Bills of Note: Air Pollution, Legal Notices on the Internet, Ignition Interlock, and Signed Firearms Bills

Air Pollution Rule Repeal Senate Bill 144, introduced in May by Senator Terry Moulton (R-Chippewa Falls), eliminates a rule promulgated by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), relating to construction permit requirements for stationary sources that emit greenhouses gases, which is no longer valid under the Supreme Court’s decision in Utility Air Regulatory Group v. […]

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New Legislation on Motor Vehicle Liability

2015 Wisconsin Assembly Bill 92 (AB 92) increases monetary fines, creates a new criminal penalty, and limits the types of damages that are recoverable in lawsuits that derive from car crashes for those who do not have automotive liability insurance.  In March, Representatives Sanfelippo, Spiros, Weatherston, Tom Larson, Kapenga, and Jim Ott introduced AB 92 […]

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LFB: No Additional Revenue Projected

After weeks of optimistically waiting for new revenue numbers from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB), legislators were faced with the bleak reality: there is no new revenue projected for the 2015-2017 budget. In the LFB memo to the members of the Joint Finance Committee, the LFB director explained that even if there was additional revenue […]

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Senate and Assembly Meet: Pass TIF and Foodshare Bills

Since the last edition of Political Tidbits, both the State Senate and State Assembly have met on the floor to pass and debate a number of bills. Last week, the Senate unanimously passed four bills that came out of the Joint Legislative Council Study Committee on Tax Increment Financing Study Committee. This includes Senate Bill […]

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WEDC & WHEDA Merger Called Off

In the previous edition of Political Tidbits we detailed the just released bill draft that would merge the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) and Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) into one agency, the Forward Wisconsin Development Authority (FWDA). Last Friday, Governor Walker issued a press release requesting legislators to remove the WEDC and […]

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Bills of Note: Changing the Rules

In this week’s edition of Bills of Note, we provide an update on the ride-sharing bill, a description of major reforms being circulated to change Wisconsin administrating rule-making processes, and a bill that would increase funding for law enforcement grants. Ride-Sharing Bill A bill we introduced in Bills of Note in mid-April has quickly gone […]

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Sen. Farrow Resignation to Take Effect July 17

Senator Paul Farrow (R-Pewaukee) is resigning from the 33rd Senate District seat he holds as of July 17, 2015, to become Waukesha County Executive. Read his resignation letter, released today, below:

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3M Day on the Hill

3M Company held their Wisconsin Day on the Hill recently and met with many legislators and agency personnel to discuss issues relating to manufacturing, transportation and corrections.  Attendees, which included plant managers from around Wisconsin, heard presentations for Department of Transportation (DOT) Secretary Mark Gottlieb, Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau), Shelly Harkins from the […]

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Bills of Note: Mergers and the TIF Bill Package

This week in The Hamilton Consulting Group’s Bills of Note series, we provide you with an update on the status of each bill in the tax increment financing (TIF) bill package. In addition, we included an overview of the bill to merge the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) and the Wisconsin Economic Development […]

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JFC Takes Further Action on State Budget

The Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) met on April 17 and April 22 to continue voting on Governor Walker’s proposed 2015-2017 state budget. JFC passed a number of motions, which modified the governor’s proposed budget. This includes action on portions of agency budgets in the Department of Military Affairs, Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of […]

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