation in the paid media campaign ahead of the Feb. 21 primary. Fair Courts American said the

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — The Wisconsin Legislative Black Caucus has drafted a resolution to honor Black History Month that would highlight seven people, including the state’s first Black woman to become a major general in the U.S. Army Reserve and its first Black appeals court judge.

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Dem legislative leaders Rep. Greta Neubauer and Sen. Melissa Agard argued today there is enough of a budget surplus to fund at least a little of everything Republicans and Dems want. The Senate minority leader at a WisPolitics.com Madison Club luncheon said

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — A state-directed hand audit of nearly 222,000 ballots cast in the November election to check the accuracy of voting equipment found just six errors, but those could be enough to fall short of a federal standard. Wisconsin Election Commission staff chalked up

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — The U.S. Department of Justice has sued Wisconsin’s Department of Military Affairs, alleging the agency violated the Civil Rights Act by offering a woman a lower salary than was offered for similarly or less qualified men. A spokesperson for the Department of

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Gov. Tony Evers tonight will lay down another marker in the tax cut debate, urging the Legislature to “do it responsibly” to avoid a spike in debt or a cut in priorities such as public schools and public safety. Ahead of his

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — The State Bar of Wisconsin is calling the shortage of prosecutors and public defenders a “constitutional crisis” that could lead to the erosion of the right to a fair and speedy trial. While the State Bar in a press release notes the

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — The Republican-controlled Assembly today approved putting on the April ballot a constitutional amendment to overhaul the state’s bail system and an advisory referendum on work search requirements for public assistance. The Senate approved the measures on Tuesday. The Legislature will have until

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Senate Dems today called for GOP commissioner Bob Spindell to resign from the Wisconsin Elections Commission or for Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu to rescind his appointment if he refuses the call. The move comes as Spindell has been criticized for comments

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — The state Senate moved today to place on the April ballot two initiatives: a constitutional amendment to overhaul bail policies; and an advisory referendum on whether childless, able-bodied adults should have to seek work to qualify for public assistance. Republicans hope both

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Republicans on the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules today blocked the Evers administration’s ban on conversion therapy, arguing the administration overstepped its authority. The Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules today voted 6-4 along party lines to prevents the

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Gov. Tony Evers today appointed dairy farmer Paul Buhr to the Natural Resources Board, giving him five picks on the seven-member body. Bill Bruins’ early resignation came a week after Wausau dentist Fred Prehn, another appointee of GOP Gov. Scott Walker, resigned