Tag: Governor Tony Evers

Wisconsin Universities Keep DEI Positions Despite GOP Gutting Budget by $32 Million

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University of Wisconsin campus leaders have not cut diversity, equity and inclusion positions from their campuses despite losing $32 million in funding from the GOP-led state legislature earlier this summer in an effort to see such programs axed.

However, system leaders are in the process of requesting a partial reimbursement to the tune of $15 million from the Wisconsin State Assembly’s Joint Finance Committee to fund non-DEI, workforce development-related positions, which state lawmakers left open as an option to recoup some of the cuts.

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Evers Unveils Record $104 Billion Budget Plan, Republicans Get Ready to Rewrite

M.D. Kittle

Billing it a “breakthrough budget,” Governor Tony Evers rolled out a massive two-year spending plan on Wednesday that would dump billions more taxpayer dollars into a host of new programs, raise taxes by $1 billion-plus on businesses, deliver a sweetheart deal to the Milwaukee Brewers, and gobble up much of the state’s historic $7.1 billion surplus. 

At approximately $104 billion, Evers’ budget proposal is the first to break the $100 billion mark and comes in at about $13 billion more than his 2021-23 plan and more than $16 billion higher than the current budget he signed into law in June 2021. 

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Governor Tony Evers Files Lawsuit Against Multiple Companies, Alleges Water Pollution

Cooper Moran

Governor Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul filed a lawsuit against multiple manufacturers and chemical companies for alleged water pollution in the state.

According to Evers and Kaul, the companies knew or should have known that they were polluting the environment with PFAS contamination, which is a synthetic chemical that is made for multiple products.

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Gubernatorial Candidate Rebecca Kleefisch Touts Endorsements by 100-Plus Local Wisconsin Elected Officials

Cooper Moran

Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Kleefisch is touting endorsements by more than “100 local Wisconsin current and former elected officials from across the state.”

The local supporters include individuals that have held various positions: mayors, county board supervisors, school board members, city councilmen, and other officials.

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Wisconsin Family Action Promises It Won’t ‘Back Down’ After Madison Arson

The Center Square

The head of one of Wisconsin’s most prominent pro-life groups is vowing not to be intimidated by a weekend arson at their Madison office.

Wisconsin Family Action’s Julaine Appling said on Sunday that the attack on their office was an attempt to silence pro-life voices in the state.

“While this attack was directly provoked by the leaked draft opinion from the U.S. Supreme Court in the Dobbs case earlier this week, this has far broader implications,” Appling said in a statement. “Apparently, the tolerance that the left demands is truly a one-way street. Violence has become their answer to everything.”

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Wisconsin Gubernatorial Candidate Rebecca Kleefisch Promises to Fight for ‘A Good Living’ in New Ad

Cooper Moran

Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Kleefisch, who is running in the GOP primary, released a new ad with a promise to fight for “a good living” for residents of the state.

Kleefisch, whose campaign has been boosted by state and national Republicans, contended she would help individuals more than incumbent Governor Tony Evers.

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Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers Awards $15 Million to Schools for Mental Health Initiative

Cooper Moran

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers on Wednesday awarded $15 million to schools throughout the state for a new mental health initiative.

The “Get Kids Ahead Initiative” will utilize the money to “provide direct mental healthcare, hire and support mental health navigators, provide mental health first aid and trauma-based care training, or provide family assistance programs.”

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U.S. Supreme Court Strikes Down New Wisconsin Legislative Maps, Upholds Congressional Boundaries

Cooper Moran

The U.S. Supreme Court blocked new redistricting maps for Wisconsin’s state legislature, while upholding the state’s new federal congressional boundaries.

Previously, Republican members of the legislature filed the lawsuit, claiming the state judges “did not and could not have concluded that drawing districts based on race was required by federal law and satisfied strict scrutiny.”

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Wisconsin Governor Evers Reverses Race-Based Grants Following Constitutional Concerns

Cooper Moran
Tony Evers

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers opted to remove the consideration of race from a mortgage-assistance program after the Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty (WILL) highlighted several constitutional concerns.

The group pointed out that Evers intended to expand eligibility for “socially disadvantaged” groups, defining those as “any racial or ethnic group besides non-Hispanic/Latinx White.”

