Visit WisPolitics-State Affairs for premium content,
keyword notifications, bill tracking and more
Democratic Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed at their Brooklyn Park home. Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot several times in an assassination attempt and underwent surgery, but are expected to survive.
Whoever emerges from Sunday’s vote will follow one of the more successful chairs in party history. Along with a strong record at the ballot box — Dems have won 10 of 13 statewide contested elections since Ben Wikler became chair in June 2019 — the party has raised an astounding $206 million under his watch.
On this week’s episode of “Rewind,” WisPolitics.com’s JR Ross and CBS 58’s Emilee Fannon discuss Joint Finance Committee Republicans approving tax cut and education funding plans for the state budget, a lawsuit filed against Elon Musk over paying people to sign petitions, this weekend’s state Dem Party convention and more.
The Joint Finance Committee will meet on Tuesday to take up 12 areas of the state budget, including Corrections and the UW System.
“The great unfinished task is to win the legislative majorities and be able to deliver the change in people’s lives that Democrats have been fighting for this entire time,” Wikler said in a new WisPolitics interview in advance of Dems’ state convention this week in Wisconsin Dells.
Seniors would see a new tax break on their retirement income, while others would see some of their wages taxed at a lower rate under a GOP plan the Joint Finance Committee approved along party lines.
The bulk of the increase in the GOP motion — approved 12-4 along party lines — would go into special education. That includes $229 million in the main fund used to reimburse districts for special education costs and another $54.6 million for high-cost special education.
Co-chair Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, told reporters ahead of the committee meeting this evening that he tax cut will include expanding the income now covered by the second-lowest of the state’s four tax brackets.
In this week’s DC Wrap: Wisconsin Republicans back President Trump sending troops to L.A. amid protests, and Dem U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore charges Trump with escalating tensions.
While Wisconsin receives less per resident from the federal government compared to other states, cuts to that funding could still have significant impacts. That’s particularly true for seniors, veterans, students, the disabled, and low-income families, according to a new Wisconsin Policy Forum report.
The Trump administration is touting new findings from the White House Council of Economic Advisers, saying Republicans’ reconciliation bill would put more money in Wisconsinites’ pockets.
The lawsuit targets incentives offered registered Wisconsin voters to sign a petition opposing activist judges, arguing the ultimate goal was to help conservative Brad Schimel in the race.
The GOP-controlled Joint Finance Committee approving boosting the amount of state money going into youth apprenticeship programs and meat inspections, though it was significantly less than what Dem Gov. Tony Evers proposed.
Gov. Tony Evers had backed the state Supreme Court’s call for an Office of Marshals to add 8.4 full-time equivalent staff in addition to the 1.6 positions now working for the court. His budget included nearly $2.3 million to cover the costs.
Wisconsin is on pace to see a spike in credible threats against state judges and justices in 2025, according to numbers compiled by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. A court spokesperson says that’s partly because judges and staff across Wisconsin are being encouraged to report threats.
Thursday’s votes will be the first on two main drivers of state spending. The Department of Public Instruction accounted for nearly 35% of all general fund appropriations in the 2023-25 budget when it was signed into law, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. Shared revenue, another item on the committee’s Thursday agenda, is the third-largest general fund appropriation.
GOP Assembly Speaker Robin Vos accused the Evers administration of lying when Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement that Republicans refused to agree to meaningful investments in education, childcare and the UW System as budget negotiations broke down.
On this week’s episode of “Rewind,” WisPolitics.com’s JR Ross and Wisconsin Public Radio Capitol Reporter Anya van Wagtendonk discuss budget talks between the governor and GOP leaders breaking down, the Trump administration’s threat to withhold federal election funding from Wisconsin, and the state suspending funding for Milwaukee Public Schools after the district misses another reporting deadline.
Both voiced optimism at a WisPolitics luncheon about their parties’ futures despite recent losses.
The Joint Finance Committee will meet Tuesday to take up funding for the state court system, as well as the Department of Workforce Development.
