The Wisconsin Assembly met on February 17 for a floor session to vote on bills and resolutions. Assembly Floor Calendar, February 17 The Assembly passed 23 bills and 12 resolutions, including several bills affecting government benefit programs: The “Stronger Workforce” package, a group of seven bills authored by Republican legislators intended to get more Wisconsinites into […]
Gov. Evers Delivers Fourth State of the State; Calls Special Session on Surplus Spending
Date Wed, Feb. 16, 2022 - 6:47pm By Hamilton
Gov. Tony Evers (D) delivered his fourth annual State of the State address on the evening of February 15 before a joint session of the Wisconsin Legislature. The address was delivered in the Assembly Chambers of the Wisconsin Capitol Building. It was the final address of Gov. Evers’ first term as governor; he is seeking […]
Senate and Assembly Floor Sessions: February 15
Date Wed, Feb. 16, 2022 - 6:27pm By Hamilton
Both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature met on February 15 for floor sessions to vote on bills and resolutions. Below, we review a few notable items. Senate Floor Calendar, February 15 The Senate passed 39 bills and six resolutions, including: Senate Bill (SB) 365, which makes changes to the broadband expansion grant program administered by […]
Legislative Update: Lawsuit Lending; Building Trades; GOP Workforce Package
Date Wed, Feb. 16, 2022 - 6:07pm By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Legislature appears poised to finish its business by March 10, the last regular session day on its 2021-22 calendar. With that, many bills are moving quickly through the legislative process. Here, we review some notable items. Hearings this week on lawsuit lending reform A bill (AB 858/SB 842) to reform lawsuit lending in […]
Gov. Evers Signs 21 Bills, Including Telehealth Definitions; Vetoes Four More
Date Sun, Feb. 13, 2022 - 4:01pm By Hamilton
On February 4, Gov. Tony Evers (D) announced his actions on 18 bills recently presented to him by the Legislature. The governor signed 14 bills into law and vetoed four others. Notably, Gov. Evers signed Senate Bill (SB) 309 and SB 488. SB 309, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 121, incorporates the definitions of “telehealth” and […]
Senate and Assembly Floor Sessions: January 25
Date Wed, Feb. 2, 2022 - 4:21pm By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Senate met on the morning of January 25 for a floor session to vote on bills and resolutions, while the Assembly met that afternoon to take a series of votes. The Assembly also met on January 20, which we covered in this article. Senate Floor Calendar, January 25 The Senate passed 55 bills […]
Assembly Floor Session: January 20
Date Wed, Feb. 2, 2022 - 4:19pm By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Assembly met on January 20 for a floor session to vote on bills and resolutions. Both the Assembly and Senate also met on January 25, which we covered in this article. Assembly Floor Calendar, January 20 The Assembly passed 39 bills and three resolutions, mostly via voice votes. Notably, the Assembly voted 95-0 […]
Governor and Legislative Leaders Differ Over State Surplus Plans
Date Wed, Feb. 2, 2022 - 4:17pm By Hamilton
Wisconsin’s latest budget projections brought good news, with the state now projected to end the 2021-23 fiscal biennium with a $3.8 billion surplus. As we reported in January, Wisconsin ended its most recent fiscal year with a balance of $1.18 billion, its largest positive balance ever as calculated using Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP). The […]
Legislative Update: Remaining Floor Dates; State of the State Address
Date Thu, Jan. 13, 2022 - 11:26pm By Hamilton
Remaining Session Dates Each house of the Wisconsin Legislature is expected to meet once or twice monthly in January, February, and March, and then adjourn for the remainder of the year. Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) has confirmed that the Senate plans to finish its work by March 10, the final day of the […]
State Budget Update: GAAP Balance; Withholding Tables; Lottery Credit
Date Thu, Jan. 13, 2022 - 11:23pm By Hamilton
State Records Large Positive GAAP Balance According to a press release from Gov. Tony Evers (D), Wisconsin’s General Fund recorded its largest positive balance ever, as calculated under Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), at the end of the 2020-21 fiscal year. The state ended the most recent fiscal year with a balance of $1.18 billion. […]