Audit and Public Hearing on DEI Initiatives at UW System

Last Friday, the Legislative Audit Bureau delivered an audit to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee which reviewed certain diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) activities at the University of Wisconsin system and select state agencies. The audit was requested by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee last May and found that certain Wisconsin state agencies and the […]

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Wisconsin’s Key Races: Supreme Court and DPI Elections

Control of State Supreme Court Up for Grabs For those hoping to tune out politics for a bit after the ad barrage that happened during the Fall of 2024, sorry, you are out of luck. Wisconsin’s race for the State Supreme Court has become a proxy war for Republicans and Democrats on a national scale. […]

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Marquette University Poll Released

April 1st Spring Elections According to the poll, voters are still mostly unfamiliar with candidates running for both the Wisconsin Supreme Court and State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Among registered voters, 38 percent don’t have an opinion of former Attorney General and current Waukesha County Circuit Court Judge Brad Schimel and 58 percent don’t have […]

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Gov. Evers 2025-27 Executive Budget Highlights

Gov. Evers gave his fourth biennial budget address on February 18, unveiling his 2025-27 executive budget. He proposes an operating budget of $ $118.9 billion over the next two fiscal years, adding a net 880.94 FTE positions. For comparison, the final 2023-25 state budget spent $97.4 billion with a net reduction of 175.51 FTE (GPR) […]

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State Superintendent Three-Way Primary Results

State Superintendent Jill Underly and education consultant Brittany Kinser will compete in the April 1 election after emerging as the top two candidates in a three-way primary. With 92 percent of precincts reporting, Underly received 37 percent of the vote, while Kinser secured 35 percent. Sauk Prairie Superintendent Jeff Wright finished in third place with […]

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Wisconsin’s February 18 Primary Preview: State Superintendent Race

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. […]

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Assembly Speaker Robin Vos: Republican Response to Governor Tony Ever’ State of the State Address

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 […]

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Evers Declares 2025 the “Year of the Kid” in State of the State Address

On January 22, in his seventh State of the State address on Wednesday, Governor Tony Evers declared 2025 the “Year of the Kid,” outlining a series of proposals aimed at addressing the needs of children and families in Wisconsin. The speech was a preview of the Governor’s 2025-27 state budget, which will be introduced on […]

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Artificial Intelligence, UW System, Emergency Detention, and More: 2024 Study Committees Begin to Meet

In even-numbered years after the state legislature has adjourned its biennial regular session, the Wisconsin Legislative Council will propose topics that might warrant in-depth study and policy development. Each study committee is typically led by two or more legislators (selected by leadership) and includes members of the public and representatives from relevant stakeholders. For 2024, […]

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Governor Signs 24 New Laws, Vetoes GOP Tax Cut Bills

Since our last update in late February, Gov. Tony Evers (D) has signed 24 bills into law and vetoed three others. The Assembly’s last scheduled floor session was February 22, while the Senate held what we anticipate will be its final day of floor votes on March 12. The Legislature is not expected to reconvene […]

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