On Tuesday night, state Representative Chris Kapenga defeated Sherryll Shaddock in a special election for the 33rd Senate District. Receiving 7,143 votes, Kapenga took 72% of the vote in the heavily Republican district. Kapenga will replace outgoing Senator Paul Farrow, who had his last day in the Senate on Friday after being elected Waukesha County […]
Bucks Arena Legislation Passes Senate with Amendments
Date Thu, Jul. 23, 2015 - 2:11pm By Hamilton
The State Senate has passed an amended version of the legislation that would allow a new arena to be built for the Milwaukee Bucks with state money. The Senate passed the amended legislation, Senate Bill 209, in a 21-10 vote with very mixed party lines. The Republican senators that voted for the legislation include Alberta […]
Bills of Note: 30 Bills Signed Into Law
Date Wed, Jul. 8, 2015 - 7:12pm By Hamilton
Governor Scott Walker signed 30 bills into law at the Capitol on July 1. This included bills relating to motorcycle lighting, air pollution, controlled substances for optometrists, microbeads, GPS tracking, camping units and election law changes. Motorcycle Lighting Introduced in March by Representative Jagler (R–Watertown) as Assembly Bill 100, this bill permits a motorcycle to […]
New Senator to Represent 33rd Senate District
Date Fri, Jun. 26, 2015 - 9:42am By Hamilton
Representative Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield) has won the primary for the special election to fill the 33rd Senate seat. The Senate seat, which covers most of Waukesha County, is currently held by Senator Paul Farrow (R-Pewaukee), whose last day is July 17th. In November, Sen. Farrow was elected as Waukesha County Executive. Kapenga beat Brian Dorow […]
Bills of Note: Air Pollution, Legal Notices on the Internet, Ignition Interlock, and Signed Firearms Bills
Date Fri, Jun. 26, 2015 - 9:35am By Hamilton
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(DNR), relating to construction permit requirements for stationary sources that emit greenhouses gases, which is no longer valid under the Supreme Court’s decision in Utility Air Regulatory Group v. […]
New Legislation on Motor Vehicle Liability
Date Sun, May. 31, 2015 - 8:06pm By Hamilton
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 […]
LFB: No Additional Revenue Projected
Date Fri, May. 15, 2015 - 10:25am By Hamilton
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 […]
Senate and Assembly Meet: Pass TIF and Foodshare Bills
Date Fri, May. 15, 2015 - 10:10am By Hamilton
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 […]
WEDC & WHEDA Merger Called Off
Date Fri, May. 15, 2015 - 10:08am By Hamilton
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 […]
Bills of Note: Changing the Rules
Date Fri, May. 15, 2015 - 10:05am By Hamilton
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 […]