Visit WisPolitics-State Affairs for premium content,
keyword notifications, bill tracking and more
As congressional Republicans are tackling tax reform at the federal level, Assembly Republicans have announced they’re planning to look into a comprehensive overhaul of the state tax system. To work on the state-level overhaul, the Assembly Ways and Means Committee
Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz cited the ongoing review of a $3 billion incentive package for Foxconn in naming guv candidate and Rep. Dana Wachs to the WEDC Board Tuesday, replacing Rep. Peter Barca, who broke with Dem colleagues to
House Speaker Paul Ryan Monday sidestepped questions on the indictments of former Trump campaign head Paul Manafort and associate Rick Gates. The Janesville Republican said because hadn’t read the indictments he wouldn’t comment further. Still, Ryan conceded it was “big
State Sen. Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee, says the process surrounding the state’s contract with Foxconn is being rushed, and he and other WEDC board members need time to study the document before voting on it to “get it right.” “I want
Gov. Scott Walker says he’s committed to working with lawmakers and the EPA to give the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection regulatory authority over concentrated animal feeding operations. Walker made the pledge as part of the Rural Agenda
The UW-Madison Business School is no longer considering a plan to suspend its full-time MBA program for a year to give officials time to discuss possibly discontinuing the program. The news comes after days of uncertainty following a report in
Gov. Scott Walker called on the Department of Corrections Tuesday to appoint an interim superintendent of the state’s juvenile prisons, following attacks on staff. In the letter, Walker suggested “violent individuals in these institutions have become emboldened following repeated media
Facing a bipartisan backlash, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has apologized for calling three GOP senators “terrorists,” saying it “goes against the guidelines I’ve sent for our chamber, and myself.” Still, the Rochester Republican on Monday continued to criticize the actions
In a weekend TV appearance, GOP Assembly Speaker Robin Vos slammed the veto promises Gov. Scott Walker made with three Republican senators to win their support for the budget, calling the lawmakers “terrorists.” With a 20-13 GOP majority in the
The Dairy Business Association and Department of Natural Resources have settled a lawsuit that claimed the agency is overstepping its regulatory authority. The lawsuit, which DBA first filed in Brown County Circuit Court at the end of July, alleged the
The UW System says it found no other “illegal guarantees or loans” beyond those the system is suing two former UW-Oshkosh officials over, though some minor concerns over transactions between campuses and their private foundations were found. The system has
WEDC Secretary and CEO Mark Hogan says the earliest that the agency’s board could vote on the $3 billion incentive package for Foxconn would likely be at its next scheduled meeting Nov. 8. Hogan spoke to reporters after a WEDC board
The state finished 2016-17 with a surplus of $579 million, a better ending balance than what the Legislative Fiscal Bureau had previously projected. The last LFB estimate of a $467 million ending balance, though, did not include a final look
UW System President Ray Cross says his plan to merge UW’s two-year schools with four-year universities would expand the reach of the larger schools and keep the smaller schools in local communities. Cross appeared Sunday on “UpFront with Mike Gousha,” produced in
Hundreds from across the state gathered at the Capitol Thursday to protest a GOP bill that would crack down on sanctuary cities. Speaker after speaker voiced concerns the legislation could open the door to turning law enforcement into immigration officials,
Chancellors at several four-year UW System campuses say they’re excited about the possibilities of merging with the two-year colleges. UW System President Ray Cross announced the proposal, which would fold in the 13 two-year UW Colleges into seven nearby four-year
Former state Dem Chair Matt Flynn formally kicked off his bid for guv Tuesday, telling WisPolitics.com he wants to restore Wisconsin’s progressive tradition. “We need a change of direction,” Flynn said in detailing his vision for the state. “It’s all
U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, who said Monday he’s facing the “toughest race of my political career” next year, will again be outraised by his likely opponent when the next round of fundraising reports come out. Grothman, R-Glenbeulah, told Wisconsin talk
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, says Congress should look for “common sense ways” to reduce gun violence and pass them on a bipartisan basis. Booker discussed the congressional response to the Las Vegas mass shooting on “UpFront with Mike
Senate President Roger Roth this week referred three fetal tissue bills to a Senate committee after months of delay. Roth, R-Appleton, had been postponing the bills’ introduction because he wanted the Senate GOP caucus to discuss the competing proposals and
As congressional Republicans are tackling tax reform at the federal level, Assembly Republicans have announced they’re planning to look into a comprehensive overhaul of the state tax system. To work on the state-level overhaul, the Assembly Ways and Means Committee is restructuring to add four lawmakers — three Republicans and
Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz cited the ongoing review of a $3 billion incentive package for Foxconn in naming guv candidate and Rep. Dana Wachs to the WEDC Board Tuesday, replacing Rep. Peter Barca, who broke with Dem colleagues to support the deal. “Foxconn represents the largest tax giveaway by
