(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s Democratic U.S. senator is once again pushing to make sure everyone in the state can watch the Packers.
Sen. Tammy Baldwin is back with the Go Pack Go Act.
Baldwin has for years pushed for everyone who lives in Wisconsin to get Packers games during the season.
“Regardless of where you live, every Wisconsinite should be able to cheer on the Green and Gold,” Baldwin said in a statement. “But right now, hundreds of thousands of Wisconsinites live in communities where they could get Vikings or Lions games broadcast on their TVs instead of Packers games.”
People in 13 counties in Wisconsin, all either near Michigan’s Upper Peninsula or near the Minnesota border, don’t automatically get Packer games on broadcast TV.
“In Wisconsin, more than 415,000 people live in [those] 13 counties that have been assigned to an out-of-state market,” Baldwin said about her Go Pack Go plan. “Wisconsinites on the Minnesota border could see the Vikings and those on the Michigan border could see the Lions instead of the Packers. [The] Go Pack Go Act would require cable and satellite providers to provide their Wisconsin subscribers with access to programming from broadcast television stations in a Wisconsin media market.”
Green Bay-area Republican Congressman Tony Wied on Thursday also came-out in favor of the Go Pack Go Act.
“Nothing brings Wisconsinites together quite like the Packers,” Wied said in a statement. “The Go Pack Go Act is about making sure every Packers fan, from Douglas to Door County, can watch their team without being forced to endure Vikings or Lions broadcasts. I’m happy to join Sen. Baldwin to lead this common sense, bipartisan legislation. If you live in the land of Lambeau, you deserve to see the Green and Gold every Sunday. No exceptions.”
Baldwin’s office says Packer fans in Ashland, Bayfield, Douglas, Iron and Sawyer Counties in the Duluth-Superior media market would be able to get Packer games. As would fans in Barron, Burnett, Dunn Polk, Pierce, St. Croix, and Washburn Counties in the Twin Cities media market. Packer backers in Florence County and Marquette, in the Michigan media market would also be able to get Packer broadcasts under the Go Pack Go Act.

(The Center Square) – A bill that would block all levels of Wisconsin government from funding health care from undocumented immigrants was heard in committee for the first time.
The bill is aimed at preventing the state from adding undocumented immigrants to BadgerCare like occurred in recent years in Minnesota and Illinois, according to Rep. Alex Dallman, R-Markesan.
Dallman said the recent budget put in “large amounts” for charitable and free clinics.
“We continue to try to bolster those services for those who need it the most across especially our rural communities, those who do not have access like we hope they would,” Dallman said.
But Assembly Bill 308 goes further than those programs, as evidenced by fiscal notes from state departments including the Department of Corrections, who believes it could be unconstitutional to deny state-paid care to inmates who are undocumented.
The Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction said that it does not have an estimate of how many undocumented students who visit school nurses.
Dallman was asked about by Rep. Karen Kirsch, D-Greenville, what school nurses would do or if they would be required to check the immigration status of students but Dallman responded that DPI said “they were unable to provide any effect that it would have on their programs.”
Dallman said that when Minnesota expanded its Medicaid program called MinnesotaCare, it expected to have about 5,000 undocumented immigrants enroll but instead saw more than 20,000 new undocumented enrollees with 24% under the age of 18.
That allowance was later rescinded after it was estimated to cost the state $600 million over four years. Dallman said that an Illinois audit showed the state spent $900 million on Medicaid for undocumented immigrants.
“These are enormous price tags for those who are here unlawfully,” Dallman said. “This cannot and should not be the case here in Wisconsin. With a state budget that is currently already very lean, we must prioritize our citizens over those who are here unlawfully.”

(The Center Square) – The Wisconsin Institute of Law and Liberty filed a complaint with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission after a Madison elementary special education teacher was involuntarily transferred for what it claimed is race-based reasoning.
The Madison Metropolitan School District began a race-based scoring system it calls “culturally responsible practices” to prioritize “students of color” and added it to teacher evaluations when making decisions on teachers that would be transferred instead of seniority.
