(The Center Square) – The top Republican in the Wisconsin Assembly says the current plan to allow local schools to decide cell phone rules for themselves is “weaker” than it should be.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos told News Talk 1130 WISN’s Jay Weber he’d like to see a total ban on cell phones for students while they are in school.
“If it were up to me, we’d do a bell-to-bell ban on the use of cell phones in school,” Vos said. “All the data shows one thing: That less access to technology during part of the day results in better emotional situations for kids, and better learning.”
Vos, however, said there’s not enough will in the rest of the legislature to make that happen.
The Assembly approved a plan in the spring that requires Wisconsin’s school districts to come up with their own cell phone policies. That means some schools may ban phones all together, while other schools could allow students to use their phones during the school day.
“The legislature, at the request of DPI and the governor, passed something that I think is weaker than it should be,” Vos added. “Every school district has to have a policy in place. So at least they debate it and decide what’s best.”
Vos said there’s an overwhelming amount of evidence that shows banning phones for students during the school day helps with grades, with class participation and with social skills.
“All of the evidence points in one direction,” Vos said.
Vos said the goal is to get a law on the books to deal with cell phones in schools, then fight for something stronger in the future.

(The Center Square) – A combination of increased spending and significant tax cuts will eliminate much of the Wisconsin state government’s remaining historic surplus and — if the economy tanks — might lead to spending cuts in future years.
“The biggest factor is economic growth,” said Tyler Byrnes, a senior research associate for the Wisconsin Policy Forum. “If you’re having good economic growth, you can weather the storm more easily.”
The nonpartisan group analyzes policies to help inform the decisions of elected leaders. It recently called the latest budget an “all of the above” compromise between Republicans and Democrats.
That’s because — along with significant income tax cuts — total spending is set to increase about 12% for the 2025-2027 budget years, which started in July. Wisconsin is among about 20 states that have biennial budgets.
That percentage increase to about $111 billion matches another large increase for the last budget, which featured more one-time spending. The new budget differs because spending increases and tax cuts will persist into future years, Byrnes said. It includes about $1 billion in income tax cuts for workers and retirees for the next two years.
In the past decade the state budget has swelled from about $73 billion to $111 billion, a 53% increase.
States have been flush with cash since the coronavirus pandemic due to higher levels of federal funding and sales tax revenues, and many have matched those surpluses with more spending and tax cuts.
Wisconsin had a general fund balance of about $7 billion in 2023. That is projected to dwindle to about $770 million in 2027, although the state has an additional emergency fund with $2 billion.
The economic factors loom large because a downturn has wide-ranging effects: It can lead to decreased revenues from sales taxes and the state income tax — which is the largest revenue source for Wisconsin — and spending increases for residents who qualify for subsidized health insurance and other assistance.
“If we see continued softening in economic growth, that will make it tough,” Byrnes said.
Other important factors that might complicate future budget decisions include: increased costs for Medicaid; reductions in federal aid; and inflation, he said.
A statement from the office of Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat who will not seek reelection next year, did not address all those concerns when asked by The Center Square but criticized President Donald Trump and federal Republican leadership for changes to healthcare and food subsidies in the recently passed One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
Evers estimates those changes will cost the state more than $140 million each year.
Wisconsin Senate President Mary Felzkowski and Speaker Robin Vos of the State Assembly, both Republicans, did not immediately respond to requests to comment for this article.
Steady growth
Republicans for more than a decade have had majorities in both chambers of the legislature, although Evers has been governor since 2019. And the Republican Senate ranks were reduced below a supermajority by Democrat wins in last year’s General Election.
That led five Democrats in the Senate to join Republicans to approve the current budget. Four Senate Republicans voted against it.
Before the pandemic the state’s budget had routine spending increases of between about 4% and 7%, according to a Center Square analysis. Massive general fund surpluses led to increases of about 12% in each of the past two budget cycles.
“If you take the pandemic out, the overall state budget from 2010 to 2025 has had pretty steady increases,” Byrnes said.
The largest spending increases in the past decade have been tied to education and healthcare, the analysis showed. An example: funding for the state universities of Wisconsin jumped about 16% in the new budget, or about $2.2 billion. University spending by the state increased between 2% and 4% in the budgets immediately before the pandemic.
State leaders have also used a significant portion of the surplus for roads projects. The transportation budget had increases of about $1 billion and $700 million in the two most-recent budgets, in part to fund those one-time projects.
Other significant spending increases were tied to special education, childcare and hospital reimbursements for low-income residents.
Medicaid funding
The most-significant departmental increase in funding in the new budget is for health services. Part of that nearly $8 billion increase stems from raising reimbursement rates to hospitals for subsidized care for low-income residents.
The state will charge more taxes from Medicaid health providers in exchange for paying the providers more in a bid to gain more federal funding. Wisconsin is among a handful of states that have eschewed more federal funding to cover those expenses for fear that the funding might diminish.
The decision to increase hospital taxes was spurred by the Big Beautiful Bill’s changes to Medicaid funding, which will block those increases and the federal funding that often accompanies them. Overall, the change is projected to add about $300 million to the state’s general fund this budget cycle, Byrnes said.
Health services spending in future years will be affected by Wisconsin’s aging population. The state’s median age is estimated to be more than 40 — significantly higher than many of its neighboring states.
Medicaid costs increase by age. It can cost the state an average of less than $2,000 per year to cover a child, whereas older residents can average more than $20,000 for long-term care.

