Hamilton Political Tidbits – May 27, 2022

The Republican Party of Wisconsin held its annual convention last weekend (May 20-22) in Middleton. Elected officials, party leaders, and activists gathered to hear speeches, meet candidates, and vote on a slate of potential endorsements in contested primary elections.

A relatively new law, requiring the Wisconsin Department of Justice to seek legislative approval to settle or discontinue a civil action, is facing a legal challenge brought by Attorney General Josh Kaul. The 2017 Wisconsin Act 369 granted the review power to the Legislature’s budget-writing Joint Committee on Finance.

The federal government’s ongoing COVID-19 public health emergency is expected to be extended again. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has promised to provide states at least 60 days of notice prior to terminating the . Given that no such notice was provided to states by mid-May, the PHE appears certain to be renewed again, putting its next potential expiration date in mid-October.

The Wisconsin Ethics Commission recently completed an overhaul of its Eye on Lobbying website, a repository of information about lobbying activities in Wisconsin. Licensed lobbyists and registered lobbying interests must use the website to report information about their expenditures and other efforts to influence state legislation and administrative rulemaking.

Remember to bookmark Hamilton Consulting Group's pages covering the 2022 elections, including which state legislators are planning to retire or seek other offices, as well as PFAS in Wisconsin, including rules and legislation.

In the April 19 edition of Hamilton Political Tidbits, we covered key stories from Wisconsin politics including the Wisconsin Supreme Court's reversal of its original redistricting decision and the conclusion of the 2021-22 legislative session.