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 […]
Evers Signs EO Creating Task Force on Payroll Fraud & Worker Misclassification
Date Thu, Apr. 18, 2019 - 3:50pm By Hamilton
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. […]
Value of Wisconsin Tourism Economy Is Growing
Date Wed, Jun. 13, 2018 - 1:24pm By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Department of Tourism has released its annual economic impact research for 2017. The report shows the state’s tourism industry has grown 40 percent in the last seven years to a $20.6 billion impact on the Wisconsin economy. In 2017, tourism generated 195,255 jobs and $1.5 billion in state and local tax revenue. […]
EPA Relaxes Ozone Regulations for Southeastern Wisconsin
Date Fri, May. 4, 2018 - 9:26am By Hamilton
In its final designations under the 2015 National Ambient Air Quality Standards, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has narrowed the areas of Wisconsin designated as “nonattainment,” or not meeting the national primary or secondary ambient air quality standards. EPA’s original designations in late 2017 included large portions of eastern Wisconsin, despite Wisconsin’s recommendation that […]