Earlier this month, Gov. Scott Walker provided agencies with directives for preparing their budgets for the 2019-21 biennium. Walker requested agencies be “aggressive” in identifying savings and emphasized that agencies be “good stewards of taxpayers’ money.” In a letter to agencies, Walker asked agencies to focus on making higher education more accessible, improving Wisconsin’s health […]
Walker Announces New DOC Secretary
Date Thu, May. 24, 2018 - 8:50am By Hamilton
Gov. Scott Walker’s office announced this week that Department of Corrections (DOC) Secretary Jon Litscher is retiring from the agency. Walker has appointed DOC Deputy Secretary Cathy Jess to replace Litscher beginning June 11. Litscher previously served as DOC secretary from 1999-2003 and returned in 2016. He has also served as the secretary of the […]
Gov. Walker Reorganizes Government Efficiency Offices
Date Thu, May. 3, 2018 - 4:41pm By Hamilton
This week, Gov. Scott Walker issued Executive Order #288, implementing a reorganization of government efficiency offices within the Department of Administration (DOA) and providing several directions for state agencies to find cost savings. In 2015, Walker created the Commission on Government Reform, Efficiency, and Performance that provided recommendations on government efficiency that the Walker administration […]
Signed by Governor: Last Bills of 2017-18 Session
Date Thu, May. 3, 2018 - 4:34pm By Hamilton
Gov. Scott Walker has signed the last bills of the 2017-18 legislative session. With signatures on the last of this session’s 367 Acts, Walker and legislators will switch gears into study committees and upcoming fall elections. The final bill signed this session was the $100 child tax rebate and sales tax holiday proposed in Walker’s […]
Governor’s Opioid Task Force Meets on Alternative Treatments
Date Tue, May. 1, 2018 - 11:45am By Hamilton
The Governor’s Task Force on Opioid Abuse met on April 13 in Milwaukee to discuss alternatives to opioids for treating pain. The Task Force heard from several groups advocating for alternative treatments including: Sixteenth Street Community Health Centers (behavioral health services), Wisconsin Physical Therapy Association, Wisconsin Association of Nurse Anesthetists, Wisconsin Chiropractors Association, Chiropractic Society […]
Governor Signs Civil Litigation Reforms
Date Fri, Apr. 13, 2018 - 9:24am By Hamilton
This week, Gov. Scott Walker signed Act 235, which contains a number of important civil litigation reforms, including discovery and class action rules. This major legislation will significantly reduce the cost of litigation for Wisconsin businesses. Common-sense reforms under Act 235 will: Prevent litigants from abusing the discovery process to leverage a higher potential settlement […]
Signed By Governor: School Safety, Apprenticeships, Civil Litigation Reforms & More
Date Fri, Apr. 13, 2018 - 9:16am By Hamilton
With the legislature finished for the 2017-18 session, Gov. Scott Walker has been busy signing legislation into law. So far this session, Walker has signed 273 bills, and a handful of others passed by both chambers of the legislature are eligible for signing in the upcoming weeks. Highlights of bill signings over the past several […]
Gov. Walker Calls June Special Elections
Date Wed, Apr. 11, 2018 - 11:02am By Hamilton
After a series of court decisions and appeals, Gov. Scott Walker has called special elections to fill the vacant Senate District 1 and Assembly District 42. Walker had previously declined to hold special elections because he argued the legislature would wrap up session before new legislators would be elected. The vacancies came after the appointments of […]
Gov. Walker’s Autonomous Vehicle Committee Continues to Collect Information
Date Tue, Apr. 10, 2018 - 1:00pm By Hamilton
Gov. Scott Walker’s Steering Committee on Autonomous and Connected Vehicle Testing and Deployment held their sixth meeting on March 28 in Madison. Over the next few months, the committee will draft a report with recommendations to the governor on how to coordinate testing and operation of autonomous and connected vehicles on Wisconsin’s roadways. The report […]
Court Orders Gov. Walker to Call Special Elections
Date Thu, Mar. 22, 2018 - 5:18pm By Hamilton
A Dane County judge this week ordered Gov. Scott Walker to call special elections for the vacant Senate District 1 and Assembly District 42. The districts were vacated early this year when Sen. Frank Lasee (R-DePere) and Rep. Keith Ripp (R-Lodi) were appointed to the Walker administration. Walker had previously declined to hold special elections […]