This week, Democratic lawmakers announced their version of bill to extend the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program (KNSP) for six years at $72 million annually. Their plan would also create a 17-member oversight board to review large projects, with safeguards to keep projects moving if the board does not act on time. The lead authors, Sen. Jodi […]
Dems Circulate Legislation to Reauthorize the Stewardship Program
Date Thu, Aug. 28, 2025 - 9:57am By Hamilton
Gov. Evers Signs Bipartisan Bill Expanding Nurse Licensure
Date Thu, Aug. 14, 2025 - 3:04pm By Hamilton
Governor Tony Evers signed a bipartisan bill Friday, August 8, 2025, aimed at expanding healthcare access across Wisconsin by creating new licensure opportunities for nurses. AB257, now enacted as 2025 Wisconsin Act 17, allows registered nurses (RNs) to become licensed as advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), offering more independence in practice and increasing the […]
Justice Susan Crawford Sworn To Become New Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice
Date Thu, Aug. 14, 2025 - 3:02pm By Hamilton
On August 1, 2025, Susan M. Crawford officially began her term as a Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court, succeeding retiring Justice Ann Walsh Bradley. Crawford previously served as a judge in Dane County’s Circuit Court, a position she held from August 1, 2018, to July 31, 2025. Crawford, a judicial liberal, was elected on […]
After Evers v. Marklein Decision, Wisconsin’s Updated Building Code Takes Effect
Date Thu, Aug. 14, 2025 - 3:01pm By Hamilton
Wisconsin’s first major upgrade to its Commercial Building Code in more than a decade takes effect Sept. 1, 2025, adopting 2021 International Building Code standards with state-specific adjustments. The update applies to commercial and multi-family residential buildings. The change follows a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling in Evers v. Marklein that struck down as unconstitutional key […]
Gov. Tony Evers Will Not Seek Third Term, Opening Up 2026 Wisconsin Governor’s Race
Date Thu, Aug. 14, 2025 - 2:59pm By Hamilton
In a move that reshapes Wisconsin’s political landscape, Governor Tony Evers announced on July 24 that he will not seek a third term in office. The 73-year-old Democrat, who has served as governor since 2019, cited a desire to spend more time with his family after five decades in public service. “The only thing I […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court Overturns Legislature’s Rule-Review Powers
Date Thu, Jul. 17, 2025 - 1:05pm By Hamilton
July 8, the 4-3 liberal majority on the Wisconsin Supreme Court overturned key powers the Legislature had over administrative rulemaking. Under Wisconsin law, the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules could temporarily stop a rule from taking effect, permanently prevent a rule from taking effect, and suspend a rule already in effect. Ultimately, it […]
New Congressional Map Challenge Filed
Date Thu, Jul. 17, 2025 - 1:04pm By Hamilton
In June 2025 a unanimous Wisconsin Supreme Court declined to hear two lawsuits challenging Wisconsin’s congressional boundaries and seeking to redraw the map before the 2026 midterms. Both cases asked the court to take original jurisdiction, that is, they were filed directly with the court without first working their way through lower courts. The decision […]
Gov. Evers Signs into Law $111.1 Billion State Budget Bill
Date Thu, Jul. 3, 2025 - 9:08am By Hamilton
Early in the morning on July 3, the Wisconsin legislature passed a $111.1 billion budget bill for the 2025-27 biennium and Gov. Evers quickly signed it. Overall, the plan is a 12 percent increase in spending. The vote came just days after the state’s fiscal year closed on June 30. With new legislative maps resulting […]
Supreme Court Issues Rulings on Several Cases
Date Thu, Jul. 3, 2025 - 8:34am By Hamilton
Supreme Court Strikes Down Partial Veto of Non-Appropriation Bill June 25, 2025, a unanimous Supreme Court of Wisconsin struck down Gov. Evers’ use of partial vetoes in literacy-related legislation, with Republicans arguing the vetoes were unconstitutional because the bill wasn’t a true appropriations bill and therefore not subject to a partial veto under the […]
State Budget Progress Stalls as JFC Cancels Meeting
Date Fri, Jun. 20, 2025 - 9:24am By Hamilton
After a slower start than previous budgets, the Joint Committee on Finance (commonly called the Joint Finance Committee or JFC) abruptly announced on Thursday, June 19, that they are hitting pause. The announcement followed the committee’s postponement of a major vote on the University of Wisconsin System on Tuesday, June 17. The committee had been […]