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 […]
Gov. Evers Acts on 18 Bills, Vetoing Energy Source and Workforce Legislation
Date Thu, Aug. 17, 2023 - 9:44am By Hamilton
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 […]
Finance Committee Begins Voting on 2023-25 Budget Motions, Removing Hundreds of Gov. Evers’ Proposals
Date Thu, May. 4, 2023 - 9:39am By Hamilton
This week, the Joint Committee on Finance began voting on motions to reshape the 2023-25 state budget as originally proposed by Gov. Tony Evers (D). This process, expected to conclude by mid-June, will result in the final budget bill that will be voted on by the full Legislature. Wisconsin’s next fiscal year (2023-24) will begin […]
Tracking the Senate Confirmation Process for the Evers Administration Cabinet
Date Thu, May. 4, 2023 - 9:19am By Hamilton
In a January interview, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) said that the Senate would work to hold confirmation hearings on department secretaries and other agency heads appointed by Gov. Tony Evers (D). During Gov. Evers’ first term, the Senate chose not to take confirmation votes on about 185 of the governor’s appointments, including many […]
Gov. Evers Signs First Acts of 2023-24 Session
Date Wed, Apr. 19, 2023 - 9:50am By Hamilton
In April, Gov. Tony Evers (D) signed the first four laws of the 2023-24 legislative session as 2023 Wisconsin Acts 1 through 4. So far, the governor has not issued any vetoes this session. Act 3, originally SB 75, implements the recently approved constitutional amendment regarding bail and pre-conviction release for people accused of a […]