Evers Administration Developing Environmental and Health Equity Map On October 7, Governor Tony Evers (D) announced that his administration is “developing a comprehensive environmental and public health mapping system known as the Wisconsin Environmental Equity Tool [WEET] which will analyze and visualize data online so users can pinpoint Wisconsin’s most impacted communities, identify the environmental […]
Environmental Policy: State Developing Equity Tool; UW Hosts Climate Forum
Date Thu, Nov. 4, 2021 - 6:26pm By Hamilton
State Ends 2021 With Record Surplus; Withholding Tables Updated; Bond Ratings Upgraded
Date Fri, Oct. 22, 2021 - 8:42am By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Department of Administration (DOA) announced October 18 that the state ended its 2021 fiscal year with a balance of $2.58 billion, a record surplus and more than double the $1.17 billion balance Wisconsin had at the end of the previous fiscal year. Wisconsin’s fiscal year ends on June 30. The budget numbers released […]
Wisconsin COVID-19 Update: Federal Health Emergency Renewed; Employers Awaiting Details of National Vaccine Mandate
Date Fri, Oct. 22, 2021 - 8:40am By Hamilton
On October 15, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Xavier Becerra signed an order to renew the federal public health emergency due to COVID-19. The extension will last for 90 days, into mid-January 2022. This is the seventh time that the COVID-19 health emergency has been extended since it began January 31, […]
About 400 Afghan Refugees Will Be Resettled Across Six Wisconsin Cities
Date Fri, Oct. 22, 2021 - 8:35am By Hamilton
In August, as the United States Armed Forces completed their withdrawal from Afghanistan, about 13,000 evacuated Afghan residents were sent to Fort McCoy near Tomah and Sparta in Wisconsin. In total, 55,000 to 65,000 people evacuated from Afghanistan are in the U.S. or waiting to come here from military bases abroad. They are being resettled […]
PFAS Update: DNR Proposes Permanent Foam Rule, Provides Fiscal Analysis
Date Thu, Oct. 7, 2021 - 9:36pm By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has announced a public hearing and comment period on its proposed final rule related to firefighting foam containing PFAS. The rule is a result of Wisconsin Natural Resources Board (NRB) board order WA-07-20. A public hearing on the rule will take place on November 4, 2021, while written […]
DWD Announces $16.5 Million Contract for UI System Upgrades
Date Thu, Oct. 7, 2021 - 9:32pm By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD) has signed a contract for hardware and software updates to the state’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) system. DWD announced on September 29 that it will pay Flexion, a technology firm based in Madison, about $16.5 million over four years to perform phased software upgrades and other enhancements. The cost […]
Wisconsin COVID-19 Update: State Employees Must Vaccinate or Test Weekly; State, Milwaukee Fund Vaccine Incentives
Date Mon, Sep. 27, 2021 - 4:30pm By Hamilton
As of September 27, Wisconsin had administered about 6.34 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with 3.1 million Wisconsin residents or 53.5 percent of the state’s population fully vaccinated. The state’s seven-day average of new confirmed cases was 2,603 cases per day. That number peaked in November 2020 at around 6,500 cases per day. About 7,930 […]
PFAS Update: State Hires California Firm to Litigate PFAS Claims; Other Lawsuits in Progress
Date Thu, Sep. 9, 2021 - 2:26pm By Hamilton
On August 25, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul (D) and Governor Tony Evers (D) announced that the state had hired a law firm, Sher Edling LLP, to litigate against companies responsible for discharging PFAS compounds in Wisconsin. According to a press release from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Sher Edling “represents state and local governments […]
Senator Asks Legislative Leaders to Sue UW System, Seeking Legislative Oversight of COVID Rules
Date Thu, Sep. 9, 2021 - 12:57pm By Hamilton
The Legislature’s Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR) held an executive session on August 3 to vote on the University of Wisconsin System’s COVID-19 policies. On a 6-4, party-line vote, the committee ordered the UW System to submit its COVID-19 protocols as an emergency rule within 30 days, arguing that measures such as […]
DHS Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk Has Retired
Date Thu, Sep. 9, 2021 - 11:01am By Hamilton
Wisconsin Department of Health Services (DHS) Deputy Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk has retired as of September 10. Governor Tony Evers (D) announced one week earlier that Willems Van Dijk would retire and that Deb Standridge would take her place starting September 13. Previously, Standridge directed Wisconsin’s temporary care site for COVID-19 patients at State […]