Wisconsin's second statewide election since the coronavirus pandemic began came with far more time to prepare than the first, and election officials were hoping for a correspondingly smoother result in Tuesday's primary.
Read More »Tag Archives: Fred Risser
Wisconsin’s longest-serving legislator, attorney says he will retire
Wisconsin state Sen. Fred Risser, the longest-serving legislator in the nation's history, said Thursday that he plans to retire.
Read More »Senate wraps up with changes to criminal, jobless benefits law
The state Senate wrapped up its last session of the term Tuesday, sending a flurry of bills to Gov. Scott Walker’s desk.
Read More »With new Legislature comes fewer attorneys
The number of attorneys serving in the Legislature is slated to bottom out again as new lawmakers prepare to be sworn in early next year.
Read More »Senate passes driver liability limits in tight vote (UPDATE)
The state Senate approved a bill Wednesday that would prevent parents from having to pay more than $300,000 in civil cases when their children under age 18 cause car crashes.
Read More »Senate OKs scaled-down injunction bill (UPDATE)
The state Senate passed a bill Tuesday that would grant the right to appeal rulings blocking state laws.
Read More »Hearing scheduled for underage drinking bill
A state Senate committee has scheduled a hearing on a bill that would give some immunity to underage drinkers who seek and obtain emergency assistance for themselves and others.
Read More »Lawmakers move to get faster rulings on injunctions appeals (UPDATE)
The Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor voted 3-2 Tuesday in favor of a bill that proponents say would force more prompt rulings on appeals of circuit courts’ injunctions.
Read More »Attempts to amend contingency-fee bill fail (UPDATE)
Republican state senators shot down four amendments Democrats offered Tuesday to a bill that would place a $30 million cap on the contingency fees the state can pay to law firms.
Read More »Bill would end maintenance upon remarriage
State lawmakers approved a bill Tuesday that would require divorcees to provide notice courts of a new marriage, triggering a cessation of child support and maintenance payments.
Read More »Committee passes contingency-fee bill
The Wisconsin Senate Committee on Judiciary and Labor approved a bill Tuesday that would prevent law firms from receiving more than $30 million from contingency-fee contracts held with the state.
Read More »Panel extends temporary concealed-carry rules (UPDATE)
Wisconsin lawmakers voted Thursday to extend temporary guidelines for the issuing of concealed weapons permits until mid-December.
Read More »Democrats take control of Senate, elect lawyer Risser as president
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.
Read More »Former Prosser aide recommended judicial panel
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.
Read More »Senate passes bill restricting attorney fees (UPDATE)
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 the amount of damages when ...
Read More »Risser’s law: Longtime senator, lawyer lives by the rules of his father
Fred A. Risser introduces himself by handing out two business cards and a brief explanation for why his life no longer fits on one.
Read More »Senate bill could raise cost of cases against state
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 or employees — to choose ...
Read More »Senate committee passes GPS tracking measure
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 tracking device would notify the ...
Read More »State to rent law office for $950,000
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 Sixth St. Sen. Fred Risser, ...
Read More »Senate bill targets eminent domain
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 asked for twice as much ...
Read More »Governor’s budget goes beyond just unions
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 his Democratic predecessor. On the ...
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