MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Wisconsin Senate is preparing to meet over the internet for the first time in state history if it needs to convene to take action on proposals reacting to the coronavirus outbreak. Two state senators and ...

Tagged with: coronavirus Roger Roth Scott Fitzgerald Senate

Gov. Tony Evers must order Wisconsin officials to conduct the state’s spring election entirely by mail to keep workers and voters safe in the midst of the coronavirus emergency, Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett says.

Tagged with: coronavirus Gov. Tony Evers Robin Vos Scott Fitzgerald

The Wisconsin Senate voted along party lines Thursday to pass a Republican plan to reduce income taxes by $250 million, setting up a vote later in the day in the Assembly to send the plan to Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.

Tagged with: Gov. Tony Evers income taxes Scott Fitzgerald state Legislature

Legislation to extend bar hours in Wisconsin until 4 a.m. for the week of the Democratic National Convention appears unlikely to move forward, after a Republican leader said on Wednesday that concerns about drunken drivers on the road have dampened enthusiasm.

Tagged with: Democratic National Convention Scott Fitzgerald

Republican leaders in the Wisconsin Legislature said Wednesday that they are looking at using some of a state surplus to reduce income and property taxes while also paying down debt, although the details of they what they might put forward remain in flux.

Tagged with: Gov. Tony Evers Income tax Property taxes Robin Vos Scott Fitzgerald state Legislature

Gov. Tony Evers, a former teacher and state superintendent of schools, assigned "homework" to the Republican-controlled Legislature on Thursday, calling on them to spend more money on combating homelessness, restrict the use of water-polluting chemicals and close a loophole that lowers property taxes for large retail stores.

Tagged with: Gov. Tony Evers Robin Vos Scott Fitzgerald state Legislature

Wisconsin Republicans who control the state Legislature were expected to dodge the Democratic governor's call to pass a pair of gun-control bills during a special session Thursday, even as advocates planned to place additional pressure on them by holding a rally and flooding the galleries.

Tagged with: gun control Robin Vos Scott Fitzgerald Second Amendment Wisconsin Assembly

The Wisconsin Assembly plans to attempt its first veto overrides in 11 years, targeting three partial budget vetoes by Gov. Tony Evers.

Tagged with: Gov. Tony Evers Scott Fitzgerald Wisconsin Assembly

The Republican-controlled Senate fired the state agriculture secretary on Tuesday, and the Democratic governor who appointed him watched quietly a row behind lawmakers before using profanity to blast the process.

Tagged with: Gov. Tony Evers Scott Fitzgerald Senate

The Republican leader of the Wisconsin state Senate said Tuesday he plans to convene and then immediately adjourn a special session Gov. Tony Evers called on a pair of gun-control proposals, without debating or voting on them.

Tagged with: Scott Fitzgerald Second Amend

Gov. Tony Evers on Monday called the Legislature into a special session next month to take up a pair of gun-control proposals that Republican leaders have been unwilling to debate, accusing them of telling those who support the legislatin to "go to hell."

Tagged with: Gov. Tony Evers gun control Robin Vos Scott Fitzgerald Second Amendment

Republicans who control the Wisconsin Senate are preparing to vote on a resolution supporting a plan to bring F-35 fighter jets to an Air National Guard base in Madison.

Tagged with: Scott Fitzgerald

Gov. Tony Evers and Republican legislative leaders who have shown little interest in a pair of gun control measures touted by the governor are planning to meet next week to discuss the proposals, Evers' spokeswoman said on Tuesday.

Tagged with: guns Robin Vos Scott Fitzgerald Second Amendment

The Republican leader of the Wisconsin Senate isn't saying whether he will consider gun control measures that Gov. Tony Evers is calling on the Legislature to take up in the wake of recent mass shootings.

Tagged with: gun control Robin Vos Scott Fitzgerald

Wisconsin Republican state lawmakers sued the Democratic attorney general Thursday, arguing that he's not complying with laws passed during a lame-duck legislative session in December that limited his and the incoming governor's powers shortly before they took office.

Tagged with: Brian Hagedorn Josh Kaul lame-duck session Robin Vos Scott Fitzgerald

Republican legislators in Wisconsin racked up $1.5 million in legal bills over the first five months of the year as they relied on outside counsel to represent them in lawsuits over the lame-duck session, abortion restrictions and the environment.

