This week, the Wisconsin Legislature passed a state budget for the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium, which began on July 1. The Assembly approved the budget bill (Assembly Bill 68) on June 29, with the Senate concurring in the bill the following day. The two-year budget proposal, assembled by the Republican-led Joint Finance Committee (JFC), would spend […]
Legislature Passes State Budget and a Package of Related Bills
Date Thu, Jul. 1, 2021 - 8:48pm By Hamilton
Governor Signs Four Police Reform Bills; Legislature Considering Several More
Date Thu, Jul. 1, 2021 - 8:43pm By Hamilton
On June 22, Governor Tony Evers (D) signed into law four bills related to law enforcement use of force and community relations: Senate Bill (SB) 121: Prohibits law enforcement agencies from authorizing the use of choke holds by officers except in life-threatening situations or in self-defense. Enacted as 2021 Act 48 SB 122: Requires law […]
Finance Committee Continues Building State Budget; Tax Cuts, Education Funding Are Highlights
Date Fri, Jun. 4, 2021 - 1:48pm By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Legislature remains focused on assembling a state budget for the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium. In his executive budget proposal, Governor Tony Evers (D) included a two-year operating budget of more than $90 billion and a long list of changes to various state laws and programs. Immediately following the governor’s budget address in February, legislative leaders indicated they would […]
PFAS Update: Legislators Reintroducing CLEAR Act; DNR Releases Economic Impact Analysis for Cycle 10 Groundwater Rule
Date Fri, May. 21, 2021 - 9:47am By Hamilton
A group of Democratic state legislators backed by Wisconsin’s governor are reintroducing legislation called the Chemical Level Enforcement and Remediation or “CLEAR” Act. The bill includes a variety of provisions to regulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, a family of thousands of manufactured chemicals commonly known as PFAS. In addition to legislative efforts regarding PFAS, the […]
Governor Calls for Special Session on Medicaid Expansion; Legislative Leaders Plan to Gavel Out Immediately
Date Fri, May. 21, 2021 - 9:43am By Hamilton
On May 19, Governor Tony Evers (D) signed Executive Order 116, directing the Legislature to convene a special session on his proposal to expand Wisconsin’s Medicaid program, also known as BadgerCare. The bill put forward by the governor, LRB-3568, would accept federal money to expand Medicaid coverage to about 90,000 additional people. Over the next […]
Gov. Evers Rejects Republican Plans for Spending Federal Funds, Announces Additional Details
Date Fri, Apr. 23, 2021 - 12:27pm By Hamilton
On March 11, President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), the third federal bill to include substantial grants, aids, direct payments, and other relief measures related to COVID-19. Totaling $1.9 trillion, the ARPA follows the CARES Act ($2.2 trillion, passed in March 2020) and the CRSSA ($900 billion, passed in December 2020). […]
State Reconfigures Its Contract with Foxconn
Date Fri, Apr. 23, 2021 - 9:30am By Hamilton
On Monday, April 19, Governor Tony Evers announced that the state of Wisconsin had negotiated a new economic development contract with Taiwanese technology manufacturer Foxconn, which is currently building a large facility in Racine County. The following day, Gov. Evers announced that the board of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) voted unanimously to approve […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules Against Gov. Evers in Public Health Emergency Case, Ending Statewide Mask Mandate
Date Fri, Apr. 9, 2021 - 11:17am By Hamilton
On Wednesday, March 31, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued a ruling in Jeré Fabick v. Tony Evers, holding 4-3 that the governor cannot issue successive emergency declarations on the same subject. Petitioner Jeré Fabick sought a declaratory judgement on Governor Tony Evers’ authority to issue multiple public health emergency declarations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. […]
Gov. Evers Signs PBM, PSC, and Several Other Bills
Date Fri, Apr. 9, 2021 - 11:16am By Hamilton
On Friday, March 26, Governor Tony Evers announced that he had signed 14 bills into law, including several key healthcare-related bills. One of these bills was Senate Bill 3, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 9, which we last covered here. The law authorizes the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) to license and regulate pharmacy […]
Appeals Court Rules State Can Release Records on Businesses with COVID-19 Cases
Date Fri, Apr. 9, 2021 - 11:15am By Hamilton
On Monday, April 5, a three-judge panel from the District IV Court of Appeals ruled against Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) and in favor of Governor Tony Evers, his administration, and the media in a case involving information about businesses whose employees have contracted COVID-19. The lawsuit was filed in October 2020 in Waukesha County […]