WISCREPORT.COM (06/21/2010) - U.S. Senators Russ Feingold (D-WI) and Chuck Grassley (R-IA) are leading a bipartisan group of senators in urging the House of Representatives to take up legislation to end the automatic pay raise system for members of Congress. In a letter to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, 20 senators asked that the House vote on a bill passed by the Senate last year requiring members of Congress to pass legislation if they want to give themselves a pay raise. Currently, members of Congress receive an automatic pay increase UNLESS they pass legislation to block it. Click on headline above to read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (03/31/2010) - Communities nationwide are urging their residents to take 10 minutes on Thursday, April 1, Census Day, to fill out and mail back their 2010 Census forms if they haven't already done so. As the official reference date for the once-a-decade civic ceremony, Census Day will serve as the point-in-time benchmark for the nation's population count for the next 10 years. Residents still have time to fill out and mail back their ten question census form, saving the government about 57 dollars for each household that does not have to be visited by an enumerator. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (02/19/2010) - Wisconsin State Senate Leader Russ Decker (D-Weston) is upset with accusations leveled at Democrats by Republican State Senator Scott Fitzgerald (Juneau). Fitzgerald says Democrats are raiding millions of dollars from the State Transportation Fund to use on what he calls Pet Projects, including fish fries. Senator Decker suggests that Fitzgerald should start using real facts, backed up with proof, if he can. The hub bub seems to be over a recent report on a Madison television station. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (06/29/2009) - Joined by local officials, business and education leaders and Wisconsin citizens, Governor Jim Doyle signed into law today a state budget that builds upon the commitment to expand access to affordable health care coverage, invests in Wisconsin businesses that will create jobs and lead to future growth, and continues to protect priorities like education and police and fire protection, in the face of unprecedented national economic challenges. For the first time since 1977, the budget is being enacted before the start of the new biennium. More at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (06/18/2009) - The Wisconsin State Senate has passed a biennial budget bill for 2009-2011. As usual, there are misgivings by Republicans that majority party Senate Democrats were able to get the budget passed. However, Majority Leader Russ Decker says the version passed has no general sales or payroll tax increases, yet, it still protects working families, schools, and police and fire services from cuts. Another provision invests in highways, airports, bridges and harbors, and is expected to create about 10,000 jobs. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (04/20/2009) - Governor Jim Doyle has approved proposals for transit projects in 14 small urban areas and 32 non-urbanized areas around Wisconsin. Approval is a major step in securing the portion of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding that has been appropriated for the state. The projects total nearly $34.5 million. Read more about this story at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (04/13/2009) - United States House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi likes the idea of the United States government purchasing nearly 18,000 fuel efficient vehicles from only American car makers. Pelosi believes it will help auto makers currently in financial touble, spur the economy, and make the government fleet more fuel efficient. The Speaker also is supportive of President Obama's plan to make healthcare better for the military and veterans. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (04/04/2009) - Attorney General J.B. Van Hollen says the first priority of any government should be public safety. He made the statement while attending a get together of law enforcement professionals in Cambridge friday. Van Hollen is concerned about possible sentencing changes being discussed by State officials in Madison. Read more details at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (04/02/2009) - House Budget Committee Ranking Republican Paul Ryan (WI-01) yesterday introduced a comprehensive alternative to the fiscal year 2010 budget proposed by the President and Democratic Majority. Republicans say their plan will get spending and deficits under control, without raising taxes, but some Democrats don't think it's right for the country, at this point in history. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (02/26/2009) - United States Representative Ron Kind (D-WI) is commending President Barack Obama for presenting a budget to Congress that represents an honest assessment of the current financial situation. Wisconsin's United States Senator Russ Feingold, a member of the Senate Budget Committee agrees. