
Joint Finance to vote on 10 areas of budget tomorrow
The Joint Finance Committee will meet tomorrow to take up 10 areas of the state budget, including the Elections and Ethics commissions.
Visit WisPolitics-State Affairs for premium content,
keyword notifications, bill tracking and more
Subscriber products moved to State Affairs-WisPolitics
As of July 17, 2025, all WisPolitics subscriber products have moved to the State Affairs-WisPolitics platform. Archived subscriber products from From February 2017 through July 16, 2025 are available below or search here. For content before 2017, you can search here.
If you are an existing Silver, Gold or Platinum subscriber, you can log on to the State Affairs-WisPolitics site using the email address to which your WisPolitics subscriber emails are sent, no password required. If you would like to subscribe, reach out to schmies@wispolitics.com.
Subscribers unable to access the archives below can contact schmies@wispolitics.com to request access.

The Joint Finance Committee will meet tomorrow to take up 10 areas of the state budget, including the Elections and Ethics commissions.
From WisPolitics … — The Senate Agriculture and Revenue Committee will take testimony on two bills that would limit foreign ownership of Wisconsin land. Under current law, a foreign person or corporation can own up to 640 acres of land
From WisPolitics … — The Department of Public Instruction will continue withholding aid from Milwaukee Public Schools after the state’s largest district missed two deadlines last month to file financial data with the agency. DPI Deputy State Superintendent Tom McCarthy
TOP STORIES Milwaukee man charged with identity theft for threatening letter ICE to frame a witness in his armed robbery/battery case… Demetric Scott, 52 [ in Milwaukee County jail], was charged with identity theft, intimidating a witness and two counts
From WisPolitics … — Local prosecutors have accused a Milwaukee man facing robbery charges of forging letters threatening to kill President Donald Trump in an effort to have an undocumented immigrant deported so he couldn’t testify at trial. Department of
From WisPolitics … — Wisconsin’s six GOP House members and Republican state lawmakers want the state Supreme Court to reject a lawsuit asking the justices to redraw congressional lines. And the six members of Congress want liberal Justice Janet Protasiewiciz
TOP STORIES GOP at odds with Evers over who controls $171M in interest from COVID aid… [in 2024, DOA Sec. Blumenfeld told JLAC co-chair Wimburger] that guidance from the U.S. Treasury Department indicated the interest funds may be used to
From WisPolitics … — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, says he has “the facts and figures on my side” as the U.S. Senate returns to Washington and he prepares to take on President Donald Trump and his “Big, Beautiful Bill.”
Quotes of the Week Our goal is to continue talks to reach a bipartisan consensus on the budget that invests in priorities, including a tax cut for those who need it the most.- Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, on budget
TOP STORIES Dugan’s legal team files memo arguing for dismissal, citing Trump ruling as precedent… 37-page memorandum supports and expands on a [May 14] motion to dismiss … [atty.] Strang and others on the high-powered legal team argue that as
From WisPolitics … — The Trump administration listed deep red Shawano County alongside Dane County, Madison and Milwaukee as the Wisconsin communities refusing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The release late yesterday included no information on why the communities
From WisPolitics … — The Joint Finance Committee plans to take up general fund taxes during upcoming executive sessions. But GOP leaders haven’t indicated just when that will happen. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau today released the next batch of budget

The GOP-controlled Joint Finance Committee extended for another three years five project positions in the Department of Safety and Professional Services’ call center operation.
TOP STORIES Sen. Johnson says longtime beliefs inform Trump bill opposition… “I sprang out of the Tea Party movement,” he explained. “I still view myself as more Tea Party than Republican Party. … “There is no amount of pressure that
From WisPolitics … — GOP U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson says he doesn’t want to run again in 2028, but he’s not ruling it out. “I’d rather go home,” Johnson said yesterday at a Newsmaker Luncheon in Milwaukee presented by WisPolitics
From WisPolitics … — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson today lambasted President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” arguing it would increase the deficit and Congress should find more cuts before approving. “There’s no amount of pressure that President Trump can apply
TOP STORIES Ron Johnson leads Senate Republican opposition to Trump’s signature budget bill… [“big beautiful bill] would substantially rewrite tax code by expanding tax cuts on high earners, ending tax on tips and overtime and ending tax subsidies for clean
From WisPolitics … — All three announced candidates for chair of the state Dem Party met the requirements to qualify for the race at next month’s convention. The other four races will be uncontested, including Secretrary of State Sarah Godlewski’s
From WisPolitics … — Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told WisPolitics in a statement today GOP legislative leaders were working to schedule another meeting with Dem Gov. Tony Evers this week. It would be their third day of meetings after they

The Joint Finance Committee will meet Thursday to vote on eight agency budgets, including the Department of Safety and Professional Services.

