In this week’s Capitol Chats episode, State Public Defender Legislative Liaison Adam Plotkin says Wisconsin’s criminal justice system needs public defenders taking cases in order to function. As the biennial budget cycle moves ahead, he wants to make sure Republicans include pay raises to address SPD recruitment and retention issues. Plotkin also talks about why a bill to define “violent crime” could increase the load on the justice system.

DNR Secretary Adam Payne says he’s optimistic about coming to a consensus on setting water quality and PFAS standards after years of tumultuous talks. Payne also says the DNR needs to do a better job at figuring out the carrying capacity for gray wolves and animals they interact with while the department refines its draft wolf management plan.

In this week’s Capitol Chats podcast, Minority Leader Greta Neubauer talks more about her idea to move to a full state-funding model for K-12 schools from the current two-thirds model. She also argues increasing shared revenue for local governments will help them keep many of their essential resources, such as

In this week’s Capitol Chats podcast, U.S. Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Milwaukee, says lawmakers need to keep in mind ways to dismantle Milwaukee’s historic segregation issues while crafting legislation. The Ways and Means Committee member also says she hopes the fight to raise the debt ceiling won’t again result in a downgrade of the U.S. credit rating as happened in the 2011 fight to raise the debt ceiling.