Gov. Scott Walker delivered his sixth State of the Address on Tuesday night before a joint session of the state legislature. The governor highlighted Wisconsin’s current economic strength, including the 20-year record lows in unemployment, income tax, and property tax rates, and 20-year record highs in the labor rate. The governor also spent a significant […]
Cabinet Shuffle in the New Year
Date Fri, Jan. 22, 2016 - 10:22am By Hamilton
This week, the Department of Workforce Development (DWD) Secretary Reggie Newson announced his resignation to pursue a position in the private sector. Newson was appointed Secretary of DWD in October 2011. Newson will be replaced by current Department of Financial Institutions (DFI) Secretary Ray Allen. Allen has served as DFI secretary for one year and […]
Senate Votes to Eliminate State Treasurer
Date Fri, Jan. 22, 2016 - 10:18am By Hamilton
On January 21, the Senate voted on a party-line vote to eliminate the Office of the State Treasurer from the state constitution. In an executive session in September, the Senate Committee on Labor and Government Reform passed Senate Joint Resolution (SJR) 5, which would eliminate the state treasurer position from the Wisconsin Constitution. The resolution […]
Economic Development Legislation Coming in 2016
Date Tue, Dec. 22, 2015 - 3:49pm By Hamilton
Senators Gudex and Darling announce Economic Development Plan Sen. Rick Gudex (R – Fond du Lac) and Sen. Alberta Darling (R – River Hills) announced last week their plans to introduce a series of bills designed to increase economic development across the state. According to their press release, the bill package will reduce red tape, […]
Bills of Note: Big Legislation Signed Into Law & Potential Residency Requirements for Contractors
Date Tue, Dec. 22, 2015 - 3:45pm By Hamilton
Governor Walker Signs GAB Overhaul and Campaign Finance Changes Governor Walker has signed two bills making changes to campaign finance laws and splitting the Government Accountability Board (GAB) into an Elections Commission and an Ethics Commission. Walker partially vetoed the GAB bill, modifying it to require lawmakers from both parties to provide the governor with […]
UPDATE: Redistricting Lawsuit Moves Forward
Date Tue, Dec. 22, 2015 - 3:39pm By Hamilton
Last week, a panel of three federal judges ruled that a case filed by twelve Wisconsin Democrats against the state’s legislative redistricting plan can move forward. The Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ), representing Government Accountability Board (GAB), had argued that the plaintiffs lacked standing to file suit, as they did not have a challenger from […]
State Supreme Court Primary Election – February 16
Date Fri, Dec. 11, 2015 - 10:56am By Hamilton
The race started off unusually early this year with two candidates declaring their candidacies in mid-June. They are Milwaukee County Circuit Judge Joe Donald and State Court of Appeals Judge JoAnn Kloppenburg. Judge Donald was appointed to the bench in 1996. Judge Kloppenburg was elected to the state court of appeals in 2012. Following Justice […]
New North Summit Meets in Oshkosh
Date Fri, Dec. 11, 2015 - 10:51am By Hamilton
Business leaders from across Northeast Wisconsin attended the 12th Annual New North Summit in Oshkosh last week to discuss ways to develop business and recruit jobs to the area. New North Inc. is an organization comprising of business leaders in 18 counties in Northeast Wisconsin. The summit focused on ways to recruit IT and manufacturing […]
Collateral Source Legislation Introduced
Date Fri, Dec. 11, 2015 - 10:50am By Hamilton
Assembly Bill 539/Senate Bill 405, introduced by Senator Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) and Representative Mike Kuglitsch (R-New Berlin), would allow evidence of payments to be submitted as evidence in personal injury or underinsured motorist cases when a jury must decide on the reasonable value of a claim. Under current law, defendants are not allowed to introduce […]