Wisconsin Politics & News
The Daily Signal examines Wisconsin state politics, voting law battles, fiscal policy, education debates, and the Badger State’s crucial role in national elections.
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- News
Wisconsin Bill Would Limit Types of Food That Could Be Purchased With Food Stamps
Wisconsin’s State Assembly approved legislation last week that puts in place new rules about what recipients of food stamps may purchase with the benefits. Assembly Bill 177 would limit the types of food that could be purchased with Wisconsin’s food stamp program, FoodShare. In addition to banning the purchase of foods such as lobster with the publicly-funded…Kate Scanlon -
- Opinion
Wisconsin Home Invasions: When the Government Upends Democracy
Cindy woke up to a battering ram at her front door. She opened the door to a rushing mob of policemen, yelling and barging through her house with no explanation. She begged them not to shoot her barking dogs. Another had to wake her children with an armed policeman at the foot of their beds….Mark Meckler -
- Opinion
How Wisconsin’s Right to Work Laws Could Boost Union Members
Many wonder how right-to-work laws will affect Wisconsin. To see how, consider another question: Do monopolies help or hurt customers? Until now, unions have had a monopoly in many Wisconsin workplaces. They didn’t have to persuade workers to purchase their services; they could force them to. Anyone who didn’t pay dues — averaging about $700…James Sherk -
- Opinion
Wisconsin Is Finally Free to Implement Voter ID Law
Great news for those interested in election integrity and common sense reforms like voter ID: The Supreme Court today removed the final legal obstacle to implementing Wisconsin’s voter ID law. The Court refused to hear the American Civil Liberties Union’s appeal of a Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals decision that threw out the injunction issued against…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
How Wisconsin Becoming a Right-to-Work State Will Boost Its Job Growth
(This article was originally published last week, before the Wisconsin state assembly passed right-to-work legislation.) Wisconsin is poised this week to become the 25th “right-to-work state,” ending forced unionization and allowing individual workers to decide if they want to join a union or not. The Wisconsin Senate just recently passed right-to-work, and our sources in Madison…Stephen Moore -
- News
With Scott Walker’s Signature, Wisconsin Will Become the 25th Right-to-Work State
Wisconsin is one step closer to becoming the 25th right-to-work state. The Wisconsin State Assembly today approved right-to-work legislation barring unions from requiring workers to pay the equivalent of dues. The Republican-controlled State Assembly passed the bill 62-35 in a party-line vote after almost 20 hours of debate. Gov. Scott Walker, who is expected to…Kate Scanlon -
- News
Should Wisconsin Pass a Right-to-Work Law? These 2 Charts Explain the Debate.
Some Wisconsinites are pushing for a right-to-work bill in their state capitol this week, in hopes to have their state join 24 others in making union dues voluntary. Though union membership rates have steadily dropped since the 1950s, the bill is drawing a heated debate. Tuesday morning, supporters and opponents of right-to-work laws testified before…Kelsey Lucas -
- News
Scott Walker Calls for Major Changes at University of Wisconsin System
MADISON, Wis.—More than 35,000 public employees would be removed from state government rolls if Gov. Scott Walker’s budget proposal stays intact through the legislative process. Walker’s 2015-17 budget proposal, which was introduced Tuesday, makes major changes to the operation of the state’s University of Wisconsin System. The second-term governor’s plan would split off the system…Nick Novak -
- News
Wisconsin Treasurer Fulfills Campaign Pledge by Laying Off Staff
MADISON, Wis.—Newly elected state Treasurer Matt Adamczyk ran on a campaign pledge of cutting 80 percent from a $545,000 annual budget. A few weeks into his first term, he has, through layoffs, already gotten rid of his two-member staff. Adamczyk also declined to fill an empty deputy treasurer position that was paying close to $107,000 a year in salary…Adam Tobias -
- News
Undaunted by District Attorney’s Investigation, Republicans Found a Way to Win in Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis.—Even after a wave of Republican victories in this month’s elections, targets of a Milwaukee County district attorney's investigation say the probe effectively chilled conservative donors and volunteers. Critics say the Democrat district attorney's investigation, launched in 2012, was aimed at disrupting the campaigns of Gov. Scott Walker and other state Republicans. “We spent, but we didn’t spend like…M.D. Kittle -
- News
Will Burke Victory Mean a Higher Minimum Wage in Wisconsin? Not Necessarily.