House Speaker Paul Ryan Monday sidestepped questions on the indictments of former Trump campaign head Paul Manafort and associate Rick Gates. The Janesville Republican said because hadn’t read the indictments he wouldn’t comment further. Still, Ryan conceded it was “big news” the two were indicted this morning on a series
State Sen. Tim Carpenter, D-Milwaukee, says the process surrounding the state’s contract with Foxconn is being rushed, and he and other WEDC board members need time to study the document before voting on it to “get it right.” “I want to be able to read the contract, I want to
Gov. Scott Walker says he’s committed to working with lawmakers and the EPA to give the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection regulatory authority over concentrated animal feeding operations. Walker made the pledge as part of the Rural Agenda he unveiled Thursday at the Governor’s Northern Economic & Community
The UW-Madison Business School is no longer considering a plan to suspend its full-time MBA program for a year to give officials time to discuss possibly discontinuing the program. The news comes after days of uncertainty following a report in the Wall Street Journal last week the school was mulling
Gov. Scott Walker called on the Department of Corrections Tuesday to appoint an interim superintendent of the state’s juvenile prisons, following attacks on staff. In the letter, Walker suggested “violent individuals in these institutions have become emboldened following repeated media reports and court-ordered operational changes.” Lincoln Hills and Copper Lake
Facing a bipartisan backlash, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has apologized for calling three GOP senators “terrorists,” saying it “goes against the guidelines I’ve sent for our chamber, and myself.” Still, the Rochester Republican on Monday continued to criticize the actions of “a few Senators, who cannot work with their colleagues
In a weekend TV appearance, GOP Assembly Speaker Robin Vos slammed the veto promises Gov. Scott Walker made with three Republican senators to win their support for the budget, calling the lawmakers “terrorists.” With a 20-13 GOP majority in the Senate and one of their colleagues an expected no, GOP
The Dairy Business Association and Department of Natural Resources have settled a lawsuit that claimed the agency is overstepping its regulatory authority. The lawsuit, which DBA first filed in Brown County Circuit Court at the end of July, alleged the DNR is enforcing new standards without having first gone through
The UW System says it found no other “illegal guarantees or loans” beyond those the system is suing two former UW-Oshkosh officials over, though some minor concerns over transactions between campuses and their private foundations were found. The system has for months been reviewing any payments between UW campuses and
WEDC Secretary and CEO Mark Hogan says the earliest that the agency’s board could vote on the $3 billion incentive package for Foxconn would likely be at its next scheduled meeting Nov. 8. Hogan spoke to reporters after a WEDC board meeting Tuesday, downplaying any concerns that the state and Foxconn
The state finished 2016-17 with a surplus of $579 million, a better ending balance than what the Legislative Fiscal Bureau had previously projected. The last LFB estimate of a $467 million ending balance, though, did not include a final look at expenditures over the fiscal year. The Department of Administration
UW System President Ray Cross says his plan to merge UW’s two-year schools with four-year universities would expand the reach of the larger schools and keep the smaller schools in local communities. Cross appeared Sunday on “UpFront with Mike Gousha,” produced in partnership with WisPolitics.com. His proposal is meant to address declining
Hundreds from across the state gathered at the Capitol Thursday to protest a GOP bill that would crack down on sanctuary cities. Speaker after speaker voiced concerns the legislation could open the door to turning law enforcement into immigration officials, while driving a wedge between police and undocumented immigrants that
Chancellors at several four-year UW System campuses say they’re excited about the possibilities of merging with the two-year colleges. UW System President Ray Cross announced the proposal, which would fold in the 13 two-year UW Colleges into seven nearby four-year institutions. Those two-year campuses, Cross says, face an uncertain future
Former state Dem Chair Matt Flynn formally kicked off his bid for guv Tuesday, telling WisPolitics.com he wants to restore Wisconsin’s progressive tradition. “We need a change of direction,” Flynn said in detailing his vision for the state. “It’s all fine to say what’s bad with (Scott) Walker and (Donald)
U.S. Rep. Glenn Grothman, who said Monday he’s facing the “toughest race of my political career” next year, will again be outraised by his likely opponent when the next round of fundraising reports come out. Grothman, R-Glenbeulah, told Wisconsin talk radio host Jay Weber this morning he’s “very apprehensive” about
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-New Jersey, says Congress should look for “common sense ways” to reduce gun violence and pass them on a bipartisan basis. Booker discussed the congressional response to the Las Vegas mass shooting on “UpFront with Mike Gousha,” produced in partnership with WisPolitics.com. Booker was in Milwaukee
Senate President Roger Roth this week referred three fetal tissue bills to a Senate committee after months of delay. Roth, R-Appleton, had been postponing the bills’ introduction because he wanted the Senate GOP caucus to discuss the competing proposals and come to a consensus on which route to take. But