On February 18, Wisconsin voters will participate in a primary election for the State Superintendent of Public Instruction, the state’s top education official. Three candidates are running: incumbent Jill Underly, Sauk Prairie School District Superintendent Jeff Wright, and education consultant Brittany Kinser. The top two candidates will advance to the general election on April 1. […]
Wisconsin’s February 18 Primary Preview: State Superintendent Race
Date Fri, Feb. 7, 2025 - 10:47am By Hamilton
Senate Health Committee to Hold First Hearing of the Session on Direct Primary Care and Postpartum Medicaid Extension Bills
Date Fri, Feb. 7, 2025 - 10:40am By Hamilton
On Wednesday, February 12, the Senate Committee on Health will hold a public hearing on two familiar pieces of legislation. Senate Bill 4, which aims to clarify the legality of direct primary care agreements by exempting them from insurance regulations, is a reintroduction of a first introduced bill in the 2017-2018 session. Last session, a […]
Wisconsin’s Budget Surplus Grows to $4.3 Billion, Setting the Stage for Budget Debates
Date Fri, Feb. 7, 2025 - 10:39am By Hamilton
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) now projects that Wisconsin will end the 2023-25 biennium with a $4.3 billion surplus, an increase from the $4 billion forecasted in November. The revision is largely driven by an expected $894.3 million increase in tax revenue, primarily from higher sales tax collections. LFB attributes the increase to updated economic […]
Justice Hagedorn Recuses Self from Act 10 Challenge Will Justice Protasiewicz Follow Suit?
Date Fri, Feb. 7, 2025 - 10:38am By Hamilton
Justice Brian Hagedorn recently recused himself from participating in a case before the Wisconsin Supreme Court reviewing collective bargaining reforms affecting public union employees. The Wisconsin Supreme Court is considering a motion to bypass an appellate court review of a Dane County judge striking down elements of law. Late last year, Dane County Circuit Court […]
Breaking: Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules Elections Administrator Can Remain in Role
Date Fri, Feb. 7, 2025 - 10:37am By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Supreme Court unanimously ruled today, February 7, that Meagan Wolfe can continue serving as the state’s top elections official indefinitely, rejecting efforts to remove her from the position. The court determined that under state law, the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC) is only required to appoint a new administrator if a vacancy occurs, and […]
Dane County Judge Stays Ruling Overturning Act 10 Pending Appeal
Date Fri, Jan. 24, 2025 - 10:47am By Hamilton
A Dane County judge has temporarily stayed his decision overturning portions of Act 10, Wisconsin’s 2011 law limiting public employee collective bargaining, to prevent potential chaos during the appeals process. While the judge found the law unconstitutional for treating different categories of employees unequally, he emphasized that enforcing his ruling before a final decision could […]
Wisconsin Democrats Propose “Lowering Costs, Improving Lives” Bill Package
Date Fri, Jan. 24, 2025 - 10:44am By Hamilton
On January 16, Wisconsin Democrats announced their “Lowering Costs, Improving Lives” legislative package, aimed at addressing affordability issues for families across the state. The package focuses on lowering prescription drug prices, expanding access to affordable insulin, providing free school meals, and offering property tax relief for low-income residents. The centerpiece of the package is a […]
Wisconsin Policy Forum: Wisconsin’s State & Local Tax Burden Drop to Another Record Low in 2024
Date Fri, Jan. 24, 2025 - 10:20am By Hamilton
According to a report from the Wisconsin Policy Forum, state and local taxes as a share of income fell again in 2024 hitting a low of 9.62% of personal income. That’s down from 9.92% in 2023, which was also a record low after state and local taxes accounted for 9.9% of personal income in 2022. Overall, […]
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos: Republican Response to Governor Tony Ever’ State of the State Address
Date Fri, Jan. 24, 2025 - 10:17am By Hamilton
Though Speaker Vos (R-Rochester) expressed his hope that Governor Evers’ wants to find common ground with Legislative Republicans to solve Wisconsin’s most pressing issues, Republican response to Gov. Evers’ proposals was pointed. Speaker Vos said, “What we heard tonight was Gov. Evers’ longest State of the State address and it was chock full of liberal […]
Legislative Oversight of Rulemaking Challenged
Date Fri, Jan. 24, 2025 - 9:09am By Hamilton
January 16, 2025, the Wisconsin Supreme Court held oral arguments on a case contesting the Joint Committee for Review Administrative Rules’ power over the administrative rule promulgation process. Under Wisconsin law, JCRAR has the power to halt rules from taking effect by indefinitely objecting to a rule. If JCRAR indefinitely objects to a rule, the […]