Kally Bishop was a special education teacher at Thoreau Elementary before the transfer. She worked with non-verbal students who struggle with basic communication skills.
“I loved my job at Thoreau Elementary and was heartbroken to be forced out after so many years there,” Bishop said in a statement. “No teacher or student should ever be discriminated against based on their race.”
Bishop received high scores in reviews and positive comments but received a low grade in “culturally responsive practices.”
Bishop asked for more detail on the grade when it occurred but received no response and then was denied access to the rubric scores that led to her grade.
“MMSD’s hyper focus on race is both wrong and illegal,” WILL Deputy Counsel Luke Berg said in a statement. “The unfortunate and entirely predictable result is the District losing one of its best teachers at the expense of its most vulnerable students. We hope that this case exposes how the District’s rubric is being applied.”

(The Center Square) – The U.S. Department of Justice won’t defend a group of Biden-era Department of Agriculture aid programs that were challenged by a Wisconsin farmer.
The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed a June lawsuit on behalf of Chilton’s Adam Faust claiming the USDA had continued programs that discriminated against farmers based on race and sex.
The USDA wrote in a filing that it had “determined that the [USDA] programs at issue in this case are unconstitutional to the extent they include preferences based on race and sex.”
Faust previously won a 2021 victory against the Biden administration for race discrimination in the Farmer Loan Forgiveness Plan with the help of WILL.
The June lawsuit claimed that discriminated had continued in the USDA’s Daily Margin Coverage Program, Loan Guarantee Program and Environmental Quality Incentives Program.
The USDA asked for a 60-day stay as it looks to adjust the programs in question, citing a February statement on a previous challenge to the programs that said “USDA has independently determined that it will no longer employ the race- and sex-based ‘socially disadvantaged’ designation to provide increased benefits based on race and sex in the programs at issue in this case.”
WILL agreed to the 60-day stay in the litigation until Oct. 21.
“This lawsuit served as a much-needed reminder to the USDA that President Trump has ordered the end to all federal DEI programs,” WILL Deputy Legal Counsel Dan Lennington said in a statement. “There’s more work to do be done, but today’s victory gives us a clear path to do even more in the name of equality.”

(The Center Square) – Milwaukee Tool will receive a $4.5 million tax credit for an expansion with a new facility in Menomonee Falls.
The $4.5 million brings the total to $75 million in Enterprise Zone tax credits that Milwaukee Tool has received from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. since 2016.
The new $42 million facility will be on a 22-acre property at 100 Heritage Reserve that was purchased by the company last year.
“Milwaukee Tool is a Wisconsin success story and an economic powerhouse for the Milwaukee region and the entire state,” said WEDC Secretary and CEO Missy Hughes said in a statement. “We are pleased to be able to assist the company as it continues to grow in Wisconsin by leaps and bounds.”
Milwaukee Tool said the expansion will include 300 new employees. The company currently has more than 4,000 employees in Wisconsin after having 900 employees in the state in 2016.
Milwaukee Tool was founded in 1924 in Milwaukee. It now has research and development and manufacturing operations in Milwaukee, Menomonee Falls, West Bend, Mukwonago and Sun Prairie with its headquarters in Brookfield.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin needs dozens of workers for its veterans homes, and no one is sure the state can find them.
A report from U.S. Veterans Affair inspector general’s office says veterans homes across the country are in desperate need of front line and medical staffers.
“VHA facilities reported a total of 4,434 severe occupational staffing shortages, a 50% increase from FY 2024,” the report states. “Ninety-four percent of facilities reported severe occupational staffing shortages for medical officer occupations, and 79% of facilities reported severe shortages for nurse occupations.”
The OIG report notes that the VA has been struggling to find and keep workers for years.
In Wisconsin the numbers are smaller, but the need is just as great.
Wisconsin’s three VA homes, the Middleton Memorial Veterans Hospital in Madison, the Tomah VA Medical Center in Monroe County, and the Zablocki Veterans’ Administration Medical Center in Milwaukee, are short a combined 51 doctors, nurses or other medical workers and 21 frontline staff positions.