Democratic Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed at their Brooklyn Park home. Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot several times in an assassination attempt and underwent surgery, but are expected to survive.
Whoever emerges from Sunday’s vote will follow one of the more successful chairs in party history. Along with a strong record at the ballot box — Dems have won 10 of 13 statewide contested elections since Ben Wikler became chair in June 2019 — the party has raised an astounding $206 million under his watch.
On this week’s episode of “Rewind,” WisPolitics.com’s JR Ross and CBS 58’s Emilee Fannon discuss Joint Finance Committee Republicans approving tax cut and education funding plans for the state budget, a lawsuit filed against Elon Musk over paying people to sign petitions, this weekend’s state Dem Party convention and more.
The Joint Finance Committee will meet on Tuesday to take up 12 areas of the state budget, including Corrections and the UW System.
“The great unfinished task is to win the legislative majorities and be able to deliver the change in people’s lives that Democrats have been fighting for this entire time,” Wikler said in a new WisPolitics interview in advance of Dems’ state convention this week in Wisconsin Dells.
Seniors would see a new tax break on their retirement income, while others would see some of their wages taxed at a lower rate under a GOP plan the Joint Finance Committee approved along party lines.
The bulk of the increase in the GOP motion — approved 12-4 along party lines — would go into special education. That includes $229 million in the main fund used to reimburse districts for special education costs and another $54.6 million for high-cost special education.
Co-chair Howard Marklein, R-Spring Green, told reporters ahead of the committee meeting this evening that he tax cut will include expanding the income now covered by the second-lowest of the state’s four tax brackets.
In this week’s DC Wrap: Wisconsin Republicans back President Trump sending troops to L.A. amid protests, and Dem U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore charges Trump with escalating tensions.
While Wisconsin receives less per resident from the federal government compared to other states, cuts to that funding could still have significant impacts. That’s particularly true for seniors, veterans, students, the disabled, and low-income families, according to a new Wisconsin Policy Forum report.
The Trump administration is touting new findings from the White House Council of Economic Advisers, saying Republicans’ reconciliation bill would put more money in Wisconsinites’ pockets.
The lawsuit targets incentives offered registered Wisconsin voters to sign a petition opposing activist judges, arguing the ultimate goal was to help conservative Brad Schimel in the race.
The GOP-controlled Joint Finance Committee approving boosting the amount of state money going into youth apprenticeship programs and meat inspections, though it was significantly less than what Dem Gov. Tony Evers proposed.
Gov. Tony Evers had backed the state Supreme Court’s call for an Office of Marshals to add 8.4 full-time equivalent staff in addition to the 1.6 positions now working for the court. His budget included nearly $2.3 million to cover the costs.
Wisconsin is on pace to see a spike in credible threats against state judges and justices in 2025, according to numbers compiled by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. A court spokesperson says that’s partly because judges and staff across Wisconsin are being encouraged to report threats.
Thursday’s votes will be the first on two main drivers of state spending. The Department of Public Instruction accounted for nearly 35% of all general fund appropriations in the 2023-25 budget when it was signed into law, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. Shared revenue, another item on the committee’s Thursday agenda, is the third-largest general fund appropriation.
GOP Assembly Speaker Robin Vos accused the Evers administration of lying when Gov. Tony Evers said in a statement that Republicans refused to agree to meaningful investments in education, childcare and the UW System as budget negotiations broke down.
On this week’s episode of “Rewind,” WisPolitics.com’s JR Ross and Wisconsin Public Radio Capitol Reporter Anya van Wagtendonk discuss budget talks between the governor and GOP leaders breaking down, the Trump administration’s threat to withhold federal election funding from Wisconsin, and the state suspending funding for Milwaukee Public Schools after the district misses another reporting deadline.
Both voiced optimism at a WisPolitics luncheon about their parties’ futures despite recent losses.
The Joint Finance Committee will meet Tuesday to take up funding for the state court system, as well as the Department of Workforce Development.