Visit WisPolitics-State Affairs for premium content,
keyword notifications, bill tracking and more
As Wisconsin is set to start receiving its share of national opioid settlement funds in April, state Director of Opioid Initiatives Paul Krupski says the state needs to double down on its efforts to fight the opioid epidemic. “We’re confident
— Gov. Tony Evers says continued funding for local public health efforts is needed to ensure Wisconsin is prepared for the next pandemic. “You’ll see this in the next budget … we will find ways to enhance public health, especially
As government officials investigate a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Wisconsin, a UW-Madison professor is creating a vaccine to protect birds from the virus. Adel Talaat, a professor of microbiology in the UW School of Veterinary Medicine, is
The head of the Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce says a new workforce initiative will help address the state’s labor shortage while supporting military members transitioning to civilian life. “Members of the business community should know that this is a
State health officials are closely tracking the so-called “stealth omicron” sub-variant of COVID-19 in Wisconsin, but a lack of available data is limiting that effort. Kelsey Florek, senior genomics and data scientist with the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, says
The head of UW-Madison’s School of Computer, Data and Information Sciences says technology education can play a key role in addressing the state’s workforce issues. In a recent interview, CDIS founding director Tom Erickson highlighted related efforts ranging from providing
RedFox AI co-founder and CEO Nick Myers wants to eliminate the stress and uncertainty associated with self-administered at-home medical care. Myers, a cancer survivor who was diagnosed with leukemia as a child, drew upon his own experiences in developing the
A federal lawmaker from Virginia is leading an effort to prohibit the United States Postal Service from proceeding with a truck contract with Oshkosh Defense unless at least 75 percent of the vehicles are electric or zero-emission. The legislation, called
WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes says the state should do more to elevate female entrepreneurs and women-owned startups. Speaking yesterday during a webinar for International Women’s Day, Hughes said Wisconsin is “keeping pace” with national trends for investment in
The Wisconsin Bankers Association is warning of a “concerning trend” of bank acquisitions by credit unions, but the head of the Wisconsin Credit Union League argues these worries are unfounded. After Cottage Grove-based Summit Credit Union recently announced it would
A UW System initiative will provide incentives to twice as many student health care workers with additional funding from the Wisconsin Partnership Program. This UW School of Medicine and Public Health program is providing $500,000 for the effort, doubling the
Cengage Group has acquired a Madison-based company called Infosec for $191 million after founder Jack Koziol launched it 18 years ago with just $5,000. “At Infosec, we believe that everybody in the world needs cybersecurity education — whether you’re a
Racial disparities in homeownership are larger in Wisconsin than nationwide and have worsened over the past decade, a recent Wisconsin Policy Forum report shows. The report found this trend exists in the state’s five most populous cities — Milwaukee, Madison,
A group representing small businesses in the state is calling for full passage of a bill limiting the governor’s emergency powers after polling found broad support among its members. AB 912, which the GOP Assembly passed last week along party
International trade experts agreed engaging with China is still preferable as the United States and its allies consider how to deal with China’s rise in the global economy. “I’d describe it as engagement with eyes wide open, so that we’re
A study led by UW-Madison authors found carbon emissions of corn ethanol produced to meet the Renewable Fuel Standard could be 24 percent higher than from the equivalent amount of gasoline. “It basically reaffirms what many suspected, that corn ethanol
More business leaders in the state are planning to raise wages this year, according to the latest employer survey from Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. Thirty-four percent of surveyed businesses said they will be raising wages by more than 4 percent
A new report on climate change in Wisconsin finds statewide temperatures have increased by 3 degrees since 1950, while precipitation has risen by 17 percent. The report, from the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts, was created after Gov. Tony
Xcel Energy has announced approval by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for its plan to cut carbon emissions from electricity provided in the Upper Midwest by over 85 percent by 2030. That includes customers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South
An Assembly committee has approved a hotly debated bill related to electric vehicle charging infrastructure that opponents say would limit the role of local government in transportation innovation. The Assembly Committee on Energy and Utilities recently passed the legislation during
As Wisconsin is set to start receiving its share of national opioid settlement funds in April, state Director of Opioid Initiatives Paul Krupski says the state needs to double down on its efforts to fight the opioid epidemic. “We’re confident that the data pre-pandemic showed us that the steps and
— Gov. Tony Evers says continued funding for local public health efforts is needed to ensure Wisconsin is prepared for the next pandemic. “You’ll see this in the next budget … we will find ways to enhance public health, especially at the county level, because that’s where the hard work
