The Wisconsin Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) on Friday released its findings of an audit on the state’s November 2020 election.
Based on its findings, the group recommended 30 recommendations to the Wisconsin Elections Commission for improving the election process, 18 of which are “issues for legislative consideration.”
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Wisconsin’s new political map doesn’t look much different from the current map.
Republicans released their iteration of the Wisconsin districting map Wednesday. The new map maintains Republican majorities in both the State Assembly and the State Senate. It would also give Republicans an advantage in most of the state’s congressional districts.
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Lawmakers in Madison are looking send a lot more of Wisconsin’s agricultural products around the globe.
The Joint Committee on Finance on Tuesday approved a $5 million, five-year plan that orders the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation and the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to come-up with a plan to increase ag exports in Wisconsin by 25%.
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Wisconsin’s Department of Public Instruction on Friday released enrollment figures for this school year, and statewide enrollment once again fell.
“Wisconsin’s total school district headcount for the third Friday of September 2021 was 814,101, a decline of 0.5 percent from September 2020,” DPI said. “4K and preschool special education headcounts rebounded with a 7.0 percent increase from last year, and kindergarten headcount increased slightly by 0.7 percent . First through 12th grades — where Wisconsin’s mandatory school attendance laws apply — were down 1.1 percent.”
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Wisconsin Speaker Robin Vos said on Tuesday that they will not be releasing documents pertaining to the ongoing election investigation yet. An open records lawsuit was filed by American Oversight, a liberal group who disagrees with the investigation.
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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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A “Citywide Intergenerational Peace March” was held in Milwaukee on Saturday by community members in response to the rising levels of violence. WISN 12 reported that this year, Milwaukee has had 152 homicides, and 710 non-fatal shootings to date, which is more than double the number of shootings from 2019.
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Sen. Ron Johnson of Wisconsin says Attorney General Merrick Garland‘s order to have the FBI investigate parent protests of school policies is “outrageous” and a “method of intimidation.”
“He is saying they are intimidating school board members. No, it is the attorney general of the United States that is intimidating people exercising their rights to free speech and the right to petition their government,” Johnson said in an interview aired Sunday on the Cats Roundtable with John Catsimatidis show on WABC radio in New York.
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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 Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) wrote a letter to the Biden Administration questioning their use of COVID vaccinations for military members. Allegedly, military members may not be receiving COVID vaccines that are approved by the FDA.
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A person who was shot by Kyle Rittenhouse, following the shooting of Jacob Blake in Kenosha, Wisconsin, filed a lawsuit against police for “allowing armed militia.” 18 year old Rittenhouse shot and killed two others, but Gaige Grosskreutz survived.
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Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) criticized the Biden Administration’s handling of supply chain issues in an interview on Wednesday. Johnson said, “Democrats’ policies hurt the very people they claim to want to help.”
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Two mothers are suing Wisconsin schools for their lack of COVID restrictions after their children caught COVID. According to the complaint, both of the Wisconsin children who caught COVID wore masks to school, while some of their classmates did not.
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Wisconsin’s Democrat Attorney General Josh Kaul said that the “fake election investigation” needs to be shut down. Kaul called the investigation by the Office of Special Counsel and former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman a “partisan political effort” that lacks any credibility.
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Mollie Hemingway’s new book, Rigged, tells the story of Wisconsin election officials and their use of the COVID pandemic to manipulate the 2020 election results. Hemingway draws from many special elections held over the course of COVID, explaining that Democrats learned that their voters were much more likely to vote by mail than Republicans.
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Wisconsin Rep. Bryan Steil (R-WI-01) said in an interview with Newsmax that he will be voting no on raising the debt ceiling. Steil said, “We have to stand firm against Nancy Pelosi, Joe Biden and Chuck Schumer’s attempts to spend us into oblivion. I’ll be voting no on this debt ceiling increase.”
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The top Republican on the Wisconsin Assembly’s election committee says the special investigator looking into last fall’s vote doesn’t speak for her.
Rep. Janel Brandtjen (R-Menomonee Falls) on Monday released a statement saying she opposes any deals with the mayors of the so-called Wisconsin Five, and is not a part of former Supreme Court Justice Mike Gableman’s investigation.
“The current subpoenas have not been approved by the Assembly’s Campaigns and Elections Committee,” Brandtjen wrote. “I do not approve of the current list of subpoenas to the five Wisconsin Mayors, as this provides immunity to them in any trial or criminal proceedings.”
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One of Wisconsin’s government watchdogs says it’s keeping an eye on whether the University of Wisconsin’s new mental health providers for students of color discharges their duties in a discriminatory fashion.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty on Wednesday sent a letter to the university after UW-Madison’s September announcement that it hired nine new mental health professionals. WILL took issue with how the school originally framed the new counselors.
