Republican secretary of state hopeful wants lawmakers to hand the office control over elections, but she won't say how much authority she wants or whether her duties should include unilaterally certifying presidential winners in the key battleground state.
Read More »Tag Archives: state Legislature
Primaries bring big challenges for incumbent GOP state lawmakers
As the longest-serving Assembly speaker in Wisconsin, Robin Vos has presided over efforts to restrict abortions, weaken unions, expand gun rights and push back against COVID-19 mandates. Despite that, he's facing a primary challenger who claims he's not conservative enough.
Read More »Wisconsin legislators call it quits at near-record pace
The number of Wisconsin state lawmakers hanging it up this year is near a modern-day high, and could even exceed the record set during World War II.
Read More »Wisconsin Republicans release redistricting plan
The Republicans who control the Wisconsin Legislature released their redistricting plans on Wednesday, maps that were immediately blasted as "rigged" because they are based largely on existing districts the GOP drew a decade ago and that solidified their majorities.
Read More »Wisconsin Legislature to take up redistricting in November
The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Legislature plans to vote on a redistricting plan when it convenes in November, the lawyer representing Legislature told the Wisconsin Supreme Court.
Read More »Wisconsin GOP proposes appointing constitutional officers
Republican lawmakers in Wisconsin have introduced a plan to end elections for three state constitutional offices and let governors fill the positions.
Read More »New bill would allow lifetime restraining orders against sexual abusers
A new bill is seeking to allow some victims of sexual assault to petition the court for a lifetime restraining order against their abusers.
Read More »Highlights of Republican-authored Wisconsin state budget
The Wisconsin Legislature's budget-writing committee planned to complete its work Thursday on the state's next two-year spending plan, paving the way for the Senate and Assembly to vote on it later this month.
Read More »Wisconsin Senate votes to ban police chokeholds
The Wisconsin Senate on Wednesday passed a bill that would prohibit police from using chokeholds, except in life-threatening situations or to defend themselves, while also approving a measure that attempts to stop the defunding of police.
Read More »‘Unprecedented’ revenue growth forecast for Wisconsin budget
Wisconsin's state budget is projected to see "unprecedented" revenue growth of $4.4 billion above previous estimates by the middle of 2023, news delivered Tuesday that led Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to call for more spending on education while Republicans urged caution and promised tax cuts.
Read More »Wisconsin public schools to get fraction of what Evers wants
Wisconsin public schools would receive $150 million more in state funding over two years under the Republican budget plan to be approved Thursday by a legislative committee, less than 10% of what Democratic Gov. Tony Evers called for.
Read More »Wisconsin lawmakers consider banning transgender athletes
Female athletes urged Wisconsin lawmakers on Wednesday to ban transgender people from participating in girls' and women's sports, while opponents of the Republican-backed proposals said they were discriminatory and chasing a problem that doesn't exist.
Read More »Wisconsin Republicans quickly kill Medicaid expansion
Republicans who control the Wisconsin Legislature convened on Tuesday and within seconds ended a special session called by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers to expand Medicaid, dashing chances for the state to receive a one-time bonus of $1 billion in federal coronavirus relief funding.
Read More »Changes to child support, placement signed into law
Several changes to Wisconsin statutes governing child support and placement of children have been signed into law.
Read More »Wisconsin Republicans reject funding to fight homelessness
Wisconsin Republicans voted Thursday to reject more than $70 million in funding to combat homelessness in the state, a move that Democrats called a missed opportunity to address a problem that worsened due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Read More »Republicans reject body cameras for Wisconsin Capitol police
Republicans who control the Wisconsin Legislature's budget committee voted Thursday against buying body cameras for state Capitol police officers, rejecting a proposal from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
Read More »Wisconsin GOP leader cites bogus COVID info to nix request
The Republican speaker of the Wisconsin Assembly last month rejected an immunocompromised Democratic lawmaker's request to be allowed to work virtually because the speaker erroneously insisted that COVID-19 can't be transmitted through the air.
Read More »Wisconsin Assembly to vote on raising voucher school income
Wisconsin families who want to send their children to a private school using a voucher paid for by taxpayers would increase to three times the federal poverty level under a Republican-backed bill the state Assembly is scheduled to pass on Tuesday.
Read More »Republicans delay veto overrides on COVID-19 bills (UPDATE)
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — The Republicans who control the Wisconsin Assembly on Tuesday postponed voting on proposals to override Gov. Tony Evers’ vetoes of bills that would prevent health officials from mandating the COVID-19 vaccine and prohibit the closing of churches during the pandemic. Evers vetoed both bills last month, saying they restricted his ability to respond to the pandemic. ...
Read More »Wisconsin lawmakers to take first police votes since Floyd
Wisconsin lawmakers this week are expected to take their first votes on police reform measures since George Floyd's death sparked a national reckoning on policing and racial justice.
Read More »Assembly OKs Republican COVID spending plan; Evers vows veto
Assembly Republicans took another step on Tuesday toward ripping control of billions of dollars in federal pandemic aid from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers, passing a package of bills that would divvy out the money according to GOP priorities.
Read More »Assembly set to vote on Republicans’ COVID spending bills
Republican legislators were poised Tuesday to take another step toward ripping control of billions of dollars in federal pandemic aid from Democratic Gov. Tony Evers.
Read More »Wisconsin bills seek to ban transgender athletes
Transgender athletes would be banned from participating in girls' and women's sports in Wisconsin from kindergarten through college under bills introduced Tuesday by Republican lawmakers, proposals that come as more than a dozen other states consider similar measures.
Read More »Broad coalition recommends emergency-detention improvements
A broad coalition of Wisconsin law enforcement agencies, health care professionals, local governments and others on Thursday recommended bolstering regional services as part of a multi-faceted approach to better handling of emergency mental-health detentions.
Read More »Wisconsin Assembly cancels vote on repeal of mask mandate (UPDATE)
The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Assembly was poised Thursday to repeal Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' mask mandate, a step that would brush aside warnings from health experts and make Wisconsin one of only 10 states without a statewide order.
Read More »Former Justice Kelly commends Senate for voting to repeal mask mandate
Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Dan Kelly commended lawmakers in the Senate for voting to repeal Gov. Tony Evers' statewide mask mandate.
Read More »Wisconsin Senate votes to repeal Wisconsin mask mandate
The Republican-controlled Wisconsin Senate voted Tuesday to repeal Gov. Tony Evers' statewide mask mandate, despite warnings from virtually every sector of the health care profession that doing so would impair efforts to combat the coronavirus pandemic.
Read More »Civil-liability exemption in state COVID bill questioned at public hearing
A civil-liability exemption in state Republicans’ response to the COVID-19 pandemic was the subject of testimony for and against the newly proposed bill. Rep. Robin Vos, the Republican Speaker of the House, introduced the GOP’s Assembly Bill 1 on Monday. It outlines a number of state government actions in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including giving the Legislature control over future federal ...
Read More »Virus, elections, budget top Wisconsin legislative agenda
Pandemic-response bills and proposals to change election procedures will take center stage when the Wisconsin Legislature opens its 2021-22 session on Monday, eclipsing even state budget deliberations that typically take up the first six months of every session.
Read More »GOP leaders want oversight of federal aid, vaccine plans
The Wisconsin Legislature's top Republicans have signaled that they want oversight of how Gov. Tony Evers divvies up any future federal pandemic-relief money and distributes vaccines.
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