MADISON, Wis. — If Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mary Burke defeats Republican Gov. Scott Walker on Tuesday, she’ll owe tremendous thanks to a union group fighting for an increase in the state minimum wage. But some political and legal experts say there’s no guarantee Wisconsin will see a higher minimum wage if Burke is elected. Although…Adam Tobias -
- Opinion
Wisconsin State Prosecutors Lose Another Round in Their Outrageous Attempt to Silence Conservatives
Fortunately for the interests of American democracy, the First Amendment and citizen advocacy, state prosecutors in Wisconsin have just lost another round in their outrageous attempt to criminalize political speech and silence the voices of conservatives in Wisconsin. On Oct. 14, federal district court Judge Rudolph Randa issued a temporary injunction prohibiting the Wisconsin Government…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
Wisconsin Is Treating Conservatives Like a Banana Republic Would
Oral arguments were heard Tuesday before the 7th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in O'Keefe vs. Chisholm, the so-called John Doe investigation in which local prosecutors in Wisconsin tried to criminalize political speech and activity on public issues. The 7th Circuit should uphold the lower court decision halting this Star Chamber investigation that violated basic…Hans von Spakovsky -
- News
In Wisconsin, Democrats Launched Investigation of Conservatives
MADISON, Wis. – Conservative targets of a Democrat-launched John Doe investigation have described the secret probe as a witch hunt. That might not be a big enough descriptor, based on records released Friday by a federal appeals court as part of a massive document dump. Attorneys for conservative activist Eric O’Keefe and the Wisconsin Club…M.D. Kittle -
- Opinion
Unions Lose and the Public Wins Big in Wisconsin
Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin had quite a good day on July 31 when the state supreme court upheld not only Wisconsin’s voter ID law, but also the 2011 budget legislation that severely curtailed the power of public unions to control the lives and salaries of state and municipal government employees. In Madison Teachers, Inc. v….Hans von Spakovsky -
- News
Wisconsin Supreme Court Upholds Scott Walker’s Labor Reforms
MADISON, Wis.—After three years of legal battles, the war for Gov. Scott Walker’s cornerstone public-sector collective bargaining reforms ended Thursday with the state Supreme Court upholding Act 10 in its entirety. The Supreme Court, in a 5-2 decision, with even liberal Judge Patrick Crooks agreeing Act 10 is constitutional, gave its approval to the public…M.D. Kittle -
- Opinion
Voter ID Wins Another Round in Wisconsin
In a victory for election integrity, the Wisconsin Supreme Court on Thursday upheld the state’s voter ID law against separate challenges by the NAACP and the League of Women Voters. The justices joined the state supreme courts of Georgia, Indiana and Tennessee—as well as the U.S. Supreme Court—in finding laws requiring photo IDs to vote…Hans von Spakovsky -
- Opinion
Hundreds of Undocumented Children Could Be Coming to Wisconsin
MADISON, Wis. — Hundreds of undocumented children may be headed from the Mexican border to Wisconsin. The federal government has asked officials in the Madison and Milwaukee areas to look for potential sites to house some of the children now flooding into the country from Central America through Mexico. Madison Mayor Paul Soglin told Wisconsin…Adam Tobias -
- Opinion
The Latest Allegations in Wisconsin Are Much Ado About Nothing
Today’s revelations about local prosecutors’ claims that Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker “was at the center of an effort to illegally coordinate fundraising among conservative groups” in a “criminal scheme” are much ado about nothing. Why? Because federal district court Judge Rudolph Randa already enjoined the prosecutors’ investigation, saying they were trying to criminalize the political…Hans von Spakovsky