Assembly Committee Structure and Chairs Announced

On Friday, December 18, Speaker Robin Vos (R – Rochester) announced the 2021-22 Legislative Session Assembly Standing Committees and Chairs. Here are the committees: Committee Chair Vice-Chair Aging and Long-Term Care Rep. Rick Gundrum Rep. Warren Petryk Agriculture Rep. Gary Tauchen Rep. Loren Oldenburg Campaigns and Elections Rep. Janel Brandtjen Rep. Joe Sanfelippo Children and […]

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State Projected to End Current Biennium in the Black; Next Biennium in the Red

The Evers administration announced some okay news for the state’s fiscal situation. The state Department of Administration released updated estimates projecting the state will finish the current 2019-21 biennium with a gross balance of $1.2 billion.   DOA also projects the state will take in $1.35 billion in new revenue over the course of the […]

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Meet the Freshman Assembly Representatives

Last month, we introduced you to the incoming Senators for the 2021-22 legislative session. Now, we meet the 16 newest members of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Wisconsin Republicans still maintain a strong majority of the seats, 61-38, but did lose two seats in November. Overall, there are 10 new Democrats and six Republicans in the […]

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Wisconsin Legislature Not Convening before 2021

After almost nine months of waiting, incoming-Senate Majority leader Devin LeMahieu announced that the state Senate does not plan to reconvene in 2020. The Assembly concluded its legislative business for the 2019-20 legislative session. The Senate, however, did not conclude its business and due to COVID-19, delayed convening the last available session days (March 24-26). […]

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PFAS, Climate Change and Rural Wisconsin Reports Released

Year-end brings the holiday season, winter weather and…  task force/commission reports. This month, so far, the governor has announced the release of three different reports, each a result of a distinct multi-year effort: Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change, Blue Ribbon Commission on Rural Prosperity , and Wisconsin PFAS Action Council (WisPAC). Each report provides […]

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2021-22 Joint Finance Committee Membership Announced

The powerful budget-writing Joint Committee on Finance (JCF) has new chairs on both the Senate and Assembly side for the first time in over a decade. Sen. Howard Marklein (R – Spring Green) will take the gavel for the Senate majority after Sen. Alberta Darling (R – River Hills) steps aside. Joining Sen. Marklein on […]

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Judge Again Blocks Release of Business Names with COVID-19 Cases

On Monday, November 30, a Waukesha judge extended the temporary restraining order prohibiting the state from releasing the names of businesses with more than 25 employees, who have had at least two workers test positive for COVID-19. Recall, in early October Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) filed suit in Waukesha County seeking an injunction to […]

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Senate Committee Structure & Republican Membership Announced

On December 8, the incoming Senate Majority Leader, Devin LeMahieu (R- Oostburg) announced the Senate committee structure and Senate Republican members. Democratic members are expected to be named in the coming weeks. Also, we expect Assembly leadership will soon announce the Assembly Committees. Senate Committee on Agriculture & Tourism Senator Joan Ballweg, Chair Senator Howard Marklein, Vice-chair […]

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2020 Tidbits in Words

To celebrate the end of this unprecedented year, we took all article titles from Hamilton’s 2020 Tidbits to find out what we wrote about the most – no surprise here on the number 1 word of 2020…

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Assembly Speaker Vos Proposes COVID-19 Liability Protections

December 1, 2020, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) released a Legislative Fiscal Bureau memorandum summarizing a legislative proposal as a next step in the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic. Contained in this proposal is creation of immunity from civil liability for claims related to COVID-19 for a person who complies with then-applicable federal and state statutes […]

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