State dairy association pushes back on business group’s call to remove ‘America’s Dairyland’ from license plates

The state Dairy Business Association today pushed back against a suggestion from a Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce exec to remove “America’s Dairyland” from the state’s license plates, calling the proposed change “disheartening.” WMC President and CEO Kurt Bauer yesterday suggested the slogan be replaced with something more “contemporary” like “Forward,”

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Two GOP FoodShare bills to promote healthy eating get public hearing

Two GOP FoodShare bills with the shared goal of promoting healthier eating got very different receptions from Dems in an Assembly committee public hearing today. That’s because the methodology behind one allows for self determination, Dems argued today, while they say the other is punitive because it limits a recipient’s

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Barnes considering run for lt. guv next year

Former Dem state Rep. Mandela Barnes, who went to work for a policy shop for progressive legislators after losing a bid for the state Senate, is considering a run for lt. guv next year. Barnes said his job as deputy director of strategic engagement with State Innovation Exchange has taken

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MON PM Update: State finishes fiscal year with $579 million surplus

Exclusively for WisPolitics Subscribers From WisPolitics.com … — The state finished 2016-17 with a surplus of $579 million, a better ending balance than what the Legislative Fiscal Bureau had previously projected. The last LFB estimate of a $467 million ending balance, though, did not include a final look at expenditures

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Walker urges NFL players to stop protesting during national anthem

Gov. Scott Walker today urged NFL players to stop protests during the national anthem, calling them a “divisive political sideshow.” In a letter to NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Players Association Executive Director DeMaurice Smith, Walker wrote players should instead “take a stand against domestic violence.” The letter comes a

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Ryan backs Trump’s decision to cut Obamacare subsidies

House Speaker Paul Ryan today denounced the “class warfare rhetoric” surrounding the GOP tax reform framework that suggests the deal is structured to benefit the wealthy. “This is about getting middle class taxpayers a tax cut,” he told reporters following a speech at the Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce State of

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State finishes fiscal year with $579 million surplus

The state finished 2016-17 with a surplus of $579 million, a better ending balance than what the Legislative Fiscal Bureau had previously projected. The last LFB estimate of a $467 million ending balance, though, did not include a final look at expenditures over the fiscal year. The Department of Administration

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Dems lay out legislation to repeal GOP abortion-related bills

State Rep. Chris Taylor, D-Madison, and Sen. Jon Erpenbach, D-Middleton, today laid out legislation to repeal several restrictions on abortions that Republicans have passed in recent years. Their Respect Women Act got attention today at a news conference in the Capitol as they joined by doctors, medical students and other

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GOP lawmakers voice support for proposed UW System merger

Three Republican lawmakers who follow UW System closely welcomed System President Ray Cross’ merger proposal today. Under the plan, which will be taken up by the Board of Regents next month, the 13 two-year UW Colleges would be folded into seven nearby four-year institutions. Sen. Steve Nass, a Whitewater Republican

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Chancellors applaud UW System President Cross’ merger proposal

Chancellors at several four-year UW System campuses say they’re excited about the possibilities of merging with the two-year colleges but that it’s too early to tell how the logistics will work. UW System President Ray Cross today announced the proposal, which would fold in the 13 two-year UW Colleges into

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