Wisconsin Right Now

A Republican lawmaker in Wisconsin want to avoid another fight to get off the ballot. State Rep. Scott Krug, R-Nekoosa, who oversees the Assembly’s elections committee said on UpFront over the weekend that he wants to change the state law that keeps people on the ballot, almost no matter what. "We can't force people to do things they don't want to do anymore, even if they wanted to do them earlier," Krug said. Krug said there’s no victory in forcing Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on the November ballot even though he’s no longer running for president. Kennedy has challenged Wisconsin’s ballot access law by arguing it creates two timelines for getting off the ballot. Kennedy says Wisconsin law sets one deadline for Republicans and Democrats to get off the ballot, while it sets another timeline for independent candidates. A Dane County judge has already rejected Kennedy’s claim, but the Wisconsin Supreme Court was still considering Kennedy’s argument. Krug said Ken...

A state lawmaker wants a full accounting of how the University of Wisconsin System has thousands of more administrators now than it did 30 years ago, despite having fewer teachers. State Rep. David Steffen told The Center Square on Wednesday the UW system has hired 6,000 administrators over the past 30 years. “What are the students and the taxpayers getting as a result of that investment?” Steffen asked. “That becomes very difficult, especially when you dig deeper to realize that it really isn't an increase in the faculty, the in-classroom personnel. These are all ancillary, secondary, non-essential type of additions to the head count.” Steffen pointed to a memo from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau that showed in the 1992-93 school year, the UW had 26,360 full time employees. In the 2022-23 school year, the UW’s headcount grew to 33,538. The additions are all out of the classroom. The LFB’s memo shows the faculty headcount in 1992-93 was 7,181. That number fell to 5,729 in ...

A Wisconsin lawmaker wants this to be the last school year that begins with cell phones in the classroom. Sen. Dan Knodl, R-Germantown, released a column that outlines what he says is the need for a cellphone ban. “There is a push in several states to push cellphone restrictions in the classroom. From red to blue states, legislatures across the country are coalescing around the idea that too much screen time is a negative mental health outcome. More succinctly, they are a significant distraction in the classroom and lead to a loss in learning,” Knodl wrote. Currently, local schools set their own rules for cellphones in schools. Some school districts have district-wide policy, while others allow principals in individual schools to set their own rules. Green Bay Schools, for example, allow some high school students to use their phones when they are not in class. Waukesha Schools allow students to bring phones to school, but say they must be "stored out of sight" d...

This summer, a 10-year-old girl rode her bike naked during Madison's Naked Bike Ride.  A lawmaker has a plan at the Wisconsin Capitol to make sure children are away from and cannot ride in Madison's Naked Bike ride. State Sen. Chris Kapenga, R-Delafield, is shepherding the proposal. He said Wisconsin needs a new state law after a 10-year-old girl rode her bike naked during Madison's Naked Bike Ride this summer. “If you agree that people shouldn't be allowed to expose their genitals in public and that minor children shouldn't be paraded naked through streets and photographed then I encourage your support on these bills,” Kapenga said. “It's kind of a joke but it's not a joke. This is a pretty serious pretty serious issue.” Dane County Commissioner Jeff Wiegand called both Madison police and the Dane County Sheriff's Office after he was told the girl's picture showed up on Facebook. Wiegand told lawmakers the authorities brushed him off. “...

The Republican lawmaker who received fake military ballots in the mail says she isn’t sure they were sent to help. Rep. Janel Brandtjen, R-Menomonee Falls, on Friday said the Democrats who run Milwaukee’s Elections Commission “ are not my friends.” “If I did not know better, and I’m not really good at being a victim, I think this is more a case of some people trying to get some revenge,” Brandtjen said. Milwaukee’s mayor on Thursday fired the city’s deputy elections director, Kimberly Zapata , after he said she admitted to ordering three fake military ballots and sending them to Brandtjen. “These are the same people who I’ve [filed] open records requests on for [The Center for Tech and Civic Life] for at least 18 months,” Brandtjen explained. “Why would she risk her job, her pension, embarrassment, jail? All she had to do is pick up the phone and tell me this.” Brandtjen added that she didn’t know Wisconsin’s MyVote system had a military ballot loophole until she got the bal...

Republican lawmakers are not expected to attend. One Republican lawmaker is offering to accept Gov. Tony Evers’ offer to provide tax relief for Wisconsin, and even add a little. The governor on Wednesday signed an order calling for a special session of the legislature on March 8 to consider his plan to provide $150 tax rebate checks for everyone in the state. “[The] Legislative Fiscal Bureau recently released new projections indicating the state general fund balance will have a $3.8 billion surplus at the end of the 2021-23 biennium – nearly $2.9 billion more than was previously projected in June 2021,” the governor wrote in his special session proclamation. “Nevertheless, these costs remain a top concern for working Wisconsinites and families in every corner of the state, many of whom are already working to try and make ends meet.” Most Republican lawmakers call Evers’ $150 rebate plan an election-year giveaway. The Republican-controlled Assembly and Senate are expected to ig...