The Senate today voted 18-14 to pass the so-called tort reform bill with key changes that got enough GOP lawmakers on board to pass it. The bill, which would change standards on legal processes and discovery over provisions regarding the retention of records, had received pushback from Sen. Van Wanggaard,

A bill that would set aside funding for a multi-million dollar marketing program to attract more workers to Wisconsin is now heading to Gov. Scott Walker’s desk after clearing the Senate 17-15. While the bill received some bipartisan support in the Assembly when it cleared that chamber last month, GOP

The Senate signed off 18-14 on a bill that would make sweeping changes to landlord-tenant laws. The legislation, which previously cleared the Assembly, now heads to Gov. Scott Walker’s desk over Dem objections that it would disadvantage tenants by chipping away at provisions aimed to protect them. Sen. Mark Miller, D-Monona,

The state Senate today approved legislation prohibiting municipalities from creating their own local labor laws after stripping out a change the Assembly made last month. That means the bill would have to be approved by the Assembly, which plans to be in Thursday in extraordinary session, before it could head

The Senate this afternoon unanimously passed a juvenile corrections bill that’s largely in line with the version the Assembly passed last month reviving a bill that had been stalled over Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald’s objections to several provisions as well as the process. There was no debate before the

The state Senate today signed off on a $100 per-child credit and a scaled back sales tax holiday as part of a deal GOP legislative leaders struck to move the stalled proposal. It only cleared the Senate because Sen. La Tonya Johnson, D-Milwaukee, joined most Republicans in backing the plan.

The Senate approved 18-14 along party lines changing chamber ruled to add a trigger to move the budget along if the Joint Finance Committee fails to complete by a deadline. The committee would have until June 30 in a budget year to finish its work on the document. If it

The DOT would permanently revoke a license if the driver had two or more “qualifying convictions” and two OWI offenses within a 15-year period. The offenses that would be “qualifying convictions” include: second-degree reckless homicide, homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicles or homicide by negligent operation of a

The Assembly early this morning voted 58-32 along party lines on bill that would prohibit municipalities from creating their own local labor laws with a new amendment that would make it clear the bill wouldn’t apply to Foxconn. The newly drafted amendment, which caused the chamber to stand informal twice between

A bill that would make experimental drugs available to eligible patients passed the Assembly on a voice vote. The so-called “right to try” bill has been passed in more than 35 states. President Trump in his State of the Union speech last month also called on Congress to pass a

The Assembly signed off on a bill that would require the state to obtain a conviction before police could keep and then sell property taken from those accused of a crime. The bill, which the chamber approved on a voice vote vote, also would require a court to find the

A scaled back version of a bill aimed at safeguarding teachers and addressing violent behavior in schools cleared the Assembly tonight 58-36. The so called “Teacher Protection Act,” from Rep. Jeremy Thiesfeldt, now only consists of a provision to allow teachers who were the victims of an attack by a

The Assembly signed off on a bill that would keep wineries in the state open longer. The bill would let wineries that have a “Class B” license authorizing the retail sale of wine extend their closing times from 9 p.m. to midnight, although it would also let municipalities establish more

A bill that would permanently revoke the driver’s license of someone who commits four or more OWI offenses cleared the Assembly tonight on a 84-10 vote. The legislation is one of a series of law-and-order bills that have passed the chamber in recent days, as lawmakers yesterday signed off on

The Assembly passed a bill to crack down on those who commit crimes while out on parole that includes a new amendment to add $350 million in borrowing to pay for a new adult prison. The bill, which also featured a provision to add assistant DA positions in more than

The Assembly signed off on a proposed sales tax holiday and $100-per-child tax rebate, sending it to the Senate where it faces an uncertain future. The provision cleared the chamber on a 61-35 vote with a number of new amendments: one that would let small retailers opt out of the

Two separate joint resolutions recognizing February as Black History Month cleared the Assembly this afternoon shortly after the chamber gaveled in for its third consecutive floor day this week. One resolution, AJR 109, is from Rep. Scott Allen, R-Waukesha. The other, AJR 112, is from Dem Rep. David Crowley and

GOP state Reps. John Nygren and Mark Born today proposed adding assistant DA positions in 40 counties starting next year to address staffing shortages. The proposal, which carries a price tag of $3.9 million annually, will be proposed as an amendment to a Senate bill that would require the Department