Between the Republican-led Wisconsin Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers (D), both sides were dissatisfied with aspects of the 2023-25 state budget and are seeking legislation to address those issues. After a quiet summer following passage of the budget, legislators resumed regular committee and floor activities in early September. The Assembly and Senate are each expected […]
Fall 2023 Floor Period: Taxes, Child Care, and Redistricting Emerge as Key Issues
Date Wed, Sep. 27, 2023 - 9:43am By Hamilton
Assembly and Senate Floor Sessions: September 12 and 14
Date Wed, Sep. 27, 2023 - 8:53am By Hamilton
After a quiet summer following passage of the 2023-25 state budget, the Wisconsin Legislature resumed regular committee and floor activities in early September. The Assembly and Senate are each expected to hold several floor days in October and November and again over the first few months of 2024 before adjourning the 2023-24 session. See this […]
Governor, Speaker Create Separate AI Task Forces
Date Wed, Sep. 27, 2023 - 8:31am By Hamilton
Gov. Tony Evers (D) announced an executive order creating the Governor’s Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence on August 23. The following day, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) announced the formation of four policy task forces, including the Speaker’s Task Force on Artificial Intelligence. “Artificial intelligence” or “AI” refers to a range of technologies […]
Protasiewicz Joins Wisconsin Supreme Court as New Majority Asserts Control; Redistricting Lawsuits Filed
Date Thu, Aug. 17, 2023 - 10:20am By Hamilton
Janet Protasiewicz was sworn in as a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court on August 1, replacing Justice Patience Roggensack, who did not seek reelection after serving two ten-year terms, including a stint as chief justice from 2015 to 2021. Justice Protasiewicz, previously a judge in Milwaukee County, defeated former Justice Dan Kelly in the […]
Gov. Evers Acts on 18 Bills, Vetoing Energy Source and Workforce Legislation
Date Thu, Aug. 17, 2023 - 9:44am By Hamilton
Gov. Tony Evers (D) announced August 4 that he had taken action on 18 bills passed by the Wisconsin Legislature, signing eight into law and vetoing ten others. Aside from his partial vetoes of the 2023-25 state budget, these were the first vetoes issued by Gov. Evers in 2023. The new laws, numbered 2023 Wisconsin […]
Republican Melotik Wins AD 24 Special Election
Date Thu, Jul. 20, 2023 - 3:30pm By Hamilton
Paul Melotik (R-Grafton) defeated Bob Tatterson (D-Mequon) in a special election for the vacant 24th Assembly District. Melotik’s victory gives Republicans a 64-35 majority in the 99-member Assembly, two seats shy of a veto-proof majority. About 12,000 votes were cast in the July 18 election, and the results were as follows: Paul Melotik: 53.7% Bob […]
UPDATED: Fiscal Bureau Provides Updated Budget Numbers for 2023-25
Date Thu, Jul. 20, 2023 - 3:29pm By Hamilton
Following the enactment of the 2023-25 state budget (Act 19), the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) has released several memos on the budget, including the effects of partial vetoes issued by Gov. Evers. General Fund Projections Through 2027 According to this memo, the state is projected to have a balance of just over $4 billion at […]
PFAS Update: DNR Proposes 20 ppt Groundwater Standard for PFOA, PFOS
Date Thu, Jul. 20, 2023 - 3:23pm By Hamilton
On July 14, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) held a public stakeholder meeting on a rulemaking to establish groundwater standards for several PFAS compounds. Notably, DNR staff announced that the proposed rule will only seek to regulate two compounds, PFOA and PFOS. The scope statement for the rule included the possibility of regulating PFBS […]
2023-25 State Budget: Signed Into Law With 51 Partial Vetoes
Date Thu, Jul. 6, 2023 - 12:17pm By Hamilton
On July 5, Gov. Tony Evers (D) announced his signing of 2023 Act 19, the Wisconsin state budget for the 2023-25 fiscal biennium, which began July 1. The two-year budget, assembled by the Republican-led Joint Committee on Finance, appropriates $97.4 billion. For comparison, the 2021-23 budget allocated $87.5 billion. The final version of the budget […]
Joint Finance Committee Takes Final Votes on 2023-25 Budget
Date Thu, Jul. 6, 2023 - 12:13pm By Hamilton
On June 22, the Wisconsin Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance (Joint Finance Committee or JFC) held its final session on the 2023-25 state budget. After passing a series of motions to complete the budget, the committee voted to incorporate all its changes to date and to recommend the budget bill for passage by the Legislature. […]