Gov. Evers gave his third biennial budget address on February 15, unveiling his 2023-25 executive budget. He proposes an operating budget of $103.8 billion over the next two fiscal years, adding a net 816.55 FTE positions. For comparison, the 2021-23 state budget spent $87.5 billion with a net reduction of 174.19 FTE positions. The complete […]
State Agencies Submit 2023-25 Budget Requests
Date Tue, Sep. 20, 2022 - 8:12pm By Hamilton
On September 15, Wisconsin state government agencies submitted requests for the next state budget to Gov. Tony Evers (D) and the Department of Administration (DOA). The state budgets on a two-year (biennial) basis, with fiscal years beginning July 1 and ending June 30. The 2023-2025 state budget will cover a two-year period from July 1, […]
Federal Officials Approve Wisconsin EV Infrastructure Plan
Date Tue, Sep. 20, 2022 - 4:58pm By Hamilton
Federal officials have approved Wisconsin’s electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure plan, which outlines how the state will spend millions in federal funds. The Federal Highway Administration notified the Wisconsin Department of Transportation (WisDOT) on September 14 that the state’s plan was approved. At the time, Wisconsin and 33 other states had their plans approved. WisDOT submitted […]
Assembly Adjourns After Final Floor Sessions: February 23 and 24
Date Wed, Mar. 2, 2022 - 4:29pm By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Assembly stands adjourned following a week of floor votes on February 22, 23, and 24. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) has stated publicly that, barring any unusual circumstances, the Assembly will not convene again until the next legislative session begins in January 2023. Assembly Floor Calendar, February 23 The Assembly created a lengthy […]
Senate and Assembly Floor Sessions: February 15
Date Wed, Feb. 16, 2022 - 6:27pm By Hamilton
Both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature met on February 15 for floor sessions to vote on bills and resolutions. Below, we review a few notable items. Senate Floor Calendar, February 15 The Senate passed 39 bills and six resolutions, including: Senate Bill (SB) 365, which makes changes to the broadband expansion grant program administered by […]
President Biden Signs Infrastructure Bill Including Billions for Wisconsin
Date Thu, Nov. 18, 2021 - 5:54pm By Hamilton
On November 15, President Joe Biden (D) signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the bill in early November by a vote of 228-206, with most Democratic members supporting the bill and most Republican members opposed. The Senate had passed the bill in August on a 69-30 […]
Legislative Update: Senate Holds Floor Vote; Assembly to Meet Twice Next Week; Committees Consider Apprenticeship, EV Proposals
Date Fri, Oct. 22, 2021 - 8:50am By Hamilton
The Wisconsin Senate convened on October 20 to vote on a variety of measures, including several bills related to restrictions on and information requirements about abortion procedures. The Senate also passed relatively routine bills on issues such as ATV/UTV speed limits and technical changes to the statutes governing the Department of Tourism. A full listing […]
Manitowoc Manufacturer Wins Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin Contest
Date Fri, Oct. 22, 2021 - 8:29am By Hamilton
Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC), the state’s chamber of commerce and largest business trade association, has announced the 2021 winner of its sixth annual Coolest Thing Made in Wisconsin competition. The results of the contest were announced on October 14 during WMC’s annual Business Day conference. This year, the winning product was the 140 Ton […]
Legislative Update: Senate Confirms Several Agency Heads; Democrats Propose Personal Property Tax Repeal
Date Thu, Oct. 7, 2021 - 9:38pm By Hamilton
Both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature met on September 28 to vote on a variety of matters. We covered the Assembly’s agenda here and the Senate’s agenda here. The Senate voted to confirm nearly 40 of Governor Tony Evers’ (D) appointments to various state agencies, boards, and commissions, including six agency heads: Joaquin Altoro, Executive […]
Wisconsin Was Awarded Billions of Dollars in Federal Funds for Education and Transportation Under the CRRSA
Date Fri, Feb. 12, 2021 - 9:18am By Hamilton
Last month, we discussed a few aspects of the $900 billion COVID-19 response legislation passed by Congress in December of last year. The economic stimulus and COVID relief package, called the Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations Act (CRRSA), was passed along with the 2021 federal budget to form a 5,600-page spending bill totaling roughly […]