Committees back two bills to boost OWI penalties

The Assembly Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee unanimously approved a pair of bills Thursday that stiffen penalties for impaired drivers. AB 15 and 17 would require those charged with first-offense OWI to appear in court and would implement a

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State sues Purdue Pharma over opioid epidemic

Flanked by lawmakers, law enforcement officials and advocates, AG Josh Kaul and Gov. Tony Evers announced the state has filed a lawsuit alleging subsidiaries of Purdue Pharma fueled the opioid epidemic by employing “deceptive” marketing and sales techniques. Wisconsin is

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Evers announces partnership to boost Medicaid enrollment

With Republicans rejecting his call to expand Medicaid under Obamacare, Gov. Tony Evers announced a new partnership aimed at boosting the number of state residents enrolled in the existing program. In a news conference on the steps of the Capitol Monday, Evers said the new partnership between the Department of

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‘UpFront’: Baldwin urges continued investigation of Trump

U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin said Congress should exert its oversight role over the executive branch and continue to investigate President Trump. But in a weekend interview, the Madison Democrat said she did not join dozens of other Democrats who are calling for Congress to begin an impeachment inquiry. “Congress has

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Committees back two bills to boost OWI penalties

The Assembly Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee unanimously approved a pair of bills Thursday that stiffen penalties for impaired drivers. AB 15 and 17 would require those charged with first-offense OWI to appear in court and would implement a presumptive mandatory minimum sentence of five years in prison for

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State sues Purdue Pharma over opioid epidemic

Flanked by lawmakers, law enforcement officials and advocates, AG Josh Kaul and Gov. Tony Evers announced the state has filed a lawsuit alleging subsidiaries of Purdue Pharma fueled the opioid epidemic by employing “deceptive” marketing and sales techniques. Wisconsin is one of five states — along with Iowa, Kansas, Maryland

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Assembly plans to take up three abortion-related bills next week

The Assembly is planning to take up three abortion-related bills when it convenes next week, according to a proposed calendar from Majority Leader Jim Steineke. Members are also scheduled to vote on two crime-related bills as well as Marsy’s Law, a proposed constitutional amendment aiming to bolster crime victims’ rights.

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Hintz, Thiesfeldt debate vaccine waiver bill on ‘UpFront’

Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz, D-Oshkosh, said his bill to repeal the personal conviction waiver on vaccines is about public health and safety. But state Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt, R-Fond du Lac, said parental rights need to be protected. The two appeared jointly Sunday on “UpFront,” produced in partnership with WisPolitics.com.

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Evers says he’s not giving up on Medicaid expansion

Gov. Tony Evers says he’s not giving up on his proposal to expand Medicaid despite JFC Republicans’ plan to pull it from the budget, but he stopped short of saying he would veto a budget that didn’t include it. Meanwhile, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, dug in over his opposition

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