Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — State Sen. Pat Testin was the “named Republican candidate” who was neck-and-neck with Dem U.S. Rep. Ron Kind in an NRCC poll released last month, but the lawmaker says he is focused on re-election to the state Senate in 2020. The National

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Gov. Tony Evers joined Dem lawmakers and AG Josh Kaul to introduce a bill to expand background checks covering a vast majority of firearms purchases in the state. But Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke, R-Kaukauna, said in a statement that is was

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — A trio of Republican lawmakers today pushed a GOP backed-bill that would expand access to contraception by allowing pharmacists to prescribe birth control pills. Reps. Joel Kitchens of Sturgeon Bay and Mary Felzkowski of Irma and Sen. Kathy Bernier of Chippewa Falls

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — A divided Wisconsin Elections Commission today settled on a scaled-back proposal to provide temporary replacement computers to clerks to tighten security of the state’s voter database ahead of the 2020 elections. Ahead of today’s special meeting, WEC staff raised concerns about clerks

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Gov. Tony Evers today sent a letter to Donald Trump urging him to “stop this unnecessary trade war” with China, writing the president’s “never-ending tariffs” have hit Wisconsin hard, particularly the agriculture industry. The letter comes the same day the state Dem

From WisPolitics.com … — A Senate panel today unanimously backed the confirmation of Craig Thompson to lead DOT despite Sen. Steve Nass, R-Whitewater, urging Republicans on the panel to either oppose Thompson’s nomination or delay the vote. Before the vote, committee Chair Jerry Petrowski, R-Marathon, praised Thompson as “a class

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Wisconsin’s civil statute of limitations for child sexual abuse cases would be eliminated and clergy would be required to report allegations of sexual or physical assault against a child, under legislation Dem lawmakers unveiled today. Flanked by survivors of sexual assault by

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Gov. Tony Evers and the Republican leaders of the Legislature are working to find a time to meet next week to discuss gun violence following two mass shootings over the weekend. But while the guv is focused on passing new gun control

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Gov. Tony Evers today called for the state to tighten gun control laws and knocked Republican lawmakers in the wake of mass shootings in Dayton and El Paso over the weekend that claimed 31 lives. Fielding questions from reporters after a news

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Speaker Robin Vos today rejected a request from paralyzed Dem Rep. Jimmy Anderson to phone into Assembly committee hearings, writing in a letter he can’t change chamber rules via “fiat.” The GOP leader said he continues to oppose giving members a call-in

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — The conservative Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty today announced it is asking the state Supreme Court to overturn four of Gov. Tony Evers’ partial vetoes in the budget, accusing him of using his veto pen to “turn lawmaking into a competing

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — AG Josh Kaul today signed on to a letter pushing for Congress to combat the “public health threat” posed by chemical contamination of drinking water. As part of a bipartisan coalition of 22 state attorneys general, Kaul is urging lawmakers in Washington

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Gov. Tony Evers today signed an executive order creating a “lead czar” to coordinate efforts by state agencies to address the risks of lead contamination in drinking water. Along with creating the position at the Department of Health Services, the order charges

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin today knocked President Trump for “broken promises” on the economy, health care and taxes. Trump participated in a celebration marking the one-year anniversary of the “Pledge to America’s Workers” pact that was part of an executive order he

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald today blasted DATCP Secretary Brad Pfaff for “offensive and unproductive” criticism of the Legislature for failing to fund programs to reduce farmer suicides. In the aftermath of yesterday’s Joint Finance Committee hearing, DATCP issued a press release

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — GOP Rep. Mike Rohrkaste, a member of the Joint Finance Committee, told WisPolitics.com today he won’t seek reelection in 2020 to focus on his new post overseeing a non-profit that helps those with Alzheimer’s and dementia. Rohrkaste, R-Neenah, has made dementia and

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — Gov. Tony Evers today ruled out the possibility that a portion of the $75 million in GPR set aside for transportation projects could fund the Milwaukee streetcar. DOT Secretary Craig Thompson on Thursday announced the administration will create a committee that includes

From WisPolitics.com … — The Legislature’s top GOP leaders today talked up a possible override of a Gov. Tony Evers veto that left $75 million in GPR for transportation projects over concerns that some of the money could help Milwaukee’s streetcar. But GOP Sen. Howard Marklein downplayed those concerns, saying

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — The GOP legislative campaign committees have a combined 5-to-1 advantage over their Dem counterparts for cash on hand, according to finance reports. Collectively, Assembly and Senate Republicans had more than $1.3 million in the bank at the end of June, compared to

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — GOP U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, considering a run for guv in 2022 and reconsidering his pledge to serve only two terms in the Senate, has upped his fundraising pace slightly while he ponders his future. The Oshkosh Republican’s latest campaign finance report