“A combined 51 clinical positions and 21 nonclinical positions,” the report explained. “Of the top five most reported clinical severe occupational staffing shortages in FY 2025, all but nursing assistant have been reported by at least 20% of facilities since FY 2018.”
The report notes that VA police is the most understaffed non-medical job.
“Fifty eight percent of facilities (80 of 139) designated police as a severe occupational staffing shortage, making it the most frequently reported nonclinical shortage occupation and most frequently reported of all occupations.”
The report shows that the VA home in Tomah is the only one in Wisconsin that needs a police officer. Though each of Wisconsin’s three homes need medical officers, nurses and medical specialists.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin state workers will see a 3% increase in pay this week and 2% next year.
But that implementation of the item, approved in the state budget, was completed before Wednesday’s meeting of Wisconsin’s Joint Committee on Employee Relations.
That’s because Gov. Tony Evers told departments to implement laws without legislative rulemaking after a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling earlier this year that limited legislative authority on rulemaking, something that has continued a battle on power of how Wisconsin’s laws are implemented.
“When the Wisconsin Supreme Court clarified that the state separation of powers doctrine, it because clear that the implementation of GWAs established and funded by the state budget legislation would no longer necessitate separate approval by legislative committee,” Dept. of Administration Deputy Secretary Anne Hanson told the committee.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos has previously spoken out against Evers’ directive for departments to skip rulemaking and reiterated that stance Wednesday.
“I would say that it’s unfortunate that something that has literally worked for generations, not just decades but generations, is being upended by an administration that is drunk with power,” Vos said.
Vos said that the administrations current stance on rulemaking will inevitably lead to issues when the state works on its next budget in two years.
“It really seems like, rather than being collaborative and go through the normal process where Republicans, Democrats, Legislators, executive branch all sit down and work out a deal, they’re just going to try to impose their will on the state,” Vos said. “Which will, unfortunately, mean a that during the next budget discussion it will be dramatically different.”
Vos also hinted at a future challenge to the administrations process, saying he believe it goes beyond what the law allows.
“I think something that has worked so well, it is really a shame that the Evers Administration had decided to play politics with it and do something that is clearly outside of the norm and should be outside of the law,” Vos said.

(The Center Square) – There are more people talking about possibly bringing the National Guard to Milwaukee.
The city’s police officers’ union boss said he’s thinking about asking President Donald Trump to send troops to the city to “help.”
“I’m sure the National Guard would do a great job in helping us out,” Milwaukee Police Association President Alex Ayala said.
Ayala told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that he’s considering sending a letter to Trump.
“My opinion is, let’s try something new. Let’s see if maybe the National Guard – that can maybe help Milwaukee curb some of this crime and some of the street takeovers and the church staffing and all the issues we’ve had downtown,” Ayala told the paper.
Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson continues to say he doesn’t want troops in the city and they are not needed.
Republican candidate for governor Bill Berrien, however, said Milwaukee certainly needs help getting its crime problem under control.
“Milwaukee is one of 10 cities with the highest crime rates in the country. I’m with the Milwaukee Police union, President Trump is onto something with his crime crackdown, we need safety on our streets in Milwaukee,” Berrien wrote on social media Wednesday. “As governor, I will not only crack down on crime by supporting our law enforcement, but I will work with President Trump to take drastic action when needed.”
Gov. Tony Evers on Tuesday said the National Guard were the “wrong people” to help police in Milwaukee.
“They’re not trained police officers, simple as that,” Evers told reporters. “We can handle this ourselves in the state of Wisconsin.”
Over the weekend, Republican Congressman Scott Fitzgerald, said something similar.
“We’ve actually got some good numbers out of Milwaukee over the last couple of years about crime that’s leveled off or been reduced. I’m not sure it’s something that the White House would really consider when you look at the long list of other communities that have issues as a result of crime,” Fitzgerald said during an appearance on UpFront.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s 32.9-cent gas tax ranks it 20th in the country, according to a new report from The Tax Foundation.
The taxes run the gamut from 8.9 cents in Alaska to 70.9 cents per gallon in California.
