Hamilton Political Tidbits – November 5, 2021

Next week, both houses of the Wisconsin Legislature are expected to meet and to take up Republican leaders’ proposals for legislative and congressional redistricting. The Senate is expected to be in session on Tuesday, November 9, while the Assembly is expected to meet the following Thursday, November 11. The Legislature’s current floor session ends on November 11; the next regularly scheduled session is January 18 through 27 of next year.

Last month, the Legislative Audit Bureau released its report on election policy in Wisconsin. LAB is a nonpartisan agency of the Wisconsin Legislature. In February, the Joint Legislative Audit Committee directed LAB to examine issues with election administration in Wisconsin in the context of the November 2020 general election.

The federal government has released the details of two administrative rules affecting more than 100 million workers in the United States, about two-thirds of the country’s active labor force. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is requiring all employers with 100 or more employees to ensure that their employees are either vaccinated against COVID-19 or tested weekly for the disease. OSHA’s initial rule was officially published in the Federal Register on November 5.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court has announced its schedule for oral arguments for the remainder of 2021. Earlier this year, the court heard cases in January through April and one case in May, then took a break over the summer and began hearing cases again in September.

After shrinking last month, the field of Republican candidates for Wisconsin Attorney General has expanded again. On October 20, former Republican State Rep. Adam Jarchow registered as a candidate with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission. Also, attorney Jacob Curtis with Milwaukee firm von Briesen & Roper is considering a run.

On October 7, Gov. Evers announced that his administration is “developing a comprehensive environmental and public health mapping system known as the Wisconsin Environmental Equity Tool." The project is a collaborative effort among DOA, DHS, DNR, and WEDC. WEDC appears to be leading the administration’s efforts to gather public input on the project.

Today, Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos completes his two-year term as president of the National Conference of State Legislatures. The NCSL is holding its legislative summit in Florida this week. The president of the NCSL is Hawaii House Speaker Scott Saiki, a Democrat. The NCSL alternates its leadership between state legislators from the Republican and Democratic parties.