In the 2010 midterm elections, a wave of Republicans surged into the 112th Congress, consolidating the GOP hold on the House of Representatives. Although the Republican onslaught is unlikely to be repeated, this year’s midterm elections may shift the balance in the Senate, where the GOP is expecting to capture the majority. Historically, midterm elections […]
Transfer of Structured Settlements Committee Update
Date Wed, Oct. 15, 2014 - 5:37pm By Hamilton
The Legislative Council Study Committee on the Transfer of Structured Settlement Payments met last week to discuss the bill draft that would create a statute for the issue. Currently, Wisconsin is one of only two states that does not have state statute addressing the transfer of structured settlements. The committee’s discussion of the bill draft […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court Issues Split Decision Resulting in Loss for Manufacturer
Date Wed, Oct. 15, 2014 - 4:31pm By Hamilton
The Supreme Court of Wisconsin on Tuesday, October 7 issued a split decision which resulted in a loss for Sohn Manufacturing in a worker’s compensation case. The issue before the Court was whether the federal Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) preempts the State of Wisconsin from imposing penalties for safety violations under Wisconsin laws. […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court Hears Case Dealing with Non-Compete Agreements
Date Wed, Oct. 15, 2014 - 4:22pm By Hamilton
On Wednesday, October 1, the Supreme Court of Wisconsin heard oral argument in a case that involves an important issue to Wisconsin employers who hire employees on an at-will basis and seek to protect themselves with non-competition, confidentiality, and non-solicitation agreements (hereinafter, “Non-Competes” or “Agreements”). The opinion of a Milwaukee County Circuit Court that is […]
Milwaukee Judge Strikes Down Limits for Non-Economic Damages in Medical Malpractice Cases
Date Wed, Oct. 15, 2014 - 1:07pm By Hamilton
On Friday, October 3, Milwaukee County Judge Jeffrey Conen issued an order and decision in which he struck down Wisconsin’s $750,000 limit for non-economic damages medical malpractice cases. The case is Mayo v. Wisconsin Injured Patients Compensation Fund, et al., 2012CV006272 (Oct. 3, 2014). Background The plaintiff, Ascaris Mayo, went to the emergency room suffering […]
Court Upholds Statutory Damages Limit for UW Physicians
Date Wed, Oct. 15, 2014 - 12:20pm By Hamilton
On September 24, the Court of Appeals, Dist. IV located in Madison held that the statutory limit of $250,000 on damage awards against state employees, including University of Wisconsin Hospital physicians, was constitutional. The case is Fiez v. Keevil, 2013AP2711 (Sept. 24, 2014). Background Defendant Robert Keevil, a physician employed by the University of Wisconsin Medical […]
John Doe Update
Date Thu, Oct. 2, 2014 - 4:00pm By Hamilton
The latest update in the John Doe saga includes a request from Club for Growth’s Eric O’Keefe for an investigation into Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisolm. According to the records, O’Keefe, who is a subject of the John Doe case, filed a federal lawsuit in February alleging the probe was an attempt to criminalize […]
UW Nurse Midwives Program Marks 25 Years
Date Thu, Oct. 2, 2014 - 3:28pm By Hamilton
The UW Health Nurse Midwifery Service will celebrate twenty five years this October, and they’ve helped deliver 8,760 newborn babies over that time. The service began in 1989 with one nurse midwife and has grown to include eight nurse midwives. Today, the UW Health Nurse Midwives catch about 15 percent of the babies born […]
TIF and Structured Settlement Payments Study Committees to Meet Next Week
Date Thu, Oct. 2, 2014 - 3:15pm By Hamilton
Two Legislative Council Study Committees will be meeting next week on Thursday, October 9, at the Wisconsin State Capitol, and Hamilton Consulting will be there to follow the proceedings. The Study Committee on the Review of Tax Incremental Financing will meet at 10 AM on Thursday in Room 413 North. At the meeting, members of […]
WEDA Fall Conference
Date Thu, Oct. 2, 2014 - 3:01pm By Hamilton
Economic development specialists from around Wisconsin gathered in Oshkosh this week for the Wisconsin Economic Development Association’s annual Fall Regional Conference. The full agenda included presentations on marketing for site selectors, best practices, disaster preparedness, international marketing, and much more. Rebecca Hogan, of The Hamilton Consulting Group, outlined WEDA’s Legislative Agenda for the 2015-2016 legislative […]