The university said “three of these providers will exclusively serve students of color, joining eight providers already in this role.”
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Ten years after Act 10 became law and changed what Wisconsin school teachers can include in their school contracts, Democratic lawmakers in the state continue to try and roll it back.
Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, and a handful of Democrats this week introduce what they are calling the Collective Bargaining for Public Education Act.
“Wisconsin’s public education sector has a unique and critical role to play in our state. To ensure the effectiveness of these institutions, we rely on highly qualified individuals and their talents to move our state forward,” Larson said in a statement. “The legislation we have introduced establishes the right of employees of school districts, CESAs, technical college districts, and the UW System to collectively bargain over wages, hours, and conditions of employment.”
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Wisconsin Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI-05) signed a letter demanding answers from the Biden Administration regarding their handling of the border crisis. Fitzgerald said that “Biden continues to neglect the very crisis he enabled at the border.”
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Wisconsin Rep. Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI-05) sent a letter, along with the Republican Committee on Education and Labor colleagues, demanding a briefing regarding the Biden Administration threats against parents involved in their children’s education. Fitzgerald said, “Parents who advocate for their children’s education should be applauded not labeled as a threat and intimidated to stay silent as the DOJ and [the U.S. Department of Education] have recently done.”
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Former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman announced on Friday that there has been cooperation from subpoenaed Wisconsin cities in the ongoing election audit. “Following our recent issuance of subpoenas, we have received encouraging responses from most of the city officials involved, and we expect their full cooperation in scheduled interviews and the expected transfer of all related documents, data, and communications regarding their management of the 2020 election,” Gableman said.
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Wisconsin Rep. Thomas Tiffany (R-WI-07) called on the Biden Administration to reinstate diplomatic relations with Taiwan. A letter, written by Tiffany and three other members of Congress, shared concerns over the 600 plus warplanes that have violated Taiwan’s air defense identification zone since January.
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Five Wisconsin mayors will be receiving subpoenas as part of the ongoing election investigation. Head investigator Michael Gableman announced on Tuesday that the mayors of Green Bay, Milwaukee, Racine, Kenosha, and Madison would be subpoenaed to assist in the audit.
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Wisconsin Representative Bryan Steil (R-WI-01) visited the border along with two other representatives to see the crisis first hand. Steil visited Del Rio, where thousands of migrants have been camped under an overpass and where video footage showed illegal immigrants walking across the river and into the United States.
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Wisconsin high school students were told they could not wear “Trump Wall” shirts at their private school. As reported by CBS 58, “Students, parents and Latino advocacy groups are calling for action to be taken after a photo of students at Racine Lutheran High School with T-shirts that read ‘Trump’s Wall’ on them was circulated online.”
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One Wisconsin Republican says a recent report on school spending misses the mark.
Sen. Dale Kooyenga, R-Brookfield, said the report from The Reason Foundation is a bit misleading. The report places Wisconsin near the bottom of all states when it comes to new school spending over the past decade or so.
“The most money ever spent on education in Wisconsin came during the last four years of the Walker Administration,” Kooyenga told The Center Square on Monday. “And just because another state decides to spend more on their schools, that doesn’t mean our schools are worse.”
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The Wisconsin election investigator, former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman, served subpoenas to five of Wisconsin’s largest cities last week. The subpoenas are the latest step in an election audit and are asking for 2020 election records and interviews with officials from the state as well as details regarding the use of private funds.
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One Wisconsin Republican says a recent report on school spending misses the mark.
Sen. Dale Kooyenga, R-Brookfield, said the report from The Reason Foundation is a bit misleading. The report places Wisconsin near the bottom of all states when it comes to new school spending over the past decade or so.
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Three protests all with different perspectives on abortion clashed at the Wisconsin State Capitol on Saturday. The pro-abortion marches appeared to have been fueled by recent decisions in Texas, banning abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat.
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A Republican lawmaker says plans to modernize Wisconsin’s unemployment office are about a year late, and not nearly enough.
Wisconsin’s Department of Workforce Development on Wednesday announced a $16.5 million contract with Madison-based Flexion to take the first step in the process of updating and upgrading its computer network.
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Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson said that COVID vaccine mandates are “unconstitutional.” In the Fox News interview, he went on to say that mandates are “divisive” and will “destroy our economy.”
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Parents and taxpayers in Wisconsin are one step away from having a much easier time finding out where their local schools spend their money.
Lawmakers in Madison have approved Senate Bill 373, which will collect financial information on public schools in the state, and make it available through one central, statewide website.
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Wisconsin Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-WI-06) signed a letter asking for the release of Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller, who was jailed after criticizing the military’s withdrawal from Afghanistan. Grothman said, “Lt. Col. Stuart Scheller spoke truth to power. Now, he is unjustly sitting in pre-trial confinement.”