The Joint Finance Committee will meet tomorrow to take up 10 areas of the state budget, including the Elections and Ethics commissions.
From WisPolitics … — The Senate Agriculture and Revenue Committee will take testimony on two bills that would limit foreign ownership of Wisconsin land. Under current law, a foreign person or corporation can own up to 640 acres of land with some exceptions such as for exploration of a mining
From WisPolitics … — The Department of Public Instruction will continue withholding aid from Milwaukee Public Schools after the state’s largest district missed two deadlines last month to file financial data with the agency. DPI Deputy State Superintendent Tom McCarthy said the agency will continue to withhold $16.6 million from
TOP STORIES Milwaukee man charged with identity theft for threatening letter ICE to frame a witness in his armed robbery/battery case… Demetric Scott, 52 [ in Milwaukee County jail], was charged with identity theft, intimidating a witness and two counts of bail jumping Monday. His aim, according to the criminal
From WisPolitics … — Local prosecutors have accused a Milwaukee man facing robbery charges of forging letters threatening to kill President Donald Trump in an effort to have an undocumented immigrant deported so he couldn’t testify at trial. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem last week posted a picture
From WisPolitics … — Wisconsin’s six GOP House members and Republican state lawmakers want the state Supreme Court to reject a lawsuit asking the justices to redraw congressional lines. And the six members of Congress want liberal Justice Janet Protasiewiciz to recuse herself from the case after comments she made
TOP STORIES GOP at odds with Evers over who controls $171M in interest from COVID aid… [in 2024, DOA Sec. Blumenfeld told JLAC co-chair Wimburger] that guidance from the U.S. Treasury Department indicated the interest funds may be used to defray administrative costs associated with disbursing federal COVID aid. …
From WisPolitics … — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, says he has “the facts and figures on my side” as the U.S. Senate returns to Washington and he prepares to take on President Donald Trump and his “Big, Beautiful Bill.” “I don’t want it to come to that. I want
Quotes of the Week Our goal is to continue talks to reach a bipartisan consensus on the budget that invests in priorities, including a tax cut for those who need it the most.- Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, on budget discussions with Gov. Tony Evers. He doesn’t have to accept
TOP STORIES Dugan’s legal team files memo arguing for dismissal, citing Trump ruling as precedent… 37-page memorandum supports and expands on a [May 14] motion to dismiss … [atty.] Strang and others on the high-powered legal team argue that as a judge, Dugan has “absolute immunity” for official acts in
From WisPolitics … — The Trump administration listed deep red Shawano County alongside Dane County, Madison and Milwaukee as the Wisconsin communities refusing to cooperate with federal immigration authorities. The release late yesterday included no information on why the communities were listed, and attempts to reach Shawano County officials were
From WisPolitics … — The Joint Finance Committee plans to take up general fund taxes during upcoming executive sessions. But GOP leaders haven’t indicated just when that will happen. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau today released the next batch of budget papers for 17 areas, including general fund taxes. At the

The GOP-controlled Joint Finance Committee extended for another three years five project positions in the Department of Safety and Professional Services’ call center operation.
TOP STORIES Sen. Johnson says longtime beliefs inform Trump bill opposition… “I sprang out of the Tea Party movement,” he explained. “I still view myself as more Tea Party than Republican Party. … “There is no amount of pressure that President Trump can apply to me that exceeds the pressure
From WisPolitics … — GOP U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson says he doesn’t want to run again in 2028, but he’s not ruling it out. “I’d rather go home,” Johnson said yesterday at a Newsmaker Luncheon in Milwaukee presented by WisPolitics and the Milwaukee Press Club. “I don’t covet the position,
From WisPolitics … — U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson today lambasted President Donald Trump’s “big beautiful bill,” arguing it would increase the deficit and Congress should find more cuts before approving. “There’s no amount of pressure that President Trump can apply to me that exceeds the pressure I feel from the
TOP STORIES Ron Johnson leads Senate Republican opposition to Trump’s signature budget bill… [“big beautiful bill] would substantially rewrite tax code by expanding tax cuts on high earners, ending tax on tips and overtime and ending tax subsidies for clean energy. … funds a wall across the U.S. border, expands
From WisPolitics … — All three announced candidates for chair of the state Dem Party met the requirements to qualify for the race at next month’s convention. The other four races will be uncontested, including Secretrary of State Sarah Godlewski’s bid to become first vice-chair, the party’s No. 2 leadership
From WisPolitics … — Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told WisPolitics in a statement today GOP legislative leaders were working to schedule another meeting with Dem Gov. Tony Evers this week. It would be their third day of meetings after they first got together March 26. Vos, R-Rochester, also confirmed today

The Joint Finance Committee will meet Thursday to vote on eight agency budgets, including the Department of Safety and Professional Services.