(The Center Square) – The Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty filed a lawsuit on behalf of the Institute for Reforming Government attempting to have requests for investigations into Wisconsin judges become public records.
The lawsuit challenges a law that prevents those records from being released, claiming the law violates the First Amendment.
The challenge comes after IRG sent a request for investigation to the Wisconsin Judicial Commission for what IRG considered judicial misconduct.
The lawsuit also states there is a threat of punishment if anyone reveals that they have filed a request for investigation of a judge.
“The State of Wisconsin, through law and regulation, threatens any member of the public with punishment if they disclose that they have made allegations of judicial misconduct via requests for investigation which are filed with the Defendant Wisconsin Judicial Commission,” the lawsuit states.
The judicial investigation request was dismissed and IRG was denied the records when it requested the records to find out why the investigation was denied.
“IRG, and every Wisconsinite, has a fundamental right to hold government officials accountable and then to be able to talk about those efforts in the public domain,” WILL Deputy Counsel Lucas Vebber said in a statement. “Unfortunately, the Judicial Commission’s process operates behind closed doors, prohibiting public discourse and scrutiny of its actions. The lawsuit seeks to ensure every Wisconsinite can learn about requests for investigation brought against members of the judiciary. Our lawsuit makes clear that no one is above the law.”
The lawsuit claims that the Judicial Commission has no compelling interest in keeping the complaints and denials from the public.
“The Wisconsin Judicial Commission’s gag order that prevents IRG from communicating its critical oversight work to the public violates the First Amendment and cannot stand,” said IRG General Counsel Jacob Curtis. “Public accountability for the judicial branch is essential to ensuring public trust in government.”

(The Center Square) – Some University of Wisconsin campuses have a few more students this fall after the system released its preliminary enrollment numbers.
“New freshman enrollment is up 3%, or nearly 900 students, according to the preliminary estimates — with eight universities showing new freshman enrollment increases of 5% or more,” the university said in a statement. “Overall, enrollment is 164,340 in fall 2025, according to the preliminary estimates, down 96 students from the final 2024 fall enrollment counts.”
The university credits its Direct Admit program, where UW campuses accept students who graduate from Wisconsin high schools without requiring them to apply first, for some of the enrollment jumps at some campuses.
“We are seeing positive signs on enrollment for the third straight year,” Universities of Wisconsin President Jay Rothman added. “New freshman enrollment is particularly promising. It’s a win when our state’s public universities continue to attract and retain talent Wisconsin will need to prosper.”
The university is blaming a drop in international students for some of the enrollment decline across the UW system.
UW-Madison continues to be the largest campus in the UW System, with 51,550 students this fall. That’s 250 or so students less than last fall. UW-Green Bay saw the largest year-over-year enrollment increase. The Green Bay campus has nearly 300 more students this fall. Both the Stevens Point and Whitewater campuses have about 350 more students this year.
UW-Eau Claire and UW-Oshkosh saw the biggest drops in the UW System. Both campuses have about 500 fewer students than last fall.
“Eight of 13 universities showed increases under the preliminary enrollments. The Universities of Wisconsin have been providing enrollment estimates based on day one counts since fall 2020. Official enrollment counts will be released later this fall based on the 10th day of enrollment,” the university said.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin Republican lawmakers intend to push a bill to require Wisconsin to opt in to a new federal school choice tax credit.
But Gov. Tony Evers has said that he does not intend to allow the state to join the program.
Assembly Republicans and Rep. Jessie Rodriguez, R-Oak Creek, said that the bill was coming during a Tuesday afternoon news conference on the group’s plans for education bills this session. Soon after, Evers indicated that he does not plan to opt in to the program, which allows a 100% tax credit for anyone who donates up to $1,700 to a school choice scholarship granting organization.
“It’s unfortunate the Governor does not intend to opt Wisconsin into the new federal school choice tax credit, which would give dollar-for-dollar tax credits to people who donate to organizations that award scholarships for students in private and public schools,” Rodriguez said.
Governors and legislators across the country have debated whether to opt in after the tax credit was created through a federal reconciliation bill, with debates in neighboring Illinois and across the country. The tax credit is set to begin in 2027.
“The governor is hurting all students in Wisconsin by refusing to opt into this tax credit,” Wisconsin Institute for Law and Liberty Research Director Will Flanders wrote. “This is why Wisconsin continues to fall behind other states who are more than willing to think outside the box when it comes to educating their students.”
Flanders took part in Tuesday’s news conference. Rodriguez said that, if Wisconsin fails to opt in for the tax credit, it will allow donors in other states to benefit from Wisconsin tax dollars while state residents cannot.
She asked that Evers reconsider his decision, which she said has no cost to Wisconsin taxpayers.
“I fear the Governor may not understand the policy too well,” Rodriguez said. “He claims that opting our state in would be ‘catastrophic’ to public schools, but the federal tax credit can benefit students in private and public schools alike. This program isn’t about one type of school. It helps public, private, charter, and homeschool families access the tools their kids need to succeed. These scholarships can be used for tutoring, transportation, or supplemental courses that directly support children in the classroom.”