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Wisconsin state House Speaker Robin Vos, a Republican, said Friday he has signed off on the first subpoenas in an audit of the state’s 2020 election results, an indication the review is proceeding.
Vos said the subpoenas were being filed as part of the GOP-backed investigation being led by former state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman. The former justice visited the site of the election audit in Arizona’s Maricopa County and has said he could issue subpoenas to election officials who don’t comply with information related to his review, according to The Hill newspaper.
Said Vos: “Ensuring the 2020 election was conducted fairly and legally is critically important to maintaining faith in our election system.”
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The Wisconsin Assembly passed a ban on Critical Race Theory in classrooms in a partisan vote. The bill will proceed to the Wisconsin Senate and then ultimately to Gov. Tony Evers (D).
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Wisconsin Rep. Tiffany (R-WI-07) tweeted that he opposes the pick for the director of the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Wednesday, saying that Tracy Stone-Manning’s “history of eco-terrorism makes her unfit to lead our nation’s largest federal land agency.”
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Wisconsin’s Assembly speaker is expecting to get a report on the 2020 election that shows there are questions that need to be answered.
Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said he has faith that former Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Mike Gableman’s probe will not be a waste of time.
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Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson unveiled new legislation Wednesday that would block federal vaccine mandates by utilizing the Interstate Commerce Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Johnson was joined by some of his colleagues from the House and Senate who wish to co-sponsor the bill.
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Wisconsin Representative Scott Fitzgerald (R-WI-05) signed onto a letter opposing Google’s ban of abortion reversal pills from the pro-life organization Live Action. Fitzgerald tweeted out saying he had joined Representative Jim Banks (R-IN-03) “in demanding answers from Google for their indefensible decision to bow to pressure from the left.”
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Wisconsin Representative Mike Gallagher (R-WI-08) called on Congress to take action regarding the influx of illegal immigration occurring at the Untied States southern border. Gallagher called it a “failure” of the Biden Administration.
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Wisconsin Representative Glenn Grothman (R-WI-06) delivered a scathing speech against a proposed Democrat sponsored abortion bill. In a tweet, Grothman called the bill “extreme.”
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The head of one of Wisconsin’s government reform groups alleges the irony is thick in the state superintendent’s latest warning to state lawmakers about playing politics with kids in schools.
State Superintendent Jill Underly penned an op-ed on Monday claiming lawmakers are hurting public school students by considering plans to allow parents to opt their kids out of sexual orientation and gender fluidity classes, while also requiring schools to teach more about civics and American government.
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In a letter to the Biden Administration, Wisconsin Senator Ron Johnson (R-WI) demanded answers to the White House’s “miscommunication” regarding the vetting of Afghanistan refugees. The letter reads, “The Biden Administration’s unwillingness to answer basic questions about Afghan parolees and its vetting procedures, especially when coupled with OMB’s request for Congress to waive terrorist, national security, and all other grounds of inadmissibility, raises significant national security concerns about Operation Allies Welcome.”
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The Wisconsin Office of Special Council, one of the state’s 2020 election auditors, is inviting county clerks to meet with them and share election information and concerns. “I would like to formally invite you to meet with me personally – in person or by phone or video call – to discuss these concerns, as well as any other thoughts of any nature that you might have about the State’s investigation,” the letter states.
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There could be two different court-drawn political maps in Wisconsin. The state’s Supreme Court late Wednesday agreed to take up a redistricting case that could result in the court drawing the state’s new boundaries for Congress and the state legislature.
The decision comes just one day after a federal court in Madison essentially said it would draw the new political map if lawmakers and Gov. Tony Evers can’t agree.
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The latest lawsuit over Wisconsin’s wolf hunt is coming from the state’s Native American tribes.
Six communities in the Ojibwe tribe filed a lawsuit in federal court on Tuesday to try and stop the hunt, which is scheduled for November.
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Two Afghan refugees staying at Fort McCoy have been charged in separate incidents involving sexual assault of a minor and abuse. A grand jury charged Afghan refugees Bahrullah Noori and Mohammad Haroon Imaad on Thursday. Noori, 20, was charged with three counts of sexual assault of a minor, with one count of use of force. According to the indictment, the girls he assaulted at Fort McCoy “had not attained the age of 16 years and were at least four years younger than the defendant.”
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Wisconsin Representative Thomas Tiffany (R-WI-07) paid a follow up visit to Fort McCoy and discovered that over 600 immigrants are quarantined with measles, chicken pox, tuberculosis, and other diseases.
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Wisconsin Representative Gallagher (R-WI-08) responded to Democrats stripping the funding for Israel’s Iron Dome system. The Iron Dome was one of Israel’s main defenses against Hamas attacks.
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