Wisconsin lawmakers voted Thursday to extend temporary guidelines for the issuing of concealed weapons permits until mid-December.
Democrats officially took control of the state Senate on Tuesday, electing Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, president. Risser, the longest serving state lawmaker in the country, has served 56 years in the Legislature.
Three of the five people whom Gov. Scott Walker appointed to a commission to investigate Supreme Court Justice David Prosser were recommended by a former Assembly speaker who once worked for Prosser.
By SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) – The Wisconsin state Senate passed a measure Thursday that attempts to limit the amount of fees attorneys can collect when damages are awarded to consumers who have been harmed. The Republican-backed bill, as originally introduced, would have capped attorneys’ fees at no more than three times [...]
Fred A. Risser introduces himself by handing out two business cards and a brief explanation for why his life no longer fits on one.
Individuals filing cases against the state of Wisconsin could now have their arguments heard by the judge of their choice, according to a Senate bill approved by the governing body’s judiciary committee Tuesday. Senate Bill 117 would allow plaintiffs — who file cases where the lone defendant is the state or one of its boards [...]
Judges in Wisconsin might soon be required to consider GPS tracking of individuals who violate restraining orders related to abuse or harassment cases. The Senate Committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce and Government Operations voted 5-0 to pass the measure Tuesday that would require courts to consider placing GPS tracking devices on restraining order offenders. The [...]
A state lawmaker said he was concerned Wisconsin wasn’t getting the best possible deal on a new lease for the State Public Defender’s office in Racine. The state has agreed to pay $950,000 over 10 years for a 5,298-square-foot office that will house 24 staff members. The office is in a strip plaza at 420 [...]
State Sen. Fred Risser might have more firsthand knowledge of eminent domain than any other member of the Wisconsin Legislature. Dane County in 2002 forced the Madison Democrat to sell his law office, at South Hamilton and West Wilson streets, for $728,800 so the county could build a new courthouse. Risser fought the sale and [...]
By DAVID LIEB and SCOTT BAUER Associated Press MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The showdown over collective bargaining rights for public employees is just the first step in a contentious debate over how to solve Wisconsin’s budget woes, with newly elected Republican Gov. Scott Walker also seeking to dismantle an array of social policies enacted under [...]