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (02/19/2009) - The Institute for Wisconsin’s Future (IWF) is applauding Governor Jim Doyle and the Legislature for the tax reform ideas contained in both the budget-repair bill, which passed the Legislature February 18th, and the governor’s budget proposal for the 2009-2011 biennium, released February 17th. More at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (10/08/08) - Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Joe Wineke is calling last night's Presidential Debate Barack Obama’s second straight debate victory. Wineke says John McCain was unable to articulate a new direction for the country beyond what Wineke calls the failed, recycled policies of George Bush. Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker and former Lieutenant Governor Margaret Farrow are spinning the second Presidential Debate from the Republican point of view. Farrow and Walker saw McCain making several points and coming out ahead of Obama in the Nashville debate. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (09/30/08) - The Wisconsin Bankers Association (WBA) CEO is weighing in on the failure by the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act, and one of Wisconsin's U.S. Senators has some suggestions on how to make the Bailout Better. Wisconsin Bankers Association President Kurt Bauer warns the crisis won't get better by doing nothing. Senator Russ Feingold expects the so-called Bailout to see another round of voting by Congress, which creates another opportunity to address what he calls major flaws in the proposal. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (09/29/08) - The United States Congress failed to pass the 700 Billion Dollar Solution they have been working on over the weekend and debating today. Despite the apparent urgency of the financial crisis, H.R 3997, the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008, failed on the House floor by a vote of 205 - 228. Several Wisconsin members of the House of Representatives voiced dissapproval of the so-called Bailout. Some others were dismayed that the attempt to find a solution that the majority could agree on just wasn't possible. The Stock Market reacted in dissappointment. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (09/27/08) - There are mixed reactions to last night's first United States Presidential Debate between the two major party candidates running to be the next Commander In Chief of the Economy as well as Commander In Chief of the Military. McCain supporters say Arizona Senator John McCain won, while Illinois Senator Barack Obama supporters say Obama came out on top. And, Depending on which tv/radio talker you listen to after the debates, you have your choice of, it was a draw, or, Obama proved he was ready to take control of the military and the economy, or, McCain's strategy seemed to be to try his best to look stern and to not look at his opponent, and so on. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (09/25/08) - The Republican and Democrat running against each other for President of the United States have decided to lend their input and guidance in the current national economy emergency Congress is wrestling with. Yesterday, U.S. Senators John McCain (R) and Barack Obama (D) issued a joint statement that pointed out that it's important for both parties to come together to solve the problem. Obama and McCain will both be meeting with President George W. Bush and leaders of Congress today in hopes of making a difference in the so-called 700 Billion Dollar Solution to save homes, jobs, and the ecomomy proponents say are at stake. More at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (09/23/08) - Probable voters in four Battleground States are looking at the Barack Obama - Joe Biden ticket as the one that is more likely to bring about Change. By 19 - 24 point margins, voters in Wisconsin, Colorado, Michigan, and Minnesota say Democrat Barack Obama, not Republican John McCain, is the candidate of change. That poll result lifts Senator Obama into the lead in these battleground states, according to four simultaneous Quinnipiac University polls of likely voters, conducted in partnership with The Wall Street Journal and WashingtonPost.com More at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (09/22/08) - Illinois Senator Barack Obama started out being the only major presidential candidate advocating Change at the start of the Democrats Primary Campaign. When his opponent, New York Senator Hillary Clinton saw people were drawn to the message of Change, her slogan soon was about Change, but, Obama's message was the one people wanted. Now, it's the Republican candidate, Senator John McCain, who has changed his message to a declaration that McCain is the Change guy. While in Green Bay, Wisconsin today, Barack Obama explained that Obama's Change is The Real Change We Need. To read Barack Obama's speech, go to WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (09/01/08) - The 2008 Report of the Democratic Platform Committee suggests that Democrats want to make the United States Government and the country less partisan than it has been for decades. The Preamble to the Platform, states that it's time to reach out to Republicans, Independents, and all Americans who hunger for a new direction, and a reason to hope. The Platform indicates Democrats not only want to undo the damage they perceive that the Bush