As government officials investigate a case of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Wisconsin, a UW-Madison professor is creating a vaccine to protect birds from the virus. Adel Talaat, a professor of microbiology in the UW School of Veterinary Medicine, is using genetic sequencing data from a number of different avian
The head of the Wisconsin Veterans Chamber of Commerce says a new workforce initiative will help address the state’s labor shortage while supporting military members transitioning to civilian life. “Members of the business community should know that this is a really transformative workforce initiative that connects them directly with members
State health officials are closely tracking the so-called “stealth omicron” sub-variant of COVID-19 in Wisconsin, but a lack of available data is limiting that effort. Kelsey Florek, senior genomics and data scientist with the Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene, says this challenge is linked to the decline in cases seen
The head of UW-Madison’s School of Computer, Data and Information Sciences says technology education can play a key role in addressing the state’s workforce issues. In a recent interview, CDIS founding director Tom Erickson highlighted related efforts ranging from providing more computer skills training for K-12 students to new master’s
RedFox AI co-founder and CEO Nick Myers wants to eliminate the stress and uncertainty associated with self-administered at-home medical care. Myers, a cancer survivor who was diagnosed with leukemia as a child, drew upon his own experiences in developing the RedFox Digital Guide. This conversational artificial intelligence program is designed
A federal lawmaker from Virginia is leading an effort to prohibit the United States Postal Service from proceeding with a truck contract with Oshkosh Defense unless at least 75 percent of the vehicles are electric or zero-emission. The legislation, called the Green Postal Service Fleet Act of 2022, is from
WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes says the state should do more to elevate female entrepreneurs and women-owned startups. Speaking yesterday during a webinar for International Women’s Day, Hughes said Wisconsin is “keeping pace” with national trends for investment in women-owned businesses, but “we need to do more.” She said
The Wisconsin Bankers Association is warning of a “concerning trend” of bank acquisitions by credit unions, but the head of the Wisconsin Credit Union League argues these worries are unfounded. After Cottage Grove-based Summit Credit Union recently announced it would acquire West Bend’s Commerce State Bank, the WBA said taxpayers
A UW System initiative will provide incentives to twice as many student health care workers with additional funding from the Wisconsin Partnership Program. This UW School of Medicine and Public Health program is providing $500,000 for the effort, doubling the total funding for the incentive program that was announced in
Cengage Group has acquired a Madison-based company called Infosec for $191 million after founder Jack Koziol launched it 18 years ago with just $5,000. “At Infosec, we believe that everybody in the world needs cybersecurity education — whether you’re a grade school kid learning online for the first time or
Racial disparities in homeownership are larger in Wisconsin than nationwide and have worsened over the past decade, a recent Wisconsin Policy Forum report shows. The report found this trend exists in the state’s five most populous cities — Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay, Kenosha and Racine — as well as statewide.
A group representing small businesses in the state is calling for full passage of a bill limiting the governor’s emergency powers after polling found broad support among its members. AB 912, which the GOP Assembly passed last week along party lines, would prohibit the governor from declaring businesses as “essential”
International trade experts agreed engaging with China is still preferable as the United States and its allies consider how to deal with China’s rise in the global economy. “I’d describe it as engagement with eyes wide open, so that we’re not being taken advantage of,” U.S. Rep. Ron Kind said
A study led by UW-Madison authors found carbon emissions of corn ethanol produced to meet the Renewable Fuel Standard could be 24 percent higher than from the equivalent amount of gasoline. “It basically reaffirms what many suspected, that corn ethanol is not a climate-friendly fuel and we need to accelerate
More business leaders in the state are planning to raise wages this year, according to the latest employer survey from Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce. Thirty-four percent of surveyed businesses said they will be raising wages by more than 4 percent in 2022, marking an increase from the previous WMC survey
A new report on climate change in Wisconsin finds statewide temperatures have increased by 3 degrees since 1950, while precipitation has risen by 17 percent. The report, from the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts, was created after Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive order in 2019 ordering the report’s
Xcel Energy has announced approval by the Minnesota Public Utilities Commission for its plan to cut carbon emissions from electricity provided in the Upper Midwest by over 85 percent by 2030. That includes customers in Wisconsin, Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Michigan. The Minneapolis-based company’s Upper Midwest Energy Plan
An Assembly committee has approved a hotly debated bill related to electric vehicle charging infrastructure that opponents say would limit the role of local government in transportation innovation. The Assembly Committee on Energy and Utilities recently passed the legislation during an executive session after adding several amendments. In its amended