Wisconsin COVID-19 Response Post-Safer at Home

A few weeks after the Wisconsin Supreme Court invalidated the state’s “Safer at Home” emergency order, state and local leaders continue to grapple with the ongoing pandemic and economic recovery. The Department of Health Services (DHS) has declined to promulgate Safer at Home as a statewide rule and instead some local health departments have orders […]

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Senate Committee Holds Hearing on Unemployment Insurance Program

On May 27, the Senate Committee on Labor and Regulatory Reform held an informational hearing on Wisconsin’s Unemployment Insurance (UI)  program. The hearing was held as Wisconsin unemployment numbers are at record highs, and many Republican legislators are criticizing Gov. Tony Evers’s administration for reports of major backlogs in UI requests. As noted in the […]

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AG Kaul Withdraws Act 21 Opinion on High Capacity Wells

On May 1, Wisconsin Attorney General Josh Kaul sent a letter to the state Department of Natural Resources (DNR) stating he has withdrawn an opinion from his predecessor interpreting 2011 Act 21’s effects on DNR permitting. In 2016, former Attorney General Brad Schimel issued an opinion concluding that DNR lacks regulatory authority to require cumulative […]

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Wisconsin PFAS Action Council (WisPAC) Advisory Groups Meet

WisPAC Background In accordance with Executive Order 40, issued by Gov. Tony Evers in August 2019, Wisconsin state agencies have convened the Wisconsin PFAS Action Council (WisPAC). The executive order directs the council to develop an action plan due to the governor and legislature by July 1. WisPAC has convened two sub-advisory groups: Local Government group headed by […]

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Court of Appeals Rules on Agency Rulemaking Case

In Applegate-Bader Farm, LLC v. DOR (2018AP1239), the Court of Appeals District IV held that the Wisconsin Department of Revenue (DOR) complied with rulemaking procedures in Wis. Stat. Ch. 227 when it promulgated new rules regarding property tax classification.   Background Wisconsin law provides certain incentives for property owners to participate in state and federal […]

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PFAS Update: Status of PFAS Legislation, Agency Council Meets, EPA Action

PFAS Legislation – New Provisions Passed Assembly, Final Status of Other Bills  In what is likely the last Assembly floor session of 2019-20, the Assembly passed provisions to address PFAS contamination in Wisconsin. As an amendment tacked on to SB 559 (an unrelated bill), the Assembly passed on a party line vote language that: Directs […]

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Solar Farm Projects Approved By PSCW

The Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) approved Wisconsin’s fourth solar farm project on Jan. 30, 2020. Commissioners unanimously approved the 149-megawatt Badger State Solar Farm in Jefferson County, developed by Ranger Power. Badger State will supply electricity to Dairyland Power Cooperative, a Wisconsin-based wholesale energy provider for rural electric cooperatives and municipal electric utilities. […]

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Additional DOR Auditors Generate 11.8 to 1 Return on Investment

According to a Department of Revenue (DOR) report from the end of December, new tax auditors hired in the 2015-17 budget cycle generated an 11.8 to 1 return on investment for the state in fiscal year 2019. The 2015-17 state budget required DOR to annually report to the Joint Finance Committee on the estimated tax […]

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PFAS Update: Regulations Moving in Legislature & DNR

Regulation of PFAS chemicals continues to develop in the Wisconsin Legislature and state agencies. Last week the Legislature passed a bill regulating PFAS-containing firefighting foams. Meanwhile, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) proposed rulemaking has been approved by the DNR Board. PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) are man-made chemicals found in many everyday products, including […]

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PSCW Commissioner Resigns

Public Service Commission of Wisconsin (PSCW) Commissioner Mike Huebsch recently announced week he will retire from PSCW effective Feb. 3. Huebsch was appointed to the PSCW by Gov. Scott Walker in 2015. His term would have expired in 2021. Before his appointment to the PSCW, Huebsch served as secretary of the Department of Administration and […]

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