Aggregate Producers of Wisconsin (APW) held their legislative day in Madison this week. Attendees spent the morning listening to legislative, regulatory, and administration speakers. Pat Stevens, Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Division Administrator for Air, Waste, and Remediation and Redevelopment presented on the DNR’s new reorganized structure, and on how permitting and regulation is changing […]
Audit Committee Holds Hearing on 2015 WEDC Audit
Date Thu, Sep. 17, 2015 - 5:33pm By Hamilton
The Joint Legislative Audit Committee met on Wednesday, September 9, to discuss the findings of the Legislative Audit Bureau’s (LAB) audit of the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), released in May of this year. WEDA members presented extensive testimony that hit on nearly all of the points committee members raised while questioning the LAB, WEDC, […]
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 […]
Fitzgerald Announces Committee Reassignments
Date Fri, Sep. 4, 2015 - 10:08am By Hamilton
Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald has announced that he has disbanded the Senate Committee on Education Reform and created the Senate Committee on Public Benefit and Regulatory Reform. Sen. Fitzgerald states that he made the changes to the standing committees to reflect changes in Senate membership, particularly the recent election of Senator Chris Kapenga. Members […]
Duchow Wins 99th Assembly District Primary Election
Date Fri, Sep. 4, 2015 - 9:58am By Hamilton
Cindi Duchow won Tuesday’s Republican primary election to represent the 99th Assembly District in Waukesha County. Duchow received 1,341 votes in the election to defeat three other candidates. Dave Westlake, a small business owner and West Point graduate who ran for the U.S. Senate in 2010 received 1,099 votes; Scott Owens, owner of an American Family […]
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 […]
Speaker Vos Creates Three New Task Forces
Date Thu, Aug. 13, 2015 - 4:30pm By Hamilton
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has announced the creation of three bipartisan task forces on Youth Workforce Readiness, Alzheimer’s and Dementia, and Urban Education. The Task Force on Youth Workforce Readiness will examine ways to encourage youth and students to pursue careers in trade, manufacturing and other technical fields. Vos claims that many manufacturing positions remain […]
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, […]
Special Election for 99th Assembly District
Date Thu, Aug. 13, 2015 - 4:19pm By Hamilton
Governor Scott Walker has issued an executive order to set September 1 as a special primary election for the 99th Assembly District. Chris Kapenga represented the district since 2010 and had his last day in the Assembly on August 5. Kapenga defeated Democrat Sherryll Shaddock in a special election for the 33rd Senate District, which […]