Virus, elections, budget top Wisconsin legislative agenda
By SCOTT BAUER and TODD RICHMONDJanuary 2, 2021 GMT
MADISON, Wis. (AP) Pandemic response measures and changing election procedures will take center stage when the Wisconsin Legislature opens its 2021-22 session on Monday, eclipsing even state budget deliberations that typically consume the first six months of every session.
The Legislature this year will also redraw political boundaries as part of the redistricting process that happens every decade, one of the most partisan and consequential acts lawmakers will undertake.
The Legislature returns in January with Republicans in the majority and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers at midterm. Evers and Republicans found little to agree on in his first two years and they’ve struggled to find common ground on the pandemic response, with the Legislature refusing to meet since it last passed a COVID-19 response in April.
Rich Kremer, Wisconsin Public Radio
University of Wisconsin System Interim President Tommy Thompson says he wants to transform one of the state’s prisons into a college for inmates. Thompson will pitch the “UW System Prison Education Initiative” to the UW Board of Regents on Thursday. Thompson, who oversaw a large expansion of Wisconsin’s prison system when he was governor in the 1990s, told WPR the initiative would also include technical colleges, private colleges, businesses and the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
UW System extends COVID-19 testing hngnews.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from hngnews.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Student governments at University of Wisconsin system campuses are working in unison to pass resolutions calling for the system to divest from fossil fuels.
Using a similarly worded resolution, student governments have thus far passed such measures at UW Oshkosh, UW La Crosse, UW Stevens Point, UW River Falls, UW Stout and UW Madison, according to the UW Fossil Fuel Divestment Coalition.
“Our mission is to unite student organizations throughout the University of Wisconsin System to demand a just divestment from fossil fuels to combat the climate crisis,” its website states.
“Our coalition strives to represent student groups, faculty members, alumni, and community members from around the 13 University of Wisconsin campuses.”
Despite all the challenges presented by 2020, the year was a productive one for Wisconsin’s startup and entrepreneurial communities. In Eau Claire, this year