The Supreme Court of Wisconsin unanimously ruled this week that the Wisconsin Legislature cannot prohibit the Department of Justice (DOJ) from settling civil cases without the approval of the Joint Committee on Finance. In the fall of 2018, the legislature passed and former Gov. Walker (R) signed legislation into law requiring the legislature’s budget-writing committee […]
Administrative Rule making proposal
Date Fri, Jun. 6, 2025 - 9:36am By Hamilton
Wisconsin Republican lawmakers are introducing a bill package to review every statewide administrative rule and impose new limits on the rulemaking process. The four GOP sponsored bills aim to exert more control over the administrative process and to limit the authority of state agencies and the governor. AB277/SB289 would require agencies to make cuts to […]
Rep. Kurtz and Sen. Testin Circulate Stewardship Proposal
Date Fri, Jun. 6, 2025 - 9:34am By Hamilton
Rep. Tony Kurtz (R – Wonewoc) and Sen. Patrick Testin (R – Stevens Point) are circulating legislation to reauthorize the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program through 2030 at $28.25 million per year—lower than the current funding and far below Governor Evers’ proposed $100 million annually. Their plan would also cap most individual land purchases at $1 million, […]
Hospital Price Transparency Legislation Unveiled
Date Fri, Jun. 6, 2025 - 9:30am By Hamilton
Sens. Bradley (R-New Berlin) and Felzkowski (R-Irma) and Rep. Wittke (R-Caledonia) are circulating legislation to require hospitals to publicly share with consumers actual pricing information. The legislation is being supported by Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce and Wisconsin business leaders. The bill would allow Wisconsin consumers who purchase healthcare services to know exactly how much it […]
JFC State Budget Updates: May 29th & June 5th
Date Fri, Jun. 6, 2025 - 9:25am By Hamilton
On Thursday June 5, the Joint Finance Committee (JFC) met for an executive session to consider motions for the following agencies. The Committee includes 12 Republican members and 4 Democrat members; all 12-4 and 4-12 vote tallies were among party lines. Most notable, was in the Environment Improvement Fund, JFC voted to advance a […]
Governor and Republican Legislature Budget Talks at Impasse
Date Fri, Jun. 6, 2025 - 9:19am By Hamilton
Governor Tony Evers said Wednesday evening that budget talks with Republican leaders had hit a wall, despite his agreement to include their top priority—a tax cut. Evers pointed to GOP resistance on funding priorities like K-12 schools, child care, and the UW System as the reason the deal fell apart. His office noted that meetings […]
Updated State Revenue Estimates Push Leaders Toward Budget Talks
Date Fri, May. 23, 2025 - 9:19am By Hamilton
The much- anticipated updated state revenue numbers for the 2025-27 state budget were released recently by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. The latest forecast indicates the state is now expected to have $335 million less available through mid-2027 than previously anticipated in January. According to the LFB, the state’s projected ending balance for the 2023-25 biennium […]
Wisconsin Medicaid Faces Enrollment Shifts, Largest Cost-to-Continue and Potential Federal Funding Changes
Date Fri, May. 9, 2025 - 10:31am By Hamilton
Wisconsin’s Medicaid program is undergoing several developments, including a decline in enrollment, increased funding needs to maintain current services, and potential changes at the federal level that could impact future funding and operations. Enrollment Changes Following Policy Shift BadgerCare Plus enrollment fell below 900,000 in March 2025, marking the lowest total since August […]
Joint Committee on Finance Update
Date Fri, May. 9, 2025 - 10:28am By Hamilton
On May 8, the Republican-controlled Joint Committee on Finance removed 612 items from Governor Evers’ 2025-27 budget proposal and voted to reset the budget to “base,” or current spending levels. Items included in the budget motion included all non-fiscal policy items and several of the governor’s major proposals, such as: Democrats on the committee criticized the […]
APRN Modernization Act Released
Date Fri, May. 9, 2025 - 10:26am By Hamilton
On Tuesday, Senators Testin, Cabral Guevera, and Roys were joined by Assembly Representatives Kurtz and Subeck to release this session’s APRN modernization bill. As stated in the cosponsorship memo, “the APRN Modernization Act will bring Wisconsin in line with the National Consensus Model of Advanced Nurse Licensure. It will provide clarity to the scope of […]