July 6, 2023
Wisconsin political news for clients and colleagues.
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Articles in this edition of Political Tidbits:
Other updates in this edition:
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2023-25 State Budget: Signed Into Law With 51 Partial Vetoes |
On July 5, Gov. Tony Evers announced his signing of 2023 Act 19, the Wisconsin state budget for the 2023-25 fiscal biennium, which began July 1. The two-year budget, assembled by the Republican-led Joint Committee on Finance, appropriates $97.4 billion. For comparison, the 2021-23 budget allocated $87.5 billion.
The final version of the budget bill passed the Senate on June 28 by a vote of 20-13. The Assembly approved the bill along party lines (63-34) on June 29, and it was presented to Gov. Evers the following day.
This article highlights notable provisions and partial vetoes from the budget as signed by Gov. Evers and includes links to further information about the 2023 budget process.
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Joint Finance Committee Takes Final 2023-25 Budget Votes |
On June 22, the Wisconsin Legislature’s Joint Committee on Finance (Joint Finance Committee or JFC) held its final session on the 2023-25 state budget. After passing a series of motions to complete the budget, the committee voted to incorporate all its changes to date and to recommend the budget bill for passage by the Legislature.
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Bits & Pieces:
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AD 24 Special Election: A special election to fill the vacant 24th Assembly District will be held July 18. There are two candidates: Republican Paul Melotik, of Grafton, and Democrat Bob Tatterson, of Mequon. The seat was represented by Rep. Dan Knodl (R-Germantown) from 2009 until his resignation on May 3. Knodl won a special election for the 8th Senate District on April 4, replacing former Sen. Alberta Darling, who resigned in December. More information about the candidates and the district is available here.
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Senate Moves to Review WEC Administrator: After passing the state budget on June 28, Republicans in the Wisconsin Senate passed a resolution to proceed with a public hearing and confirmation vote on Meagan Wolfe, administrator of the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC). The six-member commission recently voted on whether to reappoint Wolfe, failing to reach the four votes needed for a recommendation, with all three Democratic commissioners abstaining. Although Wolfe’s first four-year term as administrator ended July 1, this does not automatically create a vacancy, and it is unclear whether the Senate has the power to review Wolfe’s appointment as long as she remains in office without being formally reappointed to a second term.
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Court Issues TUF Ruling: The Wisconsin Supreme Court held unanimously that a “transportation utility fee” imposed by the Town of Buchanan was unlawful because it was structured improperly and exceeded the town’s property tax levy limit. The lawsuit against Buchanan was filed by the Wisconsin Property Taxpayers organization, represented by the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty.
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Wisconsin State Journal, July 5, 2023
Wisconsin Public Radio, July 5, 2023
Wisconsin State Journal, June 29, 2023
Wisconsin Public Radio, June 29, 2023
The Center Square, June 29, 2023
Wisconsin State Journal, June 29, 2023
The Capital Times, June 28, 2023
The Wall Street Journal, June 26, 2023
Associated Press, June 23, 2023
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Wisconsin Public Radio, June 29, 2023
Wisconsin Public Radio, June 27, 2023
Urban Milwaukee, June 25, 2023
The Capital Times, June 23, 2023
TMJ 4, June 23, 2023
Xcel Energy, June 20, 2023
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Wisconsin Public Radio, July 4, 2023
CBS, July 3, 2023
Wisconsin Public Radio, July 3, 2023
Washington Examiner, June 28, 2023
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, June 28, 2023
Wausau Pilot & Review, June 25, 2023
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Wisconsin Public Radio, July 3, 2023
Bloomberg, July 3, 2023
Wisconsin Public Radio, June 29, 2023
Milwaukee Business News, June 28, 2023
WisBusiness, June 26, 2023
Associated Press, June 23, 2023
WisBusiness, June 23, 2023
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Transportation & Infrastructure |
Wisconsin Public Radio, July 4, 2023
Yahoo News, June 30, 2023
Fox 11, June 29, 2023
Milwaukee Business News, June 29, 2023
CNBC, June 27, 2023
Milwaukee Business Journal, June 23, 2023
TMJ 4, June 23, 2023
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