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Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers Calls for Federal Suspension of Gas Tax amid Soaring Prices

Cooper Moran

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers joined other Democratic governors and sent a letter to Congressional leadership, urging the federal lawmakers to pass legislation to suspend the federal gas tax.

The legislation, introduced by Senator Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and known as the Gas Prices Relief Act, would terminate the 18 cents per gallon gas tax that individuals pay, temporarily lowering the prices for consumers.

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Governor Tony Evers Provided Grants to Planned Parenthood with COVID Relief Funds, Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty Questions Legal Authority

Cooper Moran

Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers provided millions of dollars to Planned Parenthood through grants funded by federal coronavirus relief money, according to a letter from the Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty (WILL).

However, the group contends that Evers’ legal standing to fund the abortion provider is questionable at best.

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Wisconsin Assembly Approves Multiple Education-Focused Bills

Cooper Moran

The Wisconsin Assembly approved multiple pieces of legislation focused on education-related issues, sending the bills to the Wisconsin Senate for full legislative approval.

One of the bills is a “parental bill of rights” that would establish certain legal rights for parents throughout the state, like maintaining a voice surrounding education curriculum taught to their child or choice in medical decisions. 

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Wisconsin Gubernatorial Candidate Rebecca Kleeflisch Backs Plan to Break Up Milwaukee Public Schools

Cooper Moran
Rebecca Kleefisch

Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Kleeflisch on Monday backed a proposal to divide Wisconsin’s largest school district into multiple, smaller systems.

The plan, initiated by State Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills), would require the large district to dissolve into four to eight smaller ones within two years, if fully enacted.

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Wisconsin Republican Party Blasted Biden Administration as Vice President Kamala Harris Visited Milwaukee

Cooper Moran

The Republican Party of Wisconsin slammed the Biden Administration as Vice President Kamala Harris visits Milwaukee.

Harris will promote the bipartisan infrastructure bill, which passed Congress last year and was signed by President Joe Biden.

The visit from the vice president comes as Biden’s approval numbers have continued to plummet, potentially endangering Democratic incumbent lawmakers in Wisconsin and across the country.

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Wisconsin Gubernatorial Candidate Rebecca Kleefisch Collects More Than $3 Million During Initial Months of Campaign

Cooper Moran

Wisconsin GOP gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Kleefisch collected more than $3 million during the first four months of her effort to defeat Governor Tony Evers, according to a release from her campaign.

Kleefisch hauled in approximately $3.3 million during the fundraising quarter, a number that outpaces previous campaigns for the state’s top position.

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Wisconsin Gubernatorial Candidate Rebecca Kleefisch Releases New Campaign Ad, Knocks Evers for School Closures

Cooper Moran

Wisconsin gubernatorial candidate Rebecca Kleefisch on Wednesday released her first campaign ad in 2022, pledging to allow in-person learning in the state.

The video, entitled “Open Schools,” knocked incumbent Governor Toney Evers for allowing districts across the state to remain closed and force students to learn virtually.

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Wisconsin Lawmakers Call on Governor to Remove Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm from Office

Cooper Moran

Republican state lawmakers sent a letter to Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers (D), urging the executive to remove Milwaukee County District Attorney John Chisholm from office.

Chisholm has received harsh backlash for the decision from his office to recommend $1,000 bail for Darrell Brooks. After being released from custody, Brooks plowed his vehicle through a Christmas parade. He killed multiple people and injured dozens more.

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State Senator from Wisconsin: Governor Evers Has Failed to Raise Refugee Concerns

The Center Square

The Wisconsin state senator who represents the towns around Fort McCoy has issued the strongest objection yet to the still murky plan to bring thousands of Afghan refugees to central Wisconsin.

Sen. Patrick Testin, R-Stevens Point, on Friday sent a strongly worded letter to Gov. Evers asking for answers about who the refugees are and where they will go once they arrive.

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Redistricting Lawsuit Filed, Democratic Groups Want Wisconsin Courts to Draw Maps Immediately

The Center Square
Tony Evers

Less than 24 hours after the U.S. Census Bureau delivered Wisconsin’s 2020 Census numbers, a handful of voters have filed a lawsuit to toss out the state’s current political map, and have judges skip the legislature and draw new maps on their own.

The lawsuit will be heard in federal court in Madison. It argues that because of the Census data, the state’s current congressional and legislative maps are out of date, and cannot be used in any upcoming elections.

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