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 […]
Legislature Files Legal Challenge to DHS “Safer At Home” Order Extension
Date Mon, Apr. 27, 2020 - 11:44am By Hamilton
On April 16, Gov. Tony Evers directed Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm to extend Wisconsin’s Safer at Home Order to May 26 under Emergency Order #28. Less than a week later, the Republican-led Wisconsin Legislature filed a lawsuit challenging DHS’s authority to issue such an order. DHS issued the order under Wis. Stat. §§ […]
Gov. Evers Directs DHS to Extend Safer At Home Order
Date Thu, Apr. 16, 2020 - 1:50pm By Hamilton
Gov. Tony Evers has directed Department of Health Services Secretary-designee Andrea Palm to extend Wisconsin’s Safer at Home Order to May 26. Under Emergency Order #28, starting April 24, some non-essential businesses may begin running minimum basic operations, including deliveries, mailings, and curb-side pick-up. Other changes under the new Emergency Order include: Golf courses reopening […]
Gov. Evers Signs COVID-19 Legislation
Date Thu, Apr. 16, 2020 - 1:49pm By Hamilton
Yesterday, the Wisconsin state Senate unanimously passed and Gov. Tony Evers signed AB 1038, the comprehensive legislative package to address COVID-19. With the governor’s signature, the bill is now enacted as 2019 Act 185. Gov. Evers statement on the COVID-19 bill. Hamilton Consulting summary of the COVID-19 bill.
After Court Rulings, In-Person Voting Proceeds in Supreme Court Election
Date Wed, Apr. 8, 2020 - 1:58pm By Hamilton
After rulings from the Supreme Court of the United States and the Wisconsin Supreme Court the night before election day upheld the April 7 date and absentee voting requirements, Wisconsin’s election for state Supreme Court proceeded with few changes. In-person voting was held, and absentee voter requirements were largely the same (though at record high […]
Gov. Evers Issues Safer At Home Order
Date Tue, Mar. 24, 2020 - 12:04pm By Hamilton
This morning, Gov. Tony Evers issued Emergency Order #12, the “Safer at Home” order, directing all individuals in Wisconsin to stay at home, limiting non-essential travel, and ceasing all non-essential business operations. The order is effective 8:00 a.m. Wednesday, March 24 through Friday, April 24. The order directs all individuals in Wisconsin to stay at […]