Gov. Evers, Others Pan Proposal to Eliminate Wisconsin Income Tax

There is a growing list of people and groups who are not fans of the idea to scrap Wisconsin’s personal income tax.

Former Gov. Scott Walker, University of Wisconsin economist Noah Williams, and a host of conservative reform groups on Thursday proposed eliminating Wisconsin 6.27% personal income tax and replacing the lost revenue with a slight increase in the state’s sales tax.

Walker, and Williams’ analysis, say most Wisconsin taxpayers will save about $1,700 a year with that swap.

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Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Chief: Gov. Evers Misses the Mark with Workforce Development Money

The state’s largest business group says Gov. Tony Evers’ could have done better with his latest workforce development effort.

The governor on Tuesday announced plans to spend $60 million in coronavirus stimulus money to try and get more people back to work in the state.

“There is no one-size-fits-all solution to addressing the workforce challenges across our state, so these funds are critically important to encourage regions and communities to develop cutting-edge, long-term solutions to the unique workforce challenges they face,” the governor said.

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U.S. Supreme Court Won’t Stop Wisconsin Gov. Evers’ Invite-Only Press Briefings

Wisconsin’s governor can continue to exclude certain news organizations from specific news conferences.

The United States Supreme Court on Friday declined to take a case entered by John J. MacIver Institute that challenged the governor’s invite-only press briefings.

MacIver sued in 2019, saying Evers violated the First Amendment by excluding its reporters from the annual budget briefing.

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Republican Lawmakers Unimpressed with Gov. Evers’ $134 Per-Student Funding

Republicans at the Wisconsin Capitol aren’t sure just how far Gov. Tony Evers’ new $110 million for schools in the state will go.

The governor on Thursday announced the latest round of Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security(CARES) Act spending.

“This $110 million investment is an opportunity for schools to invest directly into programming to help students both in and out of the classroom, allowing schools to hire additional educators and staff, provide more educational and extracurricular opportunities, invest in mental health supports, buy art supplies or computers, or keep the lights on – whatever they need and, most importantly, whatever our kids need,” the governor said.

The $110 million breaks down to about $134 per child.

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Flags to be Lowered, Condolences Offered Following Waukesha Christmas Parade Attack

Tony Evers

The flag at the Wisconsin Capitol – as well as flags across the rest of the state – will be lowered to remember the people killed in the tragedy at Waukesha’s Christmas Parade.

Gov. Tony Evers issued an order to lower the flags after five people were killed and dozens more were hurt Sunday afternoon. The official count is 40-plus injured, including 12 children.

The governor on Sunday said his thoughts and prayers are with everyone impacted.

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Wisconsin Gov. Evers Vetoes Republican-Drawn Redistricting Maps

Tony Evers

The fight over Wisconsin’s next political map took its next step toward a courtroom Thursday.

Gov. Tony Evers vetoed the new maps drawn by Republican lawmakers.

“What’s sitting in front of me here are gerrymandered maps modeled after the same gerrymandered maps we’ve had for a decade,” Evers said in a video message. “They were sent to my desk over the objections of a decade’s worth of people in this state demanding better, demanding more, and demanding a fair, nonpartisan process for preparing our maps for the next 10 years.”

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Racine County Sheriff Refers Election Fraud Charges for State Elections Commissioners to County District Attorney’s Office

Wisconsin’s Democrat Governor Tony Evers said on Tuesday that Racine County officials should file charges if they believe election laws were broken at a Racine nursing home. “It’s pretty simple,” Evers said during a news conference in Madison. “It’s not something that should be made more complex by the politics. Somebody screwed up, they should be prosecuted. Simple as that.”

The Racine County Sheriff on Wednesday decided to take the governor’s suggestion to heart, and sent a felony criminal referral for members of the Wisconsin Election Commission (WEC) to prosecutor’s office.

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Wisconsin Gov. Evers: Republicans Must Try Again with New Political Map

Tony Evers

The latest version of Wisconsin’s new political map will not become law if Gov. Tony Evers has anything to do with it.

