Policy

The non-partisan Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau has compiled an informational brief on the statutory differences between misdemeanors and felonies. The brief also includes a 32 page list of all the statutory misdemeanors in Wisconsin.

A coalition of vehicle manufacturers and dealers, including Hamilton Consulting clients, are supporting a Lemon Law reform bill being circulated by Sen. Jerry Petrowski (R-Marathon) and Rep. Bill Kramer (R-Waukesha).

The Joint Finance Committee is traveling the state in an effort to give Wisconsinites a chance to comment on the state budget before the committee begins voting on specific items on April 25.

This evening, after 9.5 hours of debate, the Wisconsin Assembly voted 58-39 to approve a comprehensive iron mining bill, which, when signed by the Governor, will usher in a mining renaissance in Wisconsin. SB1 would create new statutes to govern ferrous (iron) mining, which is currently regulated in the same manner as non-ferrous (non-iron minerals like gold or copper) mining. The bill focuses on reducing regulatory uncertainty and creates a more streamlined and transparent permitting process while retaining all the environmental standards that currently exist under state and federal law.

The mining bill, SB1, is being debated on the Assembly floor today. The bill is expected to pass this evening, after the 9.5 hours of scheduled debate expires. This is the last legislative step in the lawmaking process as the Senate passed the bill on February 27. Assembly approval would send the bill to Gov. Walker for his signature, the last step before it would become law.

Interested persons can watch the Assembly debate live online through WisconsinEye.