Neighboring Illinois ranks second at 66.4 cents while Indiana is fifth at 54.5 cents, Michigan is sixth at 48.2 cents and Ohio is 15th at 38.5 cents.
As of Wednesday, gas prices averaged $2.98 in the state compared to a $3.19 average nationwide, according to the American Automobile Association.
Part of the recent gas price increase heading into the Labor Day holiday was flooding at the BP Whiting Refinery in Indiana, which led to increases throughout the Great Lakes region, according to AAA.
But an Aug. 27 restart of the refinery led to relief in the Great Lakes area, while Ohio dropping 19 cents per gallon over the week as of Tuesday and both Michigan and Indiana seeing 14 cent week-over-week price per gallon drops.
Overall, it was the lowest price average nationwide for the Labor Day weekend since 2020.
“This caps off the most affordable summer at the pump since 2021, with motorists spending $11.3 billion less on gasoline compared to last year,” GasBuddy Head of Petroleum Analysis Patrick De Haan wrote. “While summer may be in the rearview mirror, low gas prices aren’t going anywhere anytime soon. In fact, so long as we avoid major hurricanes or other disruptions, we’re on solid footing to see the national average dip to $2.99 per gallon this fall.”
The lowest gas price reported in the state on Wednesday was $2.69 at a Citgo in Green Bay.
There were five gas stations in Wisconsin tied for the state’s second-lowest reported price of $2.74 per gallon on Wednesday, including the Costco in Sun Prairie, BPs in Wheeler and Baraboo, Countryside in Strum and Phillips 66 in Baraboo.

(The Center Square) – A Wisconsin congressman is saying that Gov. Tony Evers’ claims are “misleading” about the costs of the federal reconciliation bill dubbed the “Big Beautiful Bill.”
Evers claimed last week that the bill will cost Wisconsin taxpayers $142 million annually, in large part due to increased workforce programs to help recipients fulfill work requirements, in increased state taxes.
But U.S. Rep. Scott Fitzgerald, R-5th Congressional, says that the work requirements for able-bodied recipients will save taxpayers nearly $326 billion between 2024 and 2035, according to the Congressional Budget Office.
Those savings would come due to federal money not spent on health care for those who do not meet the able-bodied work qualifications for the program. Those who have BadgerCare Plus who are ages 19 to 64 but do not have a child living with them under the age of 19 can meet the requirement of 80 hours per month of work, training or volunteering.
Changes to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program were also necessary, Fitzgerald said, because SNAP enrollment has grown 17% since 2019 with costs increasing 83% and a payment error rate that has nearly doubled nationally to 11%.
Fitzgerald said those changes include a “modest, incentive-based state benefit share, expanding work requirements for able-bodied adults without dependents, controlling runaway state administrative costs, and restricting eligibility for illegal aliens.”
Evers estimated that it would cost the state $11.4 million annually for additional staff to ensure that Wisconsin has an annual SNAP payment error rate below 6%. The state’s 2024 error rate was 4.47%. States with payment error rates higher than 6% will be required to pay 5% to 15% of SNAP benefit costs for the state.
“It’s the definition of bloated government spending,” Fitzgerald said in a statement. “Our focus is on restoring integrity to SNAP, keeping it strong for families who truly need help, and finally putting Washington’s spending habits on a diet.”
Fitzgerald also pointed to the elimination of SNAP food education courses, which the U.S. Government Accountability Office said cost the federal government nearly $907 million in fiscal year 2017 without having any provable effectiveness.
The reconciliation bill will lead to a $3,183 tax cut for the average Wisconsin taxpayer starting in 2026, according to The Tax Foundation. That compares to an average 3,752 tax cut nationwide, according to the group.
“Finally, Governor Evers conveniently ignores everything else the One Big Beautiful Bill delivers for the American people,” Fitzgerald said. “It delivers historic tax relief by boosting take-home pay, makes the Trump Tax Cuts permanent, eliminates taxes on tips and overtime, provides seniors eligible for Social Security tax relief, increases the child tax credit, and protects family farms from the death tax. It also fully funds President Trump’s border wall and increases staffing for ICE and Border Patrol to keep our communities safe.”