Administration has done, they want to find and enact the ideas that are right for the country and it's citizens. Read the Preamble at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (08/29/08) - U.S. Senator John McCain today announced that he has selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his running mate and to serve as his vice president. The McCain campaign says Governor Palin is a tough executive who has demonstrated during her time in short time in office that she is ready to be president. In addition to naming 44 year old Sarah Palin as John McCain's running mate against the Obama - Biden ticket, the McCain campaign has released a statement from McCain that calls Barack Obama's nomination acceptance speech last night, misleading. Read more at WisconsinReport.com. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (08/22/08) - A Wisconsin health care organization is attributing three of the state's congressional representatives for saving some Medicare benefits for residents of Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Health Care Association (WHCA) has high praise for U.S. Representatives Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Steve Kagen (D-WI) and Ron Kind (D-WI), a member of the House Ways and Means Health Subcommittee, for participating in a successful, bipartisan effort in Congress last week to stop the Bush Administration attempt to cut some funding. See WisconsinReport.com for more details. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (03/21/08) - The American Civil Liberties Union of Wisconsin is encouraging all Wisconsin legislators to say no to Real ID. The ACLU position is that Real ID is an expensive, pointless, and overly invasive federal mandate. When President George W. Bush signed the Real ID Act a couple of years ago, it became mandatory that states become involved. The Wisconsin Department of Transportation currently must comply with Real ID rules by 2010. Even though Real ID is a federal law, states must finance the Real ID program, so the Wisconsin legislature is considering ways to do that. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (03/19/08) - The war in Iraq is costing Wisconsin residents alone, millions of dollars, no, billions of dollars, with a B, since the beginning of the hostile action five years ago. A group called Citizen Action of Wisconsin, estimates that in 2008, Wisconsin's share of the war will be One-Point-Three Billion additional dollars. The 2008 amount is based on Bush Administration and military proposals for additional outlays of funds to be funneled into the effort in Iraq this year. A report issued today shows what Wisconsin governments and citizens could have gained locally if that money wasn't going into the war. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (03/14/08) - A growing group of Wisconsin businesses, community groups and health care providers have announced a new coalition supporting the proposed Wisconsin hospital assessment. StopTheShift.org members say it’s time that the State Legislature do something about what is called the hidden tax that businesses have paid for too many years because of significant underfunding of Wisconsin’s Medicaid program. The coalition's broad-based membership includes Wisconsin Hospital Association, Aurora Health Care, Coalition of Wisconsin Aging Groups, and other organizations. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (03/13/08) - When Wisconsin voters go to their polling places in April, among other things, they will be voting on a statewide referendum affecting the so-called partial veto that has been exercised from time to time by Governors from both sides of the aisle. The veto power of Wisconsin’s governor is one of the nation’s strongest, but a question on the April 1 ballot asks voters if that power should be limited. In addition to selecting a supreme court justice, voters will be asked if they want to amend the state constitution to limit the governor’s partial veto authority. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (03/13/08) - The Wisconsin State Assembly passed what is called a Budget Repair Bill Wednesday night, March 12th. Democratic Majority Leader in the Wisconsin Senate, Senator Russ Decker of Weston, Wisconsin, is calling the so-called Budget Repairs, Bush Budgeting At It's Worst. Decker suggests the Republican controlled State Assembly is favoring Wal-Mart over school kids, other businesses and residents of the state in some of the items included in the Budget Repair Bill. Wisconsin Assembly Republicans currently outnumber Democrats 52 to 47. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (02/25/08) - The Veterans Administration (VA) Medical Center in Tomah will receive $4.425 million from the 2008 VA Appropriations bill to complete a renovation of their facility. Democratic Congressional Representative Ron Kind of LaCrosse says the funding was made possible by the boost given to the Veterans Administration by the Democratic Congress, who this year provided the largest increase to the VA in its 77-year history with an allocation of $3.8 billion above what President Bush had requested. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (02/21/08) - Outsourcing government jobs to private companies may not be saving taxpayers money, as had been promised by the Bush administration. The Government Accountability Office (GAO) released an audit, requested by Wisconsin's U.S. Senators Russ Feingold and Herb Kohl, and several other senators, on the competitive sourcing program at the United State Forest Service (USFS). The administration had promoted the outsourcing plan as a way to cut down on government spending, but, because complete data is not available, saving money in this instance, is unknown. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (02/16/08) - Democratic U.S. Congressional Representative Ron Kind of LaCrosse, Wisconsin, says the farm bill being discussed in committee needs more work to make it work for family farmers and taxpayers. Kind says, among other things, what he calls, the proposal’s budget gimmick, phases out direct payments in the ninth year, only to see them reappear again in the tenth. He calls that a sham. Kind also says he's looking forward to working with his Ways and Means colleagues to prevent new taxes for farm programs. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (01/24/08) - In his sixth State of the State Address, Governor Jim Doyle unveiled bold plans to grow Wisconsin by fostering innovation, seizing renewable energy opportunities, making health care more affordable and investing in education. The Governor called on lawmakers to work together and invest in long-term economic growth in the midst of a plummeting global market. Governor Doyle said America's economy is in deep turmoil and this will be a year of great challenge for everyone, including the people of Wisconsin and the government. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCONSINREPORT.COM (12/11/07) - The Wisconsin State Senate voted 33-0 to ban what has been called the Frankenstein Veto; wherein Governor Jim Doyle, or any Wisconsin Governor can cobble together unrelated words to create new sentences and laws never passed by the state legislature. State Senator Sheila Harsdorf (R – River Falls) has led a bipartisan effort to prohibit what Republicans are calling this abuse of the partial veto. Senate Republican Leader Scott Fitzgerald says he is pleased the Senate voted to send the constitutional ammendment to an April referendum. WisconsinReport.com has more. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (10/26/07) - Joined by students, local officials, business leaders and other Wisconsin citizens at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Governor Jim Doyle signed into law a budget that invests in the University System and puts Wisconsin on the path to permanent fiscal stability. In addition to cutting state operations by more than $200 million, the budget cuts advance commitments and one time spending nearly in half, and will have $120 million in reserves at the end of this biennium. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (10/25/07) - The new Wisconsin budget set to be signed by Governor Jim Doyle tomorrow (Friday) includes economic development monies for municipalities that experienced devaluation in manufacturing properties in Portage, Wood and Adams counties. The funds will help Stevens Point, Marshfield and Wisconsin Rapids, as well as Plover, Auburndale, Amherst Junction, Biron, Friendship, Whiting, Port Edwards, Vesper, and the Town of Remington. There is also money in the State Budget to refurbish the Korean War Memorial along I-39 at Plover. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (10/24/07) - Last night the Wisconsin State Legislature finally passed a budget that took many long and arduous tries to come to something satisfactory to both Republicans and Democrats. The compromise budget was passed on what has been called a a bipartisan vote, sending the bill to the Governor’s desk for his review. The budget acted on by the legislature came out of a committee charged with the duty of coming up with the compromise announced last weekend. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (10/23/07) - Several organizations are praising aspects of the compromise State Budget announced last week. They include the Wisconsin Primary Health Care Association, Citizen Action of Wisconsin, and AARP Wisconsin. The praise centers around Badger Care Plus Expansion, SeniorCare, and FamilyCare. The Citizen Action Committee Executive Director says it's the first real progress on health care coverage in a decade. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (10/20/07) - It seems that the Battle Over the Wisconsin Budget is over, according to an announcement made yesterday (10/19/07). Governor Jim Doyle joined with Speaker Mike Huebsch, Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson and Assembly Minority Leader Jim Kreuser to announce a budget agreement. Huebsch says the budget moves Wisconsin forward and lives within taxpayers’ means. Robson is hoping for swift bipartisan support of the latest compromise. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (10/18/07) - There is a standoff taking place in the State Capital over the Wisconsin Budget. Even though the Democrat controlled Senate passed the compromise version, nearly nine months after Governor Doyle introduced his budget to the Legislature, the Assembly still refuses to pass a budget. The Assembly voted against the compromise budget bill following approval by the Senate and Governor Jim Doyle is losing his patience with Assembly Republicans. