Earlier this week, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued an over 300-page decision relating to the John Doe investigation into alleged unlawful coordination activities surrounding the 2011 and 2012 recall elections. The court, in a 4-2 decision, ended the investigation. Judge Gableman, writing for the majority, made it clear on several occasions that the investigation was […]
2015-2017 State Budget Summary
Date Thu, Jul. 23, 2015 - 2:41pm By Hamilton
Governor Scott Walker signed the $73 billion-plus state budget on Sunday, July 12, just days after the legislature passed the budget bill and hours before his presidential election announcement. Before signing the budget, the governor issued 104 vetoes – double the number of vetoes he issued in previous budgets. Throughout the budget process, which began […]
Kapenga Wins 33rd Senate District Race
Date Thu, Jul. 23, 2015 - 2:39pm By Hamilton
On Tuesday night, state Representative Chris Kapenga defeated Sherryll Shaddock in a special election for the 33rd Senate District. Receiving 7,143 votes, Kapenga took 72% of the vote in the heavily Republican district. Kapenga will replace outgoing Senator Paul Farrow, who had his last day in the Senate on Friday after being elected Waukesha County […]
WMC’s 2 Minute Drill: The $73 Billion State Budget
Date Thu, Jul. 23, 2015 - 2:38pm By Hamilton
This short video put together by Wisconsin Manufactures & Commerce (WMC) gives a quick breakdown of the $73 billion 2015 – 2017 state budget. The video examines where state revenue is generated and how funds are allocated in the next biennial budget. Lastly, the video highlights the biggest wins for the business sector in the […]
Walker Formally Joins the Presidential Race
Date Thu, Jul. 23, 2015 - 2:23pm By Hamilton
Wisconsin’s Governor Scott Walker officially threw his name in the hat for the 2016 presidential election. On Monday July 13, just a day after the governor signed the state budget into law, the governor held a rally at Waukesha’s Expo Center. The governor impressed journalists and political insiders alike, giving a 30-minute speech without a […]
Supreme Court Rules on Oneida Seventh Generation Corp. v. City of Green Bay
Date Thu, Jul. 23, 2015 - 2:19pm By Hamilton
The State Supreme Court struck a large blow in favor of permit holders when it ruled in a 6-1 decision that the City of Green Bay did not have discretion to revoke a conditional use permit because there was no substantial evidence in the record to support the Green Bay Common Council’s claim of misrepresentation. […]
Michigan v. EPA – SCOTUS Rules EPA Must Consider Costs in Initial Decision to Regulate
Date Thu, Jul. 23, 2015 - 2:16pm By Hamilton
Scalia, writing for the Court, stated that “[EPA] gave cost no thought at all, because it considered cost irrelevant to its initial decision to regulate,” he continued, writing, “It is unreasonable to read an instruction to an administrative agency to determine whether ‘regulation is appropriate and necessary’ as an invitation to ignore cost.” With that […]
Wisconsin Receives Mixed Grades on Manufacturing Climate
Date Thu, Jul. 23, 2015 - 2:13pm By Hamilton
Recently, Ball State University’s Center for Business and Economic Research and Conexus Indiana, a private sector led initiative to capitalize on opportunities in advanced manufacturing, released their 2015 Manufacturing & Logistics Report Card. This report ranks states on several different sectors of the economy that contribute to the success of manufacturing. The rankings are assessed […]
Bucks Arena Legislation Passes Senate with Amendments
Date Thu, Jul. 23, 2015 - 2:11pm By Hamilton
The State Senate has passed an amended version of the legislation that would allow a new arena to be built for the Milwaukee Bucks with state money. The Senate passed the amended legislation, Senate Bill 209, in a 21-10 vote with very mixed party lines. The Republican senators that voted for the legislation include Alberta […]
Dems Sue State Over 2011 Redistricting
Date Thu, Jul. 23, 2015 - 1:49pm By Hamilton
Twelve Wisconsin Democrats have filed suit in U.S. District Court in Madison against state election officials over the 2011 Wisconsin Assembly redistricting map. Republican leadership did the redistricting after the 2010 census. The plaintiffs claim that this redistricting is in violation of the First and Fourteenth amendments and has created “one of the worst partisan […]