Posted: December 13, 2017
Updated: January 10, 2018
Six months ago, a group of bipartisan legislators sponsored two bills that would close a loophole that big box stores and other companies use to lower their tax assessments.
December 22, 2017
(WDC testimony delivered by WDC Executive Director Matthew Rothschild before the Wisconsin Elections Commission on GOP Attacks on Elections, Ethics Commission Administrators.)
Here's a look at the fundraising and contributors to the Democratic and Republican candidates who won primaries on Tuesday in three special elections for vacant legislative seats. Candidates in two of the races – the 10th Senate District and the 58th Assembly District – will face off in a Jan. 16 election.
November 10, 2017
Republican Gov. Scott Walker on Friday appointed a longtime western Wisconsin Republican state senator as the state’s new agriculture secretary.
December 12, 2017
Republican Gov. Scott Walker signed a controversial bill into law on Monday that ends the state’s sulfide mining moratorium at the behest of powerful business and rightwing ideological interests that have spent more than $14 million to help elect him.
December 11, 2017
Republican Attorney General Brad Schimel is siding with the construction industry, which has donated nearly $170,000 to his campaign, saying the state can’t require sprinkler systems to fight fires in apartment buildings with 20 units or fewer.
December 5, 2017
Gov. Scott Walker’s administration plans to give up to $21 million in tax giveaways to Kwik Trip, a convenience store chain whose owners and employees have contributed more than $90,000 to the Republican governor.
December 14, 2017
Seven candidates in two special elections for vacant Assembly and Senate seats have loaned or contributed about $272,715 of their own money to their campaigns (see table below), according to recent campaign finance reports filed with the Wisconsin Ethics Commission.
May 4, 2017
Big box chain stores like CVS Pharmacy, Lowe’s, Target, Menards, and Walgreens would no longer be able to use a legal loophole to slash their property taxes under a pair of bills sponsored by GOP lawmakers. The state’s largest business lobby, Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC), which usually sides with Republicans, opposes the bills because businesses would pay more taxes.
August 3, 2017
The state’s tavern industry says it opposes a Republican bill that would change some state alcohol licensing and sales regulations.
December 5, 2017
(Delivered by Wisconsin Democracy Campaign Executive Director Matthew Rothschild.)
December 4, 2017
Republican lawmakers are introducing a bill that would slash the amount of time that people have to file civil suits against businesses for injuries and other matters.
May 30, 2017
Tomorrow, Wednesday, May 31, the Wisconsin Assembly Committee on Federalism and Interstate Relations plans to vote on a bill that would authorize an Article V Constitutional Convention for a balanced budget amendment.
June 13, 2017
State lawmakers are considering a bill that would allow chiropractors to perform physical exams on student athletes.
June 12, 2017
A bill expected to see action by the legislature next week would eliminate student attendance, grade level advancement, and academic achievement requirements that voucher schools have to meet in order to receive state money.
June 9, 2017
GOP lawmakers are sponsoring a bill that would require the state to develop gun training classes for high schoolers.
June 14, 2017
A per-mile fee on heavy trucks that could raise more than $250 million in two years has surfaced as a possible funding source to pay for Wisconsin’s transportation budget. But the trucking industry, which has contributed nearly $1.2 million to legislative and statewide candidates, opposes the plan.
June 22, 2017
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, which just announced it will stop selling health insurance in nearly all Wisconsin marketplaces created by the federal Affordable Care Act, is a big supporter of the Wisconsin GOP.
July 20, 2017
Spending by the candidates and outside special interest groups in the state school superintendent’s race last spring totaled about $1 million, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign review found.
August 9, 2017
About 230 Wisconsin contributors gave $2.1 million during the first six months of 2017 to dark money groups that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money to influence state and federal elections.
August 11, 2017
State lobby law requires businesses, groups and other special interests to register with the state after communicating with state elected officials on proposed rules or legislative bills if they do so on five or more days during a six-month period.
August 18, 2017
Republican lawmakers are planning to introduce a bill to end the state’s mining moratorium and open the door for copper, lead and zinc mines in Wisconsin.
August 29, 2017
About 700 trade and ideological groups, unions and businesses spent more than $18.8 million lobbying state government during the first six months of 2017.
September 14, 2017
Individuals with Wisconsin zip code addresses who contributed $100 or more a year to partisan legislative and statewide candidates doled out about $136.4 million between 2003 and 2016, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign review found. About $86.3 million, or 63 percent, of those large individual contributions went to Republican candidates and about $50.1 million, or 37 percent, of the contributions went to Democrats.
September 25, 2017