Gov. Evers Calls Special Session on Policing Accountability and Transparency; Legislature Responds
Date Wed, Sep. 9, 2020 - 10:08am By Hamilton
In response of the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, on August 24, Gov. Evers called a special session of the legislature to address policing accountability and transparency to begin on August 31, 2020. The Senate and the Assembly gaveled in for the special session but met in “skeletal session,” meaning they did not actually […]
Governor Evers’s Task Force on Climate Change Wraps Up Public Comment
Date Fri, Aug. 14, 2020 - 8:49am By Hamilton
The Governor’s Task Force on Climate Change, headed by Lt. Gov. Mandela Barnes, has been meeting periodically since December 19, 2019. Overall, the task force is charged with advising the governor in developing a strategy on climate change by: Evaluating the science surrounding the impacts of climate change on Wisconsin citizens and the environment. Reviewing […]
Gov. Evers Issues Executive Order Declaring Public Health Emergency and Requiring Face Coverings Statewide
Date Thu, Jul. 30, 2020 - 2:21pm By Hamilton
On July 30, Gov. Evers declared a public health emergency effective for the next 60 days (or until it is revoked by Gov. Evers or by action of the Legislature). Pursuant to the declaration, the governor issued a statewide requirement for all persons to wear masks. The statewide mask requirement goes into effect at 12:01 a.m. on Saturday, August […]
Governor Evers Directs State Agencies to Identify More Savings
Date Thu, Jul. 23, 2020 - 10:37am By Hamilton
On July 22, Gov. Evers announced a directive for state agencies to identify $250 million in additional savings for the current fiscal year (FY 20-21). This is the second round of cuts by the administration to manage state expenditures, as state revenues are down due to pandemic. In April, the governor ordered a five percent […]
WSBU v. Brennan & Bartlett v. Evers (Gubernatorial Vetoes)
Date Fri, Jul. 17, 2020 - 9:10am By Hamilton
Released on the same day, WSBU v. Brennan (2020 WI 69) and Bartlett v. Evers (2020 WI 68) both involve challenges to gubernatorial vetoes. The court dismissed WSBU v. Brennan but declared 3 of the 4 challenged vetoes in Bartlett v. Evers unconstitutional. Under the Wisconsin Constitution (Article V, Section 10), governors can partially veto […]
Gov. Evers Appoints New DATCP Secretary
Date Wed, Jun. 17, 2020 - 4:06pm By Hamilton
Gov. Tony Evers has appointed Randy Romanski as the new secretary of the state Department of Agriculture, Trade & Consumer Protection (DATCP). Romanski had been serving as interim secretary since late 2019, when the state Senate rejected the nomination of Brad Pfaff for the top DATCP position. Before serving as interim secretary, Gov. Evers had […]
Gov. Evers Releases Major Budget Policies for Agencies in 2021-23
Date Tue, Jun. 16, 2020 - 1:14pm By Hamilton
Gov. Tony Evers recently provided state agencies with his major budget policies for 2021-23. The budget instructions request agencies prepare budgets without asking for new spending in either year of the biennium. The budget policies direct agencies to assume zero budget growth in both fiscal years of the biennium but provide exceptions for K-12 school […]
Wisconsin COVID-19 Response Post-Safer at Home
Date Thu, May. 28, 2020 - 4:32pm By Hamilton
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 […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court Declares Safer at Home Order Unenforceable
Date Wed, May. 13, 2020 - 6:28pm By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Supreme Court has issued a 4-3 decision in Legislature v. Palm, declaring the Department of Health Services’s (DHS) “Safer at Home” order unenforceable and immediately striking down the order. The court held that the Safer at Home order is a “rule” that was required to go through statutory rulemaking processes and that the […]
Gov. Evers Releases Badger Bounceback Plan to Reopen the Economy
Date Mon, Apr. 27, 2020 - 11:58am By Hamilton
Gov. Evers and the Department of Health Services (DHS) have issued Emergency Order #31, which establishes a reopening plan for the Wisconsin economy. The “Badger Bounceback Plan” is Gov. Evers’s phased approach for dialing back the Safer at Home order and reopening the Wisconsin economy. Safer at Home currently remains in place, and DHS will […]