On Sept. 5, Gov. Tony Evers announced his appointment of Missy Hughes as secretary and CEO of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC). Hughes replaces former WEDC CEO Mark Hogan, who left the agency at the beginning of the month. As part of the 2018 extraordinary session legislation, 2017 Act 369 gave the governor the […]
Employment Bills Introduced in Wisconsin Legislature
Date Wed, Aug. 7, 2019 - 10:25am By Hamilton
This session, Wisconsin lawmakers have introduced several bills that would create new legal causes of action against employers and could be costly to Wisconsin businesses if enacted. Read below for descriptions and the status of each of the bills. SB 40/AB 40 – Wage Claims Sen. Bob Wirch (D-Somers) and Rep. Tod Ohnstad (D-Kenosha) […]
Evers Signs EO Creating Task Force on Payroll Fraud & Worker Misclassification
Date Thu, Apr. 18, 2019 - 3:50pm By Hamilton
On April 15, Gov. Tony Evers signed an executive order creating a Joint Enforcement Task Force on Worker Misclassification. The task force is assigned to facilitate coordination among Wisconsin agencies in the investigation and enforcement of worker misclassification. The executive order arises from what the Evers administration views as an issue with Wisconsin employers fraudulently […]
Gov. Evers Budget Would Make Significant Changes to UI, FMLA
Date Wed, Mar. 13, 2019 - 3:04pm By Hamilton
Gov. Tony Evers’s proposed 2019-21 state budget would make significant changes to Wisconsin’s Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) laws. Read about specific changes to UI and FMLA employment law proposed by Evers below. Unemployment Insurance Evers seeks to expand eligibility for UI with provisions including: Repealing the requirement that […]
Property Tax Increase Bill Re-Circulating
Date Fri, Feb. 22, 2019 - 9:03am By Hamilton
This week, legislators re-circulated a bill that opponents argue would increase property taxes for Wisconsin businesses. LRB 1665, authored by Rep. Rob Brooks (R-Saukville) and Sen. Duey Stroebel (R-Saukville) along with 16 other Republicans, combines SB 291 and SB 292, both of which failed to pass last session. LRB 1665 addresses two issues. First, the bill […]
Minimum Markup Repeal Legislation Circulating
Date Fri, Feb. 8, 2019 - 9:33am By Hamilton
Wisconsin’s “Unfair Sales Act” (Wis. Stat. §100.30) prohibits the sale of merchandise at less than cost and requires a specified minimum markup above the wholesale cost for alcohol, tobacco, and motor vehicle fuel. Several legislators are currently circulating bills that would amend or repeal the Unfair Sales Act to lower costs for consumers on prescription […]
Legislature to Meet in Extraordinary Session on Kimberly-Clark
Date Thu, Oct. 4, 2018 - 3:52pm By Hamilton
This week, legislative leadership called for an extraordinary session of the legislature to take up an incentive package to keep open a Kimberly-Clark manufacturing plant in northeast Wisconsin. A Senate committee will hold a public hearing on the bill on Nov. 12, and the full Senate could vote on the bill later that month – […]
Legislators Participate in ‘Apprenticeship Signing Day’
Date Fri, Aug. 24, 2018 - 9:58am By Hamilton
On Aug. 23, legislators participated in ‘Apprenticeship Signing Day,’ joining Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) of Wisconsin in celebrating Wisconsin’s Youth Apprenticeship program. Sen. Leah Vukmir (R-Brookfield), Rep. Kathy Bernier (R-Lake Hallie), and Rep. Shannon Zimmerman (R-River Falls) attended the event, which took place at Royal Construction in Eau Claire. Apprenticeship Signing Day featured high […]
WCMEW Report Projects Primary Care Physician Shortfall
Date Mon, Jul. 30, 2018 - 1:26pm By Hamilton
A recent Wisconsin Council on Medical Education & Workforce (WCMEW) report has projected a statewide primary care physician (PCP) shortfall of 745 doctors by 2035. The report says new training and education programs have increased PCP expansion and retention in Wisconsin, but demand is still outpacing the provider supply, especially in rural areas. 40 percent […]
Wisconsin To Begin Collecting Online Sales Tax
Date Wed, Jul. 11, 2018 - 12:13pm By Hamilton
Last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in South Dakota v. Wayfair that states may collect online sales tax from sellers with no physical presence in the state. Gov. Walker’s administration has announced that the Department of Revenue (DOR) will promulgate rules for administering Wisconsin’s 5 percent sales tax online and begin collection in October. […]