A coalition of 24 states filed a lawsuit on Friday challenging the Obama Administration’s signature environmental regulation, the Clean Power Plan, in response to the regulation being published in the Federal Register last Friday, October 23. West Virginia Attorney General Patrick Morrisey is leading the litigation against the plan which he has called, “the single […]
Federal Government Publishes Controversial Clean Power Plan Rule
Date Thu, Oct. 29, 2015 - 3:08pm By Hamilton
Campaign Finance Reform Slows Down
Date Thu, Oct. 29, 2015 - 3:06pm By Hamilton
New campaign finance reforms continue to make their way through the legislative process. The reforms completely rewrite Chapter 11 in Wisconsin statutes and make significant changes. The Assembly passed the bill 61-0, after all Assembly Democrats recused themselves from the vote. Democrats argued they had a substantial financial interest in seeing the bill pass, therefore […]
Capitol Busy with Campaign Finance Reform
Date Thu, Oct. 15, 2015 - 5:09pm By Hamilton
Last week, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) and Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) rolled out legislation that will change current campaign finance laws in Wisconsin. While public reaction to the bill is mixed, the bills have been fast-tracked and will likely receive floor votes next week. The bill, which comes in at over 100 […]
Waters of the U.S. Rule
Date Thu, Oct. 1, 2015 - 2:29pm By Hamilton
On May 27, 2015, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released its finalized Waters of the United States rule just over a year after it released its proposed rule. This rule was proposed to clarify the EPA’s jurisdiction over the nation’s waterways under the Clean Water Act after the Supreme Court’s decisions in Solid Waste Agency […]
Bills of Note: Legal Notices, WRS Pensions and Deaths in the Line of Duty
Date Thu, Oct. 1, 2015 - 2:09pm By Hamilton
As the legislative session heats up, bills are quickly moving through the legislature. This week’s Bills of Note includes changes to the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS), legal notices on internet sites for municipalities, and a death in the line of duty bill for law enforcement families. Legal Notice on Internet Sites In late April, Senator […]
Bills of Note: Heroin Prevention, TIF, and a Constitutional Amendment
Date Thu, Sep. 17, 2015 - 3:00pm By Hamilton
Nygren Announces HOPE Agenda Legislation Representative John Nygren (R-Marinette) announced a bill package that if passed would provide additional heroin, opiate prevention and education to combat the heroin and opiate epidemic in Wisconsin. The bills are a continuation of Rep. Nygren’s plan to combat the heroin epidemic. The four new bills, which have yet to […]
CATO Institute: Wisconsin’s Unfair Sales Act and the Folly of Antidumping Laws
Date Fri, Sep. 4, 2015 - 9:52am By Hamilton
The CATO Institute recently published the article below on Wisconsin’s Unfair Sales Act: A Michigan-based supermarket trying to expand into Wisconsin has come up against an absurd law against selling products at “unfairly low” prices. As reported by MLive, the Meijer grocery store chain is facing complaints that its grand opening sales violated Wisconsin law for offering […]
Bills of Note: Building Materials Tax Exemption
Date Fri, Sep. 4, 2015 - 9:49am By Hamilton
A public hearing was held on Senate Bill 227, a bill that to allow contractors to directly purchase construction materials on behalf of their tax-exempt clients without paying the sales tax. The proposal, was originally included in the tax reform package of the budget by the Joint Finance Committee. However, the governor vetoed the language […]
Financing Plan for Bucks Arena Signed into Law
Date Thu, Aug. 13, 2015 - 4:27pm By Hamilton
Legislation for a new Bucks Arena was signed into law by Governor Walker this week, after being passed by the legislature at the end of July. On July 28, the Assembly passed Senate Bill 209 in a mixed-party vote of 52-34, with eight votes paired. 35 Republicans and 17 Democrats voted to approve the bill, […]
EPA Releases Final Draft of Clean Power Plan Rule
Date Thu, Aug. 13, 2015 - 4:24pm By Hamilton
Last week the White House and Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) released the final version of the Clean Power Plan rule, which regulates carbon dioxide emissions, and various pollutants, by power plants in the United States. As widely expected, the final draft of the rule is stricter than the proposed regulation released last year. The compliance […]