The Senate signed off on barring local clerks from filling in missing information absentee ballot envelopes and explicitly banning ballot harvesting as part of an ongoing effort by Republicans to overhaul state election laws. Republicans hailed the bills as needed steps to ensure confidence in the state’s election procedures, while

Assembly lawmakers passed along party lines a resolution calling on Gov. Tony Evers to send aid and resources to the U.S.-Mexico border. The vote comes after Majority Leader Jim Steineke, R-Kaukauna, and Speaker Pro Tempore Tyler August, R-Lake Geneva, visited the border and then called on Evers to send National

The Senate voted to rework the makeup of police and fire commissions in the state’s two largest cities and changed reporting requirements for use-of-force incidents as part of a package to overhaul law enforcement policies in Wisconsin. The bill reworking police and fire commission policies was first introduced in 2017.

Senators nearly along party lines have passed an 11-bill package that would allocate federal pandemic relief funds. The bills now go to the desk of Dem Gov. Tony Evers, who has already raised concerns about the proposals. The package yesterday passed the Assembly along party lines. Those bills would spend

The Senate today approved Assembly bills to ban mandatory vaccines for COVID-19 and restrict officials’ ability to limit meetings in houses of worship to control the pandemic. No member rose to debate the bills, which passed on voice vote. They next head to Gov. Tony Evers, who is expected to

The Assembly passed by voice vote a joint resolution declaring April to be “Freedom of Expression Month” across the state. The resolution decries “speech codes, cancel culture, and corporate technology giants who censor the primary outlets for most Americans to express themselves.” Bill author Rep. Dave Murphy, R-Greenville, warned censorship

The GOP-controlled Assembly today voted along party lines to direct Dem AG Josh Kaul to join a 13-state lawsuit seeking to overturn a federal ban on states accepting COVID relief money and then cutting taxes. State Rep. Jodi Emerson, D-Eau Claire, on the floor accused Republicans of being hypocritical by

Republican lawmakers passed along party lines their 11-bill package that would allocate federal pandemic relief funds. Assembly Republicans during a floor session today said they are pushing the package through the Legislature as a message to Gov. Evers on how their constituents want to spend the $3.2 billion in federal

The Assembly voted 62-32 today to create a more than $170 million sales tax holiday for bars, restaurants and other entertainment businesses this summer. The vote did not follow party lines with seven Dems voting in favor of the bill and two Republicans voting against. According to a fiscal estimate

The GOP-controlled Assembly plans a vote today on a resolution pushing an effort to allow federal COVID money to be used for tax cuts. The resolution would direct Dem AG Josh Kaul to intervene in a lawsuit, which seeks to overturn a ban on states using federal money from the

— The GOP-controlled Assembly along party lines directed the Campaigns and Elections Committee to review the way Wisconsin administers elections. Resolution author and Committee Vice-chair Joe Sanfelippo, R-New Berlin, ahead of the session said he hopes the committee will never need to use its subpoena power after calls for officials

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos today threatened the GOP-controlled Legislature will have “no choice but to go to court” if Gov. Tony Evers vetoes legislation that would give lawmakers oversight of how federal money is spent under a $1.9 trillion COVID-19 bill. Vos called it unconstitutional for the guv to spend

The Assembly today approved a series of COVID-19 related bills along party lines that would ban mandatory vaccines against the virus and ban health officials from prohibiting public gatherings in places of religious worship to deal with the pandemic. AB 23, which would strip state and local health officials of

The state Senate today approved legislation to allow curbside pickup of alcohol purchased online or over the phone. It also signed off 28-2 on a bill that would allow bars and restaurants to sell to-go cocktails, clearing the way for that legislation to head to the guv’s desk. The curbside

The Legislature today took steps to uphold objections to administrative rules to regulate PFAS, ban gay conversion therapy and prohibit landlords from charging a fee for late rent during the pandemic. They and other rules were in a half-dozen bills that the two chambers placed on their calendars today in

Assembly lawmakers unanimously approved an amended bill that would begin the process of overhauling the state’s UI computer system. The bill would also, among other things, waive a one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits through mid-March and provide businesses with liability protections from COVID-related lawsuits. But before voting for the

The state Senate today overwhelmingly approved taking the first steps to overhaul Wisconsin’s problem-plagued unemployment insurance computer system, but didn’t provide any money to do so. The bill, which cleared on a bipartisan 27-3 vote, would instead require the Department of Workforce Development to seek and exhaust federal funds for

Assembly Republicans voted today to revoke Tony Evers’ public health declaration and the statewide mask mandate the guv has put in place since late summer, accusing the guv of abusing his power by issuing multiple orders without lawmakers’ input. The resolution will formally take effect tomorrow after it’s signed by

Republicans abruptly shifted tactics today on COVID-19 legislation and a resolution to overturn Gov. Tony Evers’ public health declaration. Assembly Republicans, on a party-line 59-35 vote, again amended the COVID-19 bill, this time with a provision designed to ensure the state wouldn’t lose enhanced federal food stamp benefits by overturning