Between the Republican-led Wisconsin Legislature and Gov. Tony Evers (D), both sides were dissatisfied with aspects of the 2023-25 state budget and are seeking legislation to address those issues. After a quiet summer following passage of the budget, legislators resumed regular committee and floor activities in early September. The Assembly and Senate are each expected […]
Fall 2023 Floor Period: Taxes, Child Care, and Redistricting Emerge as Key Issues
Date Wed, Sep. 27, 2023 - 9:43am By Hamilton
Assembly and Senate Floor Sessions: September 12 and 14
Date Wed, Sep. 27, 2023 - 8:53am By Hamilton
After a quiet summer following passage of the 2023-25 state budget, the Wisconsin Legislature resumed regular committee and floor activities in early September. The Assembly and Senate are each expected to hold several floor days in October and November and again over the first few months of 2024 before adjourning the 2023-24 session. See this […]
Governor, Speaker Create Separate AI Task Forces
Date Wed, Sep. 27, 2023 - 8:31am By Hamilton
Gov. Tony Evers (D) announced an executive order creating the Governor’s Task Force on Workforce and Artificial Intelligence on August 23. The following day, Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) announced the formation of four policy task forces, including the Speaker’s Task Force on Artificial Intelligence. “Artificial intelligence” or “AI” refers to a range of technologies […]
Gov. Evers Acts on 18 Bills, Vetoing Energy Source and Workforce Legislation
Date Thu, Aug. 17, 2023 - 9:44am By Hamilton
Gov. Tony Evers (D) announced August 4 that he had taken action on 18 bills passed by the Wisconsin Legislature, signing eight into law and vetoing ten others. Aside from his partial vetoes of the 2023-25 state budget, these were the first vetoes issued by Gov. Evers in 2023. The new laws, numbered 2023 Wisconsin […]
UPDATED: Fiscal Bureau Provides Updated Budget Numbers for 2023-25
Date Thu, Jul. 20, 2023 - 3:29pm By Hamilton
Following the enactment of the 2023-25 state budget (Act 19), the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) has released several memos on the budget, including the effects of partial vetoes issued by Gov. Evers. General Fund Projections Through 2027 According to this memo, the state is projected to have a balance of just over $4 billion at […]
2023-25 State Budget: Signed Into Law With 51 Partial Vetoes
Date Thu, Jul. 6, 2023 - 12:17pm By Hamilton
On July 5, Gov. Tony Evers (D) announced his signing of 2023 Act 19, the Wisconsin state budget for the 2023-25 fiscal biennium, which began July 1. The two-year budget, assembled by the Republican-led Joint Committee on Finance, appropriates $97.4 billion. For comparison, the 2021-23 budget allocated $87.5 billion. The final version of the budget […]
State Budget: Gov. Evers Signs Shared Revenue, Education Funding Bills
Date Thu, Jun. 22, 2023 - 10:03am By Hamilton
As part of the 2023-25 state budget process, the Legislature has been advancing several bills to implement new programs and policy changes. The Republican-led Legislature has pursued policy language in separate legislation to avoid giving Gov. Tony Evers (D) the opportunity to exercise his powerful partial veto authority, which only applies to appropriations bills such […]
Assembly Passes Shared Revenue Bill; Acts 6-10 Signed Into Law
Date Fri, May. 19, 2023 - 8:59am By Hamilton
In May, the Wisconsin Assembly held one floor session, while the Senate did not meet. No additional floor dates have been scheduled for May. So far, six bills have been signed into law this month. Assembly: May 17 (floor calendar) The Assembly met May 17 and passed one bill and eight resolutions. The Assembly devoted […]
Environmental Policy: DNR Budget, PFAS Legislation, NRB Appointments
Date Fri, May. 19, 2023 - 8:57am By Hamilton
There have been several significant updates on environmental policy in Wisconsin, including PFAS, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), and the 2023-25 state budget. Finance Committee Approves DNR Budget Motions The Joint Committee on Finance held an executive session May 18 to vote on budget motions related to DNR, the Environmental Improvement Fund (EIF), and […]
Assembly Republicans Release Shared Revenue Proposal
Date Thu, May. 4, 2023 - 10:10am By Hamilton
On April 27, Assembly Republican legislators outlined their 2023-25 state budget proposal for “shared revenue,” state tax revenue that is divided among local governments to support various programs and services. The proposal shares some similarities with what Gov. Evers (D) proposed in his executive budget, in particular dedicating one-fifth of the state’s sales tax revenue […]