A three-judge federal panel has unanimously ordered the legislature and Governor Walker to redraw legislative districts by November 1. The panel affirmed a decision by a lower federal panel that found current districts to be excessively partisan. “Today is a good day for Wisconsin voters, and another step in the journey of ensuring that our … Read more
On Thursday, Governor Scott Walker called a special session of the legislature to address the ongoing opioid crisis in the state. “This is a public health crisis, and that’s why I’m calling a special session of the Legislature and directing state agencies to ramp up the state’s response,” Walker said. Specifically, the governor asked the … Read more
The 2017-18 Wisconsin State Legislative Session kicked off on Tuesday, January 3 with the inauguration of legislators in both the State Assembly and State Senate. All 99 members of the Assembly and 16 members of the State Senate took the oath of office. Assembly Republicans increased their majority to 64 members, the largest GOP majority … Read more
On December 7, State Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) announced the list of Assembly standing committee chairs for the 2017-18 legislative session. The Assembly has forty-seven legislative committees in total, including five new additions: Federalism and Interstate Relations, Government Accountability and Oversight, Regulatory Licensing Reform, Science and Technology, and Urban Revitalization. Speaker Vos said in … Read more
Last week, Speaker Vos also announced the Assembly Republican members of the budget-writing Joint Finance Committee. Rep. John Nygren (R-Marinette) is set to serve as Co-Chairman for a third session. Also returning to the committee are Representatives Dale Kooyenga (R-Brookfield), Mary Czaja (R-Irma), and Amy Loudenbeck (R-Clinton). Representatives Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) and Mike Rohrkaste … Read more
State Legislative Leadership Elections November 23, 2016 Over the past few weeks, Democrats and Republicans in both the State Senate and Assembly have been selecting their caucus leaders for the 2017-18 legislative session. The Senate Republicans held their elections first, two days following the election. The now 20-member caucus voted to maintain their current Senate … Read more