This week, Great Lakes Legal Foundation (GLLF) filed an amicus brief with the Wisconsin Supreme Court in Tetra Tech Inc. v. Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR). The brief was filed on behalf of 11 Wisconsin associations, including Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and Associated Builders and Contractors – Wisconsin Chapter. The Supreme Court specifically requested parties […]
Great Lakes Legal Foundation Files Amicus Brief in Tetra Tech Case
Date Fri, Aug. 4, 2017 - 9:01am By Hamilton
State Files Opening Brief in SCOTUS Redistricting Case
Date Fri, Aug. 4, 2017 - 8:59am By Hamilton
Last week, Attorney General Brad Schimel filed with the U.S. Supreme Court the opening brief in Gill v. Whitford, the legal challenge to Wisconsin Republicans’ redistricting map brought by Democratic voters against officials of the Wisconsin Elections Commission. In the brief, Schimel argues that the Supreme Court should dismiss the district court decision because the […]
Health Reform Conference Draws a Crowd While Federal Changes Remain Unknown
Date Fri, Jul. 21, 2017 - 11:03am By Hamilton
On Wednesday July 19, Wisconsin Health News hosted a daylong conference titled, “Health Reform, what does it mean for Wisconsin?” The conference, featuring national and state health leaders, examined the status of federal health care reform and the potential impact on Wisconsin’s health care market. The day began with a presentation from Avik Roy, a […]
U.S. Court of Appeals Upholds Right-To-Work
Date Fri, Jul. 21, 2017 - 10:44am By Hamilton
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Wisconsin’s right-to-work law last week. In the decision, Judge Joel Flaum, joined by Judges Frank Easterbrook and Michael Kanne, reaffirmed the U.S. District Court’s decision in September to uphold the law in International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) v. Schimel. In upholding the constitutionality of Wisconsin’s right-to-work […]
Deal or No Deal?
Date Fri, Jul. 21, 2017 - 10:09am By Hamilton
Three weeks after the start of the new fiscal year, the legislature may be one step closer to a budget deal. On Thursday, July 20, Assembly leadership and Assembly Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) members released a letter stating they would accept a compromise on transportation funding offered by Gov. Scott Walker. Walker’s offer would […]
DOT Reform Package Introduced
Date Fri, Jul. 21, 2017 - 8:57am By Hamilton
Last week a group of Republican legislators, led by Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) and Rep. Joe Sanfelippo (R-New Berlin), introduced a transportation reform package (LRB 3884). According to the author’s co-sponsorship memo, the legislation “combines various reform bills that have already been introduced into one omnibus reform package,” and “proposes several new ideas to address […]
How Late Is This Year’s Budget? A 40-Year Comparison of Budget Enactment Dates
Date Fri, Jul. 21, 2017 - 8:51am By Hamilton
It’s now three weeks past the July 1 fiscal year deadline for Wisconsin to pass a budget. While it may seem like this year’s budget is slow-moving, delayed budgets are actually quite common. In fact, in the past 40 years, Wisconsin has passed only five out of twenty budgets by the July 1 deadline. The […]
Signed by Governor: Special Session Bills
Date Fri, Jul. 21, 2017 - 8:03am By Hamilton
Gov. Scott Walker made three stops across Wisconsin on Monday, July 17 to sign 11 special session bills into law. Walker issued an executive order for a Special Session on Opioid Abuse on Jan. 5 of this year. Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette), chair of the governor’s Task Force on Opioid Abuse and leader of Wisconsin’s […]
Illinois Tax Increases Cause $51 Million Decrease to Wisconsin Budget
Date Thu, Jul. 13, 2017 - 12:49pm By Hamilton
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) released a memo on July 11 stating that tax increases in Illinois’s recently enacted budget would have a $51 million adverse impact on Wisconsin’s 2017-19 state budget. Overriding Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto on July 6, the Illinois legislature enacted a budget that increases taxes by almost $5 billion in 2017-18. […]
What You Might Not Know About Alexander Hamilton
Date Tue, Jul. 11, 2017 - 4:18pm By Hamilton
On this day in 1804, our namesake Alexander Hamilton was shot in a duel with his political opponent Aaron Burr. Hamilton is famous as one of the founding fathers of the United States and an advocate for the Constitution. Beyond these accomplishments (and a new hit musical), here are five lesser-known facts about Alexander Hamilton. […]