February 26, 2015

While anti-democracy forces were prevailing in Wisconsin this week, a pro-democracy reform took a step forward in Chicago.

February 26, 2015

A GOP legislator, who is also a farmer, says he’s working on a bill that would require people who videotape or photograph cases of animal abuse on farms to immediately contact law enforcement or face fines.

February 24, 2015

Two outside electioneering groups that support a controversial right-to-work bill in Wisconsin spent more than $5.5 million to help Republican Gov. Scott Walker win reelection last November.

February 23, 2015

It’s not difficult to see why the Wisconsin legislature put consideration of a right-to-work bill as a special priority rarely afforded other policy proposals: Majority GOP legislators accepted $26 in contributions from business interests for every $1 in labor contributions since the beginning of 2013.

February 20, 2015

Two Republican legislators want to introduce a bill that would increase the interest rate on judgments awarded in small claims courts to help landlords and small businesses get paid faster.

February 19, 2015

The unprecedented 2011 and 2012 recall elections and Republican Governor Scott Walker’s possible 2016 presidential run have put Wisconsin under a national spotlight that’s drawn the attention of out-of-state donors and millions of dollars in contributions from them.

February 19, 2015

The nation’s leading pro-gun lobby is backing legislative proposals in the Wisconsin legislature that would eliminate the 48-hour waiting period for gun purchases and require judges to more quickly return guns seized by law enforcement to their owners in some cases.

February 18, 2015

Republican Gov. Scott Walker has proposed slashing state oversight of logging on millions of acres of private land upon request from the timber industry, which has contributed about $68,000 to his political campaigns.

Posted: February 17, 2015
Updated: March 9, 2015

Candidates and outside electioneering groups spent a record $81.8 million in the 2014 governor’s race in Wisconsin, much of it on months of negative broadcast ads and mailings, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis shows.

Posted: February 16, 2015
Updated: March 9, 2015

Forty outside electioneering groups funded by ideological, business and union interests spent an estimated $36.6 million on mostly negative broadcast ads and mailings to influence the 2014 races for statewide office and the Wisconsin Legislature, a Wisconsin Democracy Campaign analysis shows.

February 12, 2015

Races for the Wisconsin Supreme Court are supposed to be nonpartisan. But you can tell how partisan the current race is by looking at the donors to Justice Ann Walsh Bradley and Judge James Daley.

February 12, 2015

On Feb. 3, in his budget address, Governor Scott Walker said one of his goals was to “use common sense reforms to create a government that is limited in scope and—ultimately—more effective, more efficient, and more accountable to the public.”

Here are 13 ways his budget actually would make government less accountable to the public.

February 11, 2015

A fundraising committee created by Republican Governor Scott Walker, who is frequently mentioned as a possible 2016 presidential candidate, to raise and spend unlimited amounts of contributions on political campaigns violates federal campaign contribution limits, according to a complaint filed with the Federal Election Commission.

February 10, 2015

Owners and employees of a Wisconsin furniture maker that faces nearly $2 million in federal fines for workplace safety violations have contributed more than $46,000 since 2009 to legislative and statewide candidates in Wisconsin.

February 9, 2015

A GOP legislator who also is a bank officer has introduced a bill that would loosen regulations that govern the way state-chartered banks have to handle variable rate loans.

February 6, 2015

Republican Governor Scott Walker says he wants to reduce state regulation of for-profit colleges and schools, which have contributed nearly $20,000 to his campaign since 2009.

February 6, 2015

The publicly funded University of Wisconsin System would be able to keep the public in the dark about research conducted on its campuses under a proposal included in Republican Governor Scott Walker’s 2015-17 state budget.

February 4, 2015

Contributors from outside Wisconsin continued in 2014 to give Republican Governor Scott Walker more campaign cash than state residents, a trend that began in 2012, according to a Democracy Campaign preliminary review.

February 3, 2015

Executives from three of the four construction companies that won a bid for a $197 million state office building project have contributed more than $58,000 to Republican Governor Scott Walker’s campaign.

February 3, 2015

Republican Governor Scott Walker raised and spent three times more money in his 2014 reelection contest than in his last regular 2010 election for governor.

February 2, 2015

A legislative proposal to allow liquor stores and other alcohol retailers to give away free liquor samples to shoppers has the backing of the alcohol industry and grocers, which have contributed nearly $1.9 million to candidates for statewide office and the legislature since 2011.

January 30, 2015

A Republican Senate leader is renewing his call to begin consideration of a “right-to-work” law, which prevents private-sector workers from being required to join a union or pay dues as a condition of employment.

January 29, 2015

A legislative proposal that deregulates raffles held by charitable, religious and other groups in Wisconsin has some curious backers – pro-gun and hunter groups whose supporters and members have also contributed about $10,000 to the bill’s sponsors and cosponsors.

Posted: January 28, 2015
Updated: February 5, 2015

A Republican lawmaker intends to introduce legislation that would repeal Wisconsin’s state and local prevailing wage laws. These laws require that companies with state contracts pay their workers on those contracts a wage equal to what the majority of workers in that industry earn in that area.