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (10/16/07) - If lawmakers got grades, the Wisconsin Assembly would get an “F” or worse, according to State Senator Roger Breske (D-Eland). The Senate approved the latest version of the Wisconsin budget and passed it on to the Assembly for action. However, this week the lower house failed to pass this version. On Monday night, 53 of those State Representatives voted “no,” stalling the 2007-2008 state budget, again. That makes Wisconsin still the only state in the nation without a budget. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (10/15/07) - The Wisconsin State Senate has passed a budget compromise. After voting for the compromise budget, Senator Russ Decker (D-Weston) urged his colleagues in the State Assembly to meet the Senate in the middle and pass the bill soon. The budget passed by the Senate is the result of months of give and take from both sides. He says he hopes Assembly Republicans will put the rhetoric aside and pass the budget. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (10/13/07) - As gridlock continues over passage of a state budget, State Senator Alberta Darling (R-River Hills) is proposing an overhaul of the Wisconsin's budgeting process designed to prevent future impasses. Under Darling’s proposal, the Legislature would assign portions of the Governor’s proposal to a number of joint legislative committees able to amend the bill yet still required to adhere to a set appropriation level. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (10/9/07) - Governor Jim Doyle has announced he will call the full Legislature into Special Session on a compromise budget bill on Monday, October 15. The Wisconsin Legislature is the only Legislature in the country that has failed to pass a budget. Doyle says it's time for what he called extreme Republicans to put partisan interests aside and do what's best for Wisconsin. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (10/3/07) - In response to a state budget stalemate that is now dragging into its fourth month, State Representative Louis Molepske, Jr. (D-Stevens Point) will begin circulating legislation for co-sponsorship that will set budget benchmarks and hold state legislators accountable for unnecessary delays in passing a budget. Molepske hopes the Budget Accountability Act will correct the practice of late budgets. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (10/2/07) - The Wisconsin Counties Association (WCA) is urging members of the state budget conference committee and legislative leaders to not leave property taxpayers in the cold in light of a proposal to remove an increase in the real estate transfer fee. The doubling of the fee, as originally proposed, would have provided funding for critical county programs. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (10/2/07) - Senate Majority Leader Judy Robson (D-Beloit) says there is no more time for excuses, Wisconsin needs the budget bill passed. She is urging Assembly Republicans to let the Assembly Speaker get the budget done, while Speaker Huebsch says Republicans are ready to do their part, but he has reservations. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (10/1/07) - Governor Jim Doyle is warning of the severe consequences for the state if the Legislature fails to pass a state budget. For more than eight months the Legislature has failed to pass a budget, forcing thousands of students onto waiting lists for financial aid, putting the expansion of the Sand Ridge Secure Treatment Center for sex offenders on hold, and causing problems for road projects. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (9/27/07) - The Wisconsin chapter of Americans for Prosperity Foundation (AFPF) says enacting budget increases when economic woes threaten to take a bite out of state government revenues and damage Wisconsinites prosperity is a foolhardy move. Analysis of data shows the state’s unemployment rate has become worse than the national average since last year. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM (9/24/07) - Representative Marlin Schneider (D-Wisconsin Rapids) told the Wood County Democratic Party meeting that the real problem in getting a state budget is that 15 Republican members of the State Assembly signed a No Tax Increase pledge and are now stuck in their own rhetoric. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM - State Representative Marlin Schneider (D-Wisconsin Rapids) blasted the Republican budget cuts to the Educational Communications Board as short-sighted, stupid, and downright idiotic. The veteran lawmaker said the cuts would end local programming in Wisconsin, create maintenance problems with the weather radio transmitters, Amber Alerts, and more. (read more)...
WISCREPORT.COM - Senator Julie Lassa (D - Stevens Point) voiced her support for Governor Doyle’s economic development, pro-family and clean energy initiatives as outlined in his fifth State of the State address. Sen. Lassa says is looking forward to working with Governor Doyle to make his vision a reality. (read more)...
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