Assembly Dems elect Hintz minority leader

Fresh off his election as Assembly minority leader, Rep. Gordon Hintz challenged his fellow Dems Tuesday to “recommit to the effort necessary to change the direction of Wisconsin.” Hintz, D-Oshkosh, was elected to the post after Dems pushed out Rep.

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Senate passes $76 billion biennial budget 19-14

The state Senate put the final touches Friday on a nearly $76 billion state budget that would pump an additional $649 million into K-12 education over the next two years after a handful of holdout GOP senators received assurances from

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DOJ spent more than $61K on promotional items since 2015

In addition to the challenge coins promoting the agency’s “Kicking Ass Every Day” motto, Attorney General Brad Schimel’s Department of Justice has also bought candy blood clots, pistol cases and custom fortune cookies including the message “The time is right

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Johnson questions increased Medicaid spending in eight states

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson is questioning whether some states are getting more federal Medicaid dollars than they’re entitled to, driving up costs. Johnson, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, sent letters Wednesday to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator and governors of eight states.

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Assembly Dems elect Hintz minority leader

Fresh off his election as Assembly minority leader, Rep. Gordon Hintz challenged his fellow Dems Tuesday to “recommit to the effort necessary to change the direction of Wisconsin.” Hintz, D-Oshkosh, was elected to the post after Dems pushed out Rep. Peter Barca, who will step down on Sept. 30. Hintz

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Walker signs Foxconn bill, vetoes several provisions

Gov. Scott Walker vetoed the Joint Finance Committee’s power to review the release of $252.4 million in general obligation bonds for I-94 north-south as part of the $3 billion Foxconn bill he signed Monday. Under the bill, the state has to receive federal money before the bonds could be released.

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Senate passes $76 billion biennial budget 19-14

The state Senate put the final touches Friday on a nearly $76 billion state budget that would pump an additional $649 million into K-12 education over the next two years after a handful of holdout GOP senators received assurances from the guv’s office on a package of vetoes. The budget,

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Fitzgerald: ‘We got the votes’ to pass the budget

Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald tells WisPolitics.com that he’s “got the votes” to pass the biennial budget. The Senate is back in session after a three-hour recess, as GOP leaders negotiated with Senate hold-outs to try to get enough votes for the budget. Fitzgerald said in a brief interview that

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Three Senate Republicans want budget changes to win their support

Three Senate Republicans are demanding a series of changes to the budget to win over their votes, including raising the income limit for the statewide school choice program and banning UW from spending money on diversity, sensitivity and cultural fluency training. The three — Sens. Chris Kapenga, of Delafield; Steve

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Senate approves Foxconn bill 20-13, with Cowles voting against it

The state Senate Tuesday approved 20-13 an amended $3 billion incentive package for the Taiwanese tech company Foxconn, with GOP Sen. Robert Cowles opposing it and Dem Bob Wirch voting for the proposal. Democrats called it a corporate giveaway to a foreign company, slamming projections that the state wouldn’t break

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Groups at odds over budget provision on short-term home rentals

A group that represents the tech company Airbnb says it’s opposing a budget provision that would add requirements to homeowners who want to rent out their property on the platform. The Travel Technology Association wrote to lawmakers Monday warning of the “unintended consequences” of a tax provision that the Joint

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UpFront

‘UpFront’: Zamarripa says Ryan may offer hope for ‘dreamers’

Republican House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Janesville, may offer hope for the protection of young immigrants brought to the United States illegally as children, said state Rep. JoCasta Zamarripa. The Milwaukee Dem, who represents a majority Latino district, said the Trump administration’s move to rescind DACA — the Deferred Action for

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JFC approves amended budget, sends to full Legislature

Republicans put the final touches on their version of the state budget late Tuesday, as the Joint Finance Committee added provisions that would repeal the AMT, create new tax breaks for broadcasters and nix a series of tax cuts Gov. Scott Walker originally proposed. The amended budget cleared the committee

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DOJ spent more than $61K on promotional items since 2015

In addition to the challenge coins promoting the agency’s “Kicking Ass Every Day” motto, Attorney General Brad Schimel’s Department of Justice has also bought candy blood clots, pistol cases and custom fortune cookies including the message “The time is right to make new friends.” In all over the last two-and-a-half

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JFC approves transportation package, amended Foxconn bill

The Joint Finance Committee Tuesday approved a GOP transportation package that calls for cutting 200 DOT jobs and pre-empting some local regulations of quarries used for road and construction projects. The committee also approved an amended version of the $3 billion Foxconn bill 12-4 along party lines that would require

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