On March 29, Sen. Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) and Rep. Kuglitsch (R-New Berlin) introduced a bill (SB 148/AB 191) that would legalize delivery drones in Wisconsin. The bill would authorize personal delivery devices (PDDs) on sidewalks and crosswalks, provided that it meets certain requirements and follows rules of the road for pedestrians. A personal delivery device […]
Bills of Note: Prevailing Wage Repeal
Date Fri, Apr. 28, 2017 - 9:28am By Hamilton
Sen. Leah Vukmir (R-Brookfield) and Rep. Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield) introduced a bill, SB 216, on April 20 that would repeal Wisconsin’s prevailing wage laws. Gov. Scott Walker had originally included the repeal in his 2017-19 state budget, but the Joint Finance Committee removed the provision as a non-fiscal policy item. Prevailing wage laws currently on […]
Committees Vote on Remaining Special Session Bills
Date Fri, Apr. 28, 2017 - 9:26am By Hamilton
The last of Rep. John Nygren’s (R-Marinette) 11 special session bills to combat the state’s opioid addiction crisis continue to move through Assembly and Senate committees. The Assembly passed nine of these special session bills as part of the Heroin, Opiate, Prevention and Education (HOPE) Agenda in its Tuesday, April 4 floor session, and the […]
Floor Report: April 4 – April 6
Date Thu, Apr. 13, 2017 - 9:06am By Hamilton
Last week, the Wisconsin State Assembly and State Senate were in session to take up a variety of bills. The floor session was originally scheduled for just Tuesday, April 4, but due to delays, the Senate reconvened on Wednesday, April 5 and the Assembly on Thursday, April 6. In the Senate, SB 76, the high […]
Assembly Passes Nine Special Session Bills
Date Wed, Apr. 12, 2017 - 10:50am By Hamilton
The Wisconsin State Assembly convened in special session last week to debate and vote on nine special session bills as part of the Heroin, Opiate, Prevention and Education (HOPE) Agenda. Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) introduced a total of 11 special session bills in late February, and committee hearings took place in March before the bills […]
JFC Public Hearings Begin
Date Tue, Apr. 11, 2017 - 10:54am By Hamilton
The Joint Finance Committee (JFC) held their first public hearings this week on Gov. Scott Walker’s proposed 2017-19 state budget. JFC heard from agency heads at the Capitol on March 28-30, and will spend April listening to testimony from citizens throughout Wisconsin before they begin votes on the budget in early May. The hearings throughout […]
JFC Pulls Out Non-Fiscal Budget Items, Governor Issues Errata
Date Tue, Apr. 11, 2017 - 10:50am By Hamilton
On April 6, the co-chairs of the Joint Finance Committee (JFC), Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) and Sen. Alberta Darling (R- River Hills) issued a memo outlining JFC budget process and starting point. The memo included 83 non-fiscal policy items that will be removed from the budget. According to the memo, these items “should instead be […]
Wisconsin Democrats Release Legislative Agenda
Date Fri, Mar. 31, 2017 - 11:42am By Hamilton
On Thursday, March 16, Senate Minority Leader Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse), Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha), and other Wisconsin Senate and Assembly Democrats held a news conference to unveil the “Wisconsin Way Forward” joint legislative agenda. Characterized as a plan focused on fairness, opportunity, and community, legislative Democrats provided general ideas without yet providing […]
JFC Agency Briefings: Day Three
Date Fri, Mar. 31, 2017 - 10:52am By Hamilton
The Joint Finance Committee (JFC) met for three days this week to hear testimony from state agencies on the governor’s proposed budget. Legislators posed questions to the department secretaries on the implementation of budget proposals and asked other questions pertaining to agency services. On Thursday, March 30, legislators heard from the Public Service Commission (PSC), the […]
JFC Agency Briefings: Day Two
Date Fri, Mar. 31, 2017 - 10:50am By Hamilton
The Joint Finance Committee (JFC) met for three days this week to hear testimony from state agencies on the governor’s proposed budget. Legislators posed questions to the department secretaries on the implementation of budget proposals and asked other questions pertaining to agency services. On Wednesday, March 29, legislators heard from the Department of Justice (DOJ), the […]