Rep. Gannon passed away last night

State Rep. Bob Gannon passed away last night, according to Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke. Gannon was 58. Steineke said Gannon, R-West Bend, died from natural causes. “I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and

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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.

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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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Senate rejects two Dem budget amendments

Senate Republicans have rejected two amendments from Democrats so far as debate on the biennial budget continues. JFC Co-chair Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, kicked off the debate by saying it was “one of the best budgets” she’s worked on, ticking

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Assembly adjourns in honor of outgoing Dem leader Barca

Before the final gavel, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos paid compliments to outgoing Minority Leader Peter Barca, calling him “someone who has worked to make this institution better.” “You did your side proud,” said Vos, R-Rochester. “They will never know all

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Assembly passes state budget on a 57-39 vote

The Assembly tonight passed the state budget 57-39, with five Republicans joining all Dems in opposing it. It now heads to the Senate, where it faces an uncertain future as Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says he doesn’t have the

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GOP sulfide mining bill expected to see at least one amendment

The GOP sulfide mining bill is expected to see at least one amendment when it’s taken up on the Assembly floor later today. Bill managers say the changes are expected to shore up Republican Senate support for the bill following co-author Sen. Tom Tiffany telling WisPolitics.com earlier this week he

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Assembly gavels in, begins with moment of silence for Gannon

The Assembly kicked off its floor session this afternoon with a moment of silence to honor Rep. Bob Gannon, R-West Bend, who passed away last month. The chamber then took up resolutions honoring former Department of Health Services Secretary and state Rep. Kitty Rhoades, who died in June of last

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Senate approves bill to help replace lead water service lines

The Senate unanimously approved legislation that would allow utilities to provide homeowners financial assistance to replace service lines containing lead. The bill also would allow the utilities to increase rates to cover the cost of the program. GOP Sen. Rob Cowles, who co-authored the bill, said lead in drinking water

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Rep. Gannon passed away last night

State Rep. Bob Gannon passed away last night, according to Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke. Gannon was 58. Steineke said Gannon, R-West Bend, died from natural causes. “I am deeply saddened to hear about the passing of my friend and colleague, Representative Bob Gannon,” Steineke said. “During his time in

Read More »

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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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,

Read More »

Senate rejects two Dem budget amendments

Senate Republicans have rejected two amendments from Democrats so far as debate on the biennial budget continues. JFC Co-chair Alberta Darling, R-River Hills, kicked off the debate by saying it was “one of the best budgets” she’s worked on, ticking off a range of provisions that include: the $639 million

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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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Assembly adjourns in honor of outgoing Dem leader Barca

Before the final gavel, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos paid compliments to outgoing Minority Leader Peter Barca, calling him “someone who has worked to make this institution better.” “You did your side proud,” said Vos, R-Rochester. “They will never know all of the things you got for them.” Barca, D-Kenosha, responded that

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Assembly sends Foxconn incentive package to Walker’s desk

The Assembly this afternoon approved the amended Foxconn bill on a 64-31 vote, sending it to Gov. Scott Walker’s desk. Four Dems broke ranks to support the $3 billion incentive package for the Taiwanese tech company, while two Republicans voted against it. The Senate passed it on Tuesday after adopting

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Assembly gavels in, prepares to take up Foxconn bill

The Assembly gaveled in this morning to vote on a series of joint resolutions before taking up the Foxconn bill. The Senate passed an amended $3 billion incentive package for the Taiwanese tech company on Tuesday, which included changes relating to the appeals process for any court decisions on Foxconn

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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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Assembly passes state budget on a 57-39 vote

The Assembly tonight passed the state budget 57-39, with five Republicans joining all Dems in opposing it. It now heads to the Senate, where it faces an uncertain future as Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald says he doesn’t have the 17 votes he needs to pass it and three Senate

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