Last week, the American Red Cross hosted its Legislative Day in Madison. Red Cross staff and volunteers spent the morning engaging with speakers from legislative, regulatory, and administrative sectors. Maggie Gau, Chief of Staff to Governor Evers, presented the group with a Proclamation from the Governor’s office declaring March as American Red Cross Month. Participants […]
Gov. Evers 2025-27 Executive Budget Highlights
Date Wed, Feb. 19, 2025 - 3:56pm By Hamilton
Gov. Evers gave his fourth biennial budget address on February 18, unveiling his 2025-27 executive budget. He proposes an operating budget of $ $118.9 billion over the next two fiscal years, adding a net 880.94 FTE positions. For comparison, the final 2023-25 state budget spent $97.4 billion with a net reduction of 175.51 FTE (GPR) […]
Reactions to the Governor’s Budget
Date Wed, Feb. 19, 2025 - 9:23am By Hamilton
Republican legislative leaders reacted quickly and harshly to Gov. Evers’ address, with Republican Majority Leaders Sen. LeMahieu criticizing the level of spending and Rep. August promising to rework the budget to focus on tax relief. Joint Finance Committee Co-Chairs Sen. Marklein and Rep. Born and other Republican committee members issued similar statements. Democrats on the finance committee released a joint statement supporting Gov. Evers’ […]
State Superintendent Three-Way Primary Results
Date Wed, Feb. 19, 2025 - 9:13am By Hamilton
State Superintendent Jill Underly and education consultant Brittany Kinser will compete in the April 1 election after emerging as the top two candidates in a three-way primary. With 92 percent of precincts reporting, Underly received 37 percent of the vote, while Kinser secured 35 percent. Sauk Prairie Superintendent Jeff Wright finished in third place with […]
Wisconsin’s February 18 Primary Preview: State Superintendent Race
Date Fri, Feb. 7, 2025 - 10:47am By Hamilton
On February 18, Wisconsin voters will participate in a primary election for the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, the state’s top education official. Three candidates are running: incumbent Jill Underly, Sauk Prairie School District Superintendent Jeff Wright, and education consultant Brittany Kinser. The top two candidates will advance to the general election on April 1. […]
Senate Health Committee to Hold First Hearing of the Session on Direct Primary Care and Postpartum Medicaid Extension Bills
Date Fri, Feb. 7, 2025 - 10:40am By Hamilton
On Wednesday, February 12, the Senate Committee on Health will hold a public hearing on two familiar pieces of legislation. Senate Bill 4, which aims to clarify the legality of direct primary care agreements by exempting them from insurance regulations, is a reintroduction of a first introduced bill in the 2017-2018 session. Last session, a […]
Wisconsin’s Budget Surplus Grows to $4.3 Billion, Setting the Stage for Budget Debates
Date Fri, Feb. 7, 2025 - 10:39am By Hamilton
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) now projects that Wisconsin will end the 2023-25 biennium with a $4.3 billion surplus, an increase from the $4 billion forecasted in November. The revision is largely driven by an expected $894.3 million increase in tax revenue, primarily from higher sales tax collections. LFB attributes the increase to updated economic […]
Justice Hagedorn Recuses Self from Act 10 Challenge Will Justice Protasiewicz Follow Suit?
Date Fri, Feb. 7, 2025 - 10:38am By Hamilton
Justice Brian Hagedorn recently recused himself from participating in a case before the Wisconsin Supreme Court reviewing collective bargaining reforms affecting public union employees. The Wisconsin Supreme Court is considering a motion to bypass an appellate court review of a Dane County judge striking down elements of law. Late last year, Dane County Circuit Court […]
Breaking: Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules Elections Administrator Can Remain in Role
Date Fri, Feb. 7, 2025 - 10:37am By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously ruled today, February 7, that Meagan Wolfe can continue serving as the state’s top elections official indefinitely, rejecting efforts to remove her from the position. The court determined that under state law, the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) is only required to appoint a new administrator if a vacancy occurs, and […]
Dane County Judge Stays Ruling Overturning Act 10 Pending Appeal
Date Fri, Jan. 24, 2025 - 10:47am By Hamilton
A Dane County judge has temporarily stayed his decision overturning portions of Act 10, Wisconsin’s 2011 law limiting public employee collective bargaining, to prevent potential chaos during the appeals process. While the judge found the law unconstitutional for treating different categories of employees unequally, he emphasized that enforcing his ruling before a final decision could […]