This week, Reps. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) and John Nygren (R-Marinette) and Sens. Tom Tiffany (R-Hazelhurst) and David Craig (R-Big Bend) circulated litigation reform legislation (LRB 4700) aimed at lowering costs for Wisconsin businesses and government. The bill would modernize Wisconsin’s civil procedures for discovery and class actions to align with corresponding federal rules. The […]
Oral Arguments Held in Tetra Tech Case
Date Fri, Dec. 1, 2017 - 10:27am By Hamilton
The Supreme Court is holding oral arguments today in Tetra Tech Inc. v. Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR). The case provides an opportunity for the Wisconsin Supreme Court to address the deference Wisconsin courts afford regulatory agencies when interpreting statutory provisions that ultimately define agencies’ own power and reach. The Supreme Court specifically requested parties […]
Gov. Walker Signs Bills Addressing Homelessness in Wisconsin
Date Fri, Dec. 1, 2017 - 9:28am By Hamilton
For the past year, Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna), Lt. Gov. Rebecca Kleefisch and Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) have spearheaded an effort to help address the issue of homelessness in Wisconsin. On Monday, the governor signed two bills that arose from those efforts. AB 234 creates an Interagency Council on Homelessness. This council […]
Signed By Governor: Contaminated Well Remediation, Homelessness Bills, Constitutional Convention, Wetland Mitigation
Date Fri, Dec. 1, 2017 - 9:04am By Hamilton
Gov. Scott Walker signed 55 bills into law this week at the Wisconsin state capitol. The bills will be some of the last signed in 2017, as the legislature held its final floor sessions of the year in early November. The bills included: Monday, Nov. 27 Act 69, allowing local governments to remediate contaminated private […]
Speaker’s Task Force on Foster Care Releases “Foster Forward” Package
Date Fri, Dec. 1, 2017 - 8:59am By Hamilton
This week, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos’s (R-Rochester) Task Force on Foster Care released a package of 13 bills to improve Wisconsin’s foster care system. The “Foster Forward” package is the result of six public hearings across the state and addresses four policy goals: Prevention Efforts, Improving the Child Welfare System, Support for Foster Care Providers, […]
Meet the January 2018 Special Election Candidates
Date Fri, Dec. 1, 2017 - 8:57am By Hamilton
Nomination papers were due last week for the January special elections to fill the vacant 10th Senate District and 58th and 66th Assembly Districts. The candidates are now finalized and set for the Dec. 19 primaries. The primaries later this month will be essential in deciding the Assembly races in the heavily Republican 58th and […]
Governor’s Autonomous Vehicle Committee November Meeting
Date Fri, Dec. 1, 2017 - 8:49am By Hamilton
The Governor’s Steering Committee on Autonomous and Connected Vehicle Testing and Deployment met at the Capitol on Nov. 15. Steven Cyra from HNTB presented on the federal Department of Transportation (USDOT) connected vehicle pilot in Tampa, Florida. The Tampa project, he said, used a mixture of USDOT funding and revenue from Tampa area tolls to […]
Prescription Drug Take Back Day Numbers Released
Date Fri, Dec. 1, 2017 - 8:48am By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) announced last week the official collection numbers for the biannual Prescription Drug Take Back Day. Wisconsinites returned a record-setting 63,941 lbs. of unused medications on the fall date, Oct. 28. The drugs were safely transported to a facility in Indiana and destroyed shortly after the event. Wisconsin had more […]
Floor Report: Senate, Assembly Vote on Lead Pipes, Mining, Constitutional Convention
Date Fri, Nov. 10, 2017 - 11:30am By Hamilton
The Senate and Assembly convened several times over the past two weeks in the last floor sessions of 2017. While little controversial legislation is likely to be taken up the rest of session as legislators look ahead to the 2018 elections, several big pieces of legislation were sent to the governor, including administrative rule review […]
Governor’s Task Force on Opioid Abuse Meets in Madison
Date Fri, Nov. 10, 2017 - 10:57am By Hamilton
Gov. Scott Walker’s Task Force on Opioid Abuse met at University of Wisconsin-Madison on Friday, Nov. 3 to discuss reduction of opioid prescriptions and workforce issues. The committee heard from several experts regarding the problems in Wisconsin and provided recommendations for the committee’s consideration. Dr. Charles Schauberger, an obstetrician from Gunderson Health, began the meeting […]