The state Senate voted today to punish communities that reduce their spending on law enforcement, restrict the use of chokeholds by police officers and require officers to report colleagues who use excessive force. SB 121, which would restrict the use of chokeholds except in life-threatening situations or in self-defense, passed

Gov. Tony Evers, rebuffed multiple times by Republican lawmakers over expanding Medicaid, today announced a special session to take up covering an additional 90,000 Wisconsinites through the program. To up the pressure on GOP lawmakers to accept expansion, Evers announced $850 million in projects, including economic development work, he said

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.

The Assembly passed today a bill that would bar local governments from using private money to cover election costs. The bill passed along party lines in a 60-36, sending it to the Senate. The Senate previously passed a similar bill by voice vote. But that amended version would ban donations

— The Assembly passed in a 60-36 vote a bill that would qualify more students for school vouchers.   The bill, now in the Senate, would change the income cap from 220 percent of the federal poverty level to 300 percent for families who want to enroll in the Wisconsin

The Assembly has passed a bill requiring the playing or singing of the national anthem at sporting events where at least some taxpayer money was used to finance the event facility. Under the bill, which moved to the Senate after a 74-22 vote for passage, no sporting event may be

The Assembly today passed nearly along party lines a joint resolution calling for a convention of the states for amendments to the U.S. Constitution to institute congressional term limits and a balanced budget. A similar resolution last session passed the Assembly nearly along party lines but died in the Senate

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