The governor on Thursday told Republican lawmakers that he will not sign the map they unveiled on Wednesday.

“If Republicans want to get serious about passing maps I can sign, they need to do a heck of a lot more listening to the people of this state,” Evers said in a statement.

The governor claims the Republican-drawn map is “gerrymandered,” but didn’t offer any specific suggestions of the changes he’d like to see.

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Rep. Sanfelippo: Governor Evers’ Violence Prevention Efforts Ignore Police

One state Republican lawmaker says Gov. Tony Evers’ violence prevention efforts ignore the police.

Rep. Joe Sanfelippo, R-New Berlin, on Monday said the governor has failed to support law enforcement.

“We have seen what Bash the Blue solutions have done to help combat the spread of crime – absolutely nothing. In fact, it has only made things worse. Homicides are up. Aggravated assaults are up. Motor vehicle thefts are up. Arson is up,” Sanfelippo said.

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Wisconsin School Choice Bill Would Allow Parents to Transfer Kids over Mask Policies

Wisconsin’s latest open enrollment suggestion would allow parents to send their kids to a new school based on whether or not the school enforced mask mandates.

The Senate Committee on Education on Thursday heard from lawmakers on Senate Bill 587, which would give parents the ability to send their kids to a new school based solely on a school district’s coronavirus policy.

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Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers Wants to Join Redistricting Suit, Bypass Lawmakers

Tony Evers

Wisconsin’s governor is sending a clear signal that he can’t or doesn’t want to work with lawmakers in drawing the state’s new political map.

Gov. Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul on Monday asked a federal judge to allow them to join a lawsuit that would skip the constitutional process for drawing Wisconsin’s new map, and have the court draw it instead.

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Kleefisch Enters Wisconsin Governor’s Race as Republican Frontrunner

Former Wisconsin Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch is running for governor of Wisconsin. It’s not a surprise, she’s been kind of running for months, but on Thursday she made it official.

“I am running because I have two kids who I want to choose Wisconsin to live their American dreams and one day raise families here,” Klkeefisch said in her prepared statement. “But that is only possible if we start putting the people first.”

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Wisconsin’s Largest Business Group Wants a Re-Opening Plan

Wisconsin’s largest business group is asking Gov. Tony Evers for a plan to reopen the state. 

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce sent a letter to the governor asking him what comes next after his Safer at Home order ends April 24.

“To be clear, no one expects that our economy would go back to ‘business as usual’ on April 24,” WMC’s letter said. “We understand that reopening will require a very strategic and well-planned approach that, over time, phases our economy back to an operational level that existed prior to any social distancing requirements.”

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Wisconsin Panel Recommends Historic Funding Increases for Health Services, Nixing Medicaid Expansion

by Bethany Blankley   The Republican-led Joint Finance Committee (JFC) is recommending a record $1.63 billion two-year budget for the state’s Department of Health Services – an increase of $588 million in state General Purpose Revenue (GPR) than under former Gov. Scott Walker. The cornerstone of Gov. Tony Evers’ budget proposal, Medicaid expansion, was squashed. Medicaid expansion was one of the first non-fiscal policy items the JFC nixed, at the bewilderment of Democrats. State Rep. Evan Goyke, D-Milwaukee, said Republicans were “screwing over” his city. “The Medicaid expansion is intimately tied to the Democrat’s proposal and how it plays with federal funding,” he said. Republicans disagreed. “We have said all along expanding Medicaid wasn’t necessary based on where we were,” JFC co-chair Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, said. “The Republican legislative leadership acted in the best interest of the state of Wisconsin when it rejected, once again, the effort to expand Medicaid,” CJ Szafir, executive vice president at the Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty (WILL), told The Center Square. A WILL study concluded that Medicaid expansion would result in increased costs to Wisconsin families with private insurance by $177 per year, up to $700 for a family of four, and cost…

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