Hamilton Political Tidbits – January 25, 2023

Political Tidbits - January 25, 2023
January 25, 2023
Wisconsin political news for clients and colleagues.
Bits & Pieces:

  • The Wisconsin Natural Resources Board may soon be completely controlled by appointees of Gov. Tony Evers. The seven-member board oversees policy for the Department of Natural Resources. Bill Bruins and former chair Fred Prehn, appointees of former Gov. Scott Walker, resigned at the end of December, and the terms of Walker’s two remaining appointees (Terry Hilgenberg and Greg Kazmierski) will end in May. Drummond schoolteacher Sandra Naas and Viroqua farmer Paul Buhr have replaced Bruins and Prehn.

  • Gov. Evers has appointed former Sen. Jon Erpenbach to chair the Wisconsin Parole Commission, which reviews parole and early release requests from prisoners who committed crimes before the year 2000. In the previous Tidbits, we covered the appointments of several new agency heads by Gov. Evers.

  • The Department of Workforce Development is accepting applications for worker training grants under the Wisconsin Fast Forward (WFF) program. The program has supported a variety of worker training programs since 2013. Applications for this round of funding are due February 28. 
In Fifth State of the State, Gov. Evers Announces Budget Proposals
Gov. Tony Evers delivered his fifth annual State of the State address on the evening of January 24 before a joint session of the Wisconsin Legislature. During the address, the governor’s office sent out a series of press releases as Gov. Evers discussed each of four proposals that will be included in his 2023-25 state budget proposal.
State Budget Issues: Taxes, Medicaid, PFAS
In last night’s State of the State address, Gov. Tony Evers announced that his executive budget proposal will include funding for mental health, child care, PFAS, and workforce and economic development. It appears likely that the Republican-led Joint Committee on Finance will once again remove the governor’s non-fiscal policy proposals and decline to add any non-fiscal items, limiting Gov. Evers’ ability to reshape the document via exercise of his line-item veto authority.
Legislature Votes to Put Bail, Welfare Reform on Spring Ballot
Among the first measures to pass both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature this year were two legislative resolutions that will put questions before voters on the next statewide ballot, the state spring election on April 4, which will also feature a race for the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
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