Tagged with: Bartlit Beck Jennifer Shilling lame-duck session Scott Fitzgerald

By SCOTT BAUER Associated Press A Republican state senator vowed on Wednesday to vote against the state budget in its current form, leaving the GOP with room to lose only one more vote in the Senate and still have enough ...

Tagged with: Chris Kapenga David Craig Scott Fitzgerald Sen. Steve Nass state budget state Legislature

The new Wisconsin governor and the Republicans who control the Legislature are having such a hard time getting along that even the signing of a seemingly innocuous, unanimously approved bill turned into a partisan fight.

Tagged with: Gov. Tony Evers Robin Vos Scott Fitzgerald state Legislature

A Wisconsin appeals court on Wednesday reinstated laws Republicans passed during a lame-duck session to weaken the Democratic governor and attorney general, but the statutes remain blocked because of a ruling in a separate case.

Tagged with: Frank Remington Gov. Scott Walker Gov. Tony Evers lame-duck session Richard Niess Robin Vos Scott Fitzgerald

The Wisconsin Assembly overwhelmingly approved a bill on Tuesday that would force health insurers to cover pre-existing conditions should Republicans succeed in achieving their long-held goal to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, heading off likely criticism of GOP legislators on the 2020 campaign trail.

Tagged with: Affordable Care Act Gov. Tony Evers Robin Vos Scott Fitzgerald

The Republican leader of the Wisconsin Senate says a lame-duck session to pass a series of GOP priorities before Democratic Gov.-elect Tony Evers takes office could start as soon as Tuesday.

Tagged with: Dan Kelly Scott Fitzgerald Wisconsin Supreme Court

The Republican leader of the Wisconsin Senate said on Wednesday that the state's juvenile prison has "been a mess for some time" and that Gov. Scott Walker's administration should have done more to deal with such concerns earlier.

Tagged with: Gov. Scott Walker Lincoln Hills Scott Fitzgerald Tony Evers

Wisconsin lawmakers were scheduled to take public comments on Wednesday on a bill that would eliminate requirements that the governor promptly call special elections to fill legislative vacancies.

Tagged with: election Gov. Scott Walker Scott Fitzgerald

Wisconsin Senate Republicans broke with the state Assembly over a plan to overhaul the state's juvenile-justice system, pursuing a scaled-back proposal on Wednesday that would still close the Lincoln Hills prison by 2021 but would pull back on a proposed $80 million reorganization.

Tagged with: Gov. Scott Walker Lena Taylor Lincoln Hills Robin Vos Scott Fitzgerald Van Wanggaard

The Republican leader of the state Senate said Wednesday that changes will be needed to an $80 million juvenile justice overhaul plan that the Assembly passed unanimously and that is a top priority of Gov. Scott Walker.

Tagged with: Scott Fitzgerald

Wisconsin sheriffs have joined counties and others in support of a juvenile-justice plan that would close the Lincoln Hills youth prison by 2021.

Tagged with: Gov. Scott Walker Lincoln Hills Scott Fitzgerald

Wisconsin Republicans are making another run at toughening the state's alcohol regulations, with the top official in the state Senate contending on Tuesday that the current laws governing brewers, distillers, distributors and retailers "are not being enforced, period."

Tagged with: Robin Vos Scott Fitzgerald

The Republican leader of the Wisconsin Senate has asked Attorney General Brad Schimel to re-open an investigation into how a former state agency handled John Doe investigations involving Gov. Scott Walker and Republicans.

Tagged with: Brad Schimel Scott Fitzgerald

Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald promised "some type of limitation" Monday on how much it will cost taxpayers for GOP state lawmakers to hire one of the nation's top attorneys to file a legal brief in Wisconsin's ongoing fight over redistricting.

Tagged with: Bell Giftos St. John Paul Clement Scott Fitzgerald

Republican legislative leaders filed a lawsuit Wednesday seeking changes to the newly redesigned ballot for the November election, claiming the one drafted by the nonpartisan elections agency unfairly benefits Democrats.

Tagged with: Robin Vos Scott Fitzgerald