Wisconsin Right Now

On Tuesday, the Republican-controlled Wisconsin Senate voted to override nine vetoes from Gov. Tony Evers, including the vetoes that scuttled PFAS clean-up money, millions of dollars that were earmarked for hospitals in Eau Claire and Chippewa Falls and a plan that would allow advanced practice registered nurses to work more independently. “The legislature has passed hundreds of bills to solve problems facing Wisconsin businesses and families. Most of these bills were signed into law, but many were vetoed by a governor more focused on politics than policies that help everyday Wisconsinites,” Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu said Tuesday. “Overriding the governor’s obstructive vetoes is the last, best way to address these critical issues.” The override votes came one day after Evers sued the legislature over nearly $200 million that is attached to some of his vetoes. Most of that money is the $125 million that’s supposed to go toward PFAS clean up in Wisconsin. “For the f

Tuesday was a day for Republicans at the Wisconsin Capitol to show their frustrations with the University of Wisconsin. The State Assembly was scheduled to vote on a series of plans that would force changes upon the Universities of Wisconsin. The biggest proposed change would create a punishment for UW campuses that do not respect the free speech rights of students – particularly conservative students, according to Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie. “The UW Student Free Speech survey results tell us more and more that students, particularly those with conservative viewpoints, choose to self-censor rather than participate in meaningful discussion and debate,” Nedweski said. “Many are choosing not to attend UW schools at all.” Her plan, AB 553, would impose a two-year tuition freeze at any UW campus that violates the new free speech policy twice within five years. Another Republican proposal, AB 554, would end the use of race as a factor at all UW schools. Rep. Nik R

  Election day comes Tuesday, putting a range of major issues up for grabs as both parties battle for control of the House, Senate and gubernatorial races around the country. The latest polling shows a tight but favorable electoral landscape for Republicans.  FiveThirtyEight’s  analysis and compilation of generic polls found voters overall prefer that Republicans control Congress by 1.2%. Real Clear Politics’  polling projects Republicans will pick up four Senate seats, three governorships and roughly 31 House seats. RCP has Republicans up 2.8% on the generic ballot, while a Yahoo News-YouGov poll released Thursday has Democrats up by 2%. This year’s midterm elections put several key issues up for grabs, including the future of many judicial nominees and the several-trillion dollars in congressional spending that kicked off during the pandemic and pushed the federal debt to more than $31 trillion this year. On top of that, Republican lawmakers have laid out dozens of inve

The U.S. Supreme Court on Tuesday overturned Maine’s ban on state tuition assistance to students attending religious schools in an education case that could have big implications for schools around the country. The dispute began when the state of Maine created a tuition assistance program for rural areas without public schools. The program, though, explicitly said that state funds could not be used at religious private schools, only secular schools. A family sued the state of Maine saying they should be able to use the state funding at a religious school if they desired. They argued the program discriminates against religious schools and violates the Free Exercise Clause of the Constitution. The Supreme Court sided with the challengers to Maine’s law Tuesday, ruling 6-3 in Carson v. Makin. “Maine’s program cannot survive strict scrutiny,” the court’s ruling says. “A neutral benefit program in which public funds flow to religious organizations through the independent choices of

President Joe Biden on Tuesday called a woman's right to abortion "fundamental" after a draft of a U.S. Supreme Court opinion leaked to Politico indicates a majority of justices will rule to overturn Roe v. Wade. "I believe that a woman's right to choose is fundamental," Biden said in a statement. "Roe has been the law of the land for almost fifty years, and basic fairness and the stability of our law demand that it not be overturned." The 1973 Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade established abortion as a constitutional right. But Politico reported that at least five Supreme Court justices will rule to overturn that decision based on the leaked draft document. Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas, Neil Gorsuch, Brett Kavanaugh, and Amy Coney Barrett signed on to the opinion, according to Politico. All were nominated by Republican presidents. "We hold that Roe and Casey must be overruled," the justices wrote in a draft decid

Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett on Tuesday unveiled his $1.75 billion spending plan for next year. The mayor was nominated to be ambassador to Luxembourg, but it's unclear when the U.S. Senate will take-up his nomination. (The Center Square) – Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett appears ready to head for Luxembourg without addressing Milwaukee’s looming pension crisis. Most of the headlines about the plan focus on Barrett’s plans to hire nearly 200 new police officers. But critics say the headline writers, and Barrett himself, are largely ignoring Milwaukee’s pension costs. Barrett is relying on a tax levy increase, as well as millions of dollars in federal money to try and balance Milwaukee’s budget. “They’re clearly not doing nearly enough to set aside money right now for the massive bill about to come due,” Badger Institute President Mike Nichols told The Center Square. “This is going to be a tsunami.” Milwaukee’s pension payment is currently $71 million. It is set to jump to $150

“We are 42nd out of 42 states in the racial achievement gap. I don’t like being in last place.” - Rep. Bob Whitke The Assembly’s Committee on Education on Tuesday listened to experts about a proposal that would require schools to screen children for reading readiness starting in pre-kindergarten. Kids in Wisconsin public schools could soon be screened for reading at much earlier ages, and much more often. The Assembly’s Committee on Education on Tuesday listened to experts about a proposal that would require schools to screen children for reading readiness starting in pre-kindergarten. “This bill requires school boards and independent charter schools to assess the early literacy skill of pupils in four-year-old-kindergarten to second grade using various screening assessments and to create a personal reading plan for each pupil in five-year-old kindergarten to second grade who is identified as at-risk,” the legislation reads. “We have generations of kids who are missing opport