Page 44 - Patrick Marley News Today

Another bill would require law enforcement agencies to make their use-of-force policies available online. The measures have at least some bipartisan support, but also face criticism from those who say they don’t go far enough amid national calls for police reform. They want the Legislature to issue a statewide ban on chokeholds, eliminate no-knock warrants and make it easier for the public to hold the police accountable. They say such changes are especially important after the deaths at the h...

MADISON - A judge Monday kept in place his decision barring Republican lawmakers from hiring attorneys in anticipation of a lawsuit over congressional and legislative districts.  Dane County Circuit Judge Stephen Ehlke late last month dissolved two contracts between legislators and their lawyers after he found state law did not allow them to hire the attorneys yet because no redistricting lawsuit has been filed.  Republican legislative leaders asked Ehlke to stay his decision while they pursu...

MADISON - A key state lawmaker is leading an effort to reinstate a rule by the end of May that will require the unemployed to look for work to qualify for benefits. State officials suspended the rule requiring work searches last year because of the coronavirus pandemic and the unprecedented number of unemployment claims it spawned.  The rule on work searches is slated to go back into effect July 10, but Republican Sen. Steve Nass of Whitewater said Friday he is spearheading a plan to reinsta...

A Wisconsin lawmaker wants unemployed residents to be required to look for work to qualify for benefits by the end of May Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel © Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel A sign promoting a job fair is seen at SEEK Careers/Staffing on North 76th Street in Milwaukee on Monday, May 3, 2021. Roadside signs about job openings are increasingly common as demand for more workers increases. As Wisconsins unemployment rate continues to stay below...

Lawmakers vote to expand Mendota mental health center, a step toward reducing youth population at troubled Lincoln Hills Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel © Mike De Sisti / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel A building on the campus of the Mendota Juvenile Treatment Center at 301 Troy Drive in Madison. MADISON - The Legislatures budget committee approved a plan Thursday to expand a mental health center in a move that will help bring down the population at the states juvenil...

View Comments MADISON - The state Legislatures powerful budget-writing committee began its work Thursday on the next two-year spending plan by removing hundreds of proposals from Gov. Tony Evers. The vote by Republican lawmakers to remove nearly 400 measures proposed by the Democratic governor eliminates more than $3 billion in revenue sources proposed in his plan. The Republican-controlled committee will instead work from the states current budget, which was largely written by GOP lawmakers ...

Republicans plan to remove Gov. Tony Evers' budget priorities of expanding Medicaid, legalizing marijuana, and freezing enrollment in private voucher schools, among others.

In Wisconsin, the situation is different. Republicans who control the Legislature are seeking to limit ballot drop boxes, restrict who can return absentee ballots for others and tighten rules for when elderly and disabled voters can automatically receive absentee ballots. But Democratic Gov. Tony Evers plans to veto those measures if they get to him. That means the state’s voting laws are all but certain to remain unchanged for 2022, when Evers is up for re-election. Wisconsin politicians ha...

Georgia-style voting restrictions wont happen in Wisconsin. Heres why Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel MADISON - The tighter voting rules sweeping some states won’t happen in Wisconsin. But Democratic Gov. Tony Evers plans to veto those measures if they get to him. That means the state’s voting laws are all but certain to remain unchanged for 2022, when Evers is up for re-election. Wisconsin politicians have been fighting over voting rules for decades, but their d...

About 92,000 children under 6 in Wisconsin to receive additional food assistance Patrick Marley, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel © Richard B. Levine/Sipa USA/TNS Additional FoodShare benefits are being made available in Wisconsin because of the COVID-19 pandemic. MADISON - Nearly 92,000 children under age 6 will receive an extra $69 million in food assistance this year under a COVID-related program meant to stem the spread of hunger. Its the latest in a string of federal program...