(The Center Square) – One of suburban Milwaukee’s Republican congressmen says the federal government must provide oversight to Milwaukee’s bus system.
Congressman Bryan Steil last week wrote to the nation’s transportation secretary, asking for federal oversight after reports showed that a full third of people riding Milwaukee County buses are not paying fares.
“We need far more transparency about what’s going on. Why did it take investigative reporters to discover this? Why wasn’t this front and center in front of Milwaukee County leaders?” Steil said Tuesday on News Talk 1130 WISN. “Oversight, standards, transparency. This is what the federal government apparently has to provide, because Milwaukee County Transit System is not going to do it themselves.”
The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel last week first reported that nearly 3.5 million people haven’t paid fares so far this year. At $2 per-fare, that’s nearly $7 million.
Steil said that’s clearly one reason why Milwaukee County’s Transit System is running an $11 million deficit.
“One-out-of-three people are walking right by the fare box,” Steil added. “You know who that’s really unfair to? The two-out-of-three people that are actually playing by the rules in paying their way. So, this is all about oversight, about transparency, and about the United States Department of Transportation having standards that we’re going to enforce.”
Steil said the federal government “subsidizes” Milwaukee County’s bus system by about $50 million.
“We have President Trump in office if we can finally address the waste, fraud, and abuse that’s occurring with the massive amount of taxpayer dollars that are going to a whole host of programs across the country,” Steil said. “We should be making sure that we have some oversight, clear standards, and transparency about what’s going on in Milwaukee County. That we’re operating fairly and efficiently, because at the end of the day this is taxpayer money that’s being lost by the fact that Milwaukee is not enforcing the rule of law.”

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s Assembly Republicans are planning a series of education bills that include assistance for consolidating school districts, addressing racial achievement gaps in the state, create a teacher bill of rights and promote dual enrollment classes in the state’s high schools.
Wisconsin currently has 53,000 less K-12 students than it did a decade ago as the state’s population decline due to fertility rate has begun to show up in schools.
The state was estimated to have a population of 5.96 million in late 2024 that is expected to drop to 5.71 million by 2050.
Wisconsin currently has 421 school districts and an ever-increasing number of districts going to referendum to fund infrastructure and operations as they continue to serve less students each year.
“That number is going to have to drop if we are going to have to fulfil those obligations,” said Rep. Amanda Nedweski, R-Pleasant Prairie.
Full details of a proposal were not released at a news conference on Tuesday but Nedweski said the plan is to give school districts the tools to study and enact both consolidations and shared services between districts.
The bill would also put in place a plan to address the consolidation of districts with different property tax rates, including some “backfill” with state funds to equalize rates between districts.
“Our goal is to provide support, give tools and provide incentives for voluntary consolidation,” Nedweski said.
The Assembly Republicans also plan to start four new task forces to address rulemaking, elder services, government efficiency and protecting kids.
The rulemaking task force will look to address a Wisconsin Supreme Court ruling that stripped the Legislature of much of its rulemaking and enforcement power related to how Wisconsin agencies enact laws.
Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, has called the current process of avoiding rulemaking “outside of the law” and that was reiterated on Tuesday as the supreme court ruling was called “a 180” from how Wisconsin government has operated in the past.
Vos said that the Wisconsin Senate is in a “deliberative process” but he is confident that bills can be passed before the session adjourns in February.
“We are the ones who work a little faster in the Assembly,” Vos said.
The dual enrollment bill will aim to streamline regulations, align deadlines and improve credit transferability.

(The Center Square) – Milwaukee County Executive David Crowley will run to be Wisconsin’s governor, his campaign announced Tuesday.
Crowley will joint Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez in the field as a Democrat after Gov. Tony Evers announced he will not seek reelection.
“I know what it’s like to struggle, and I know families across our state feel like they’re falling behind,” Crowley said in a statement. “With costs shooting up, we are all getting less, even if we’re making more. As Governor, I’ll fight every day to make sure that everyone in our state has access to what they need to succeed: good-paying jobs, more money in their pockets, affordable health care and housing, and fully funded public schools.
“Together, we can build a Wisconsin that works for all of us.”
Crowley previously said that he was taking steps to enter the race so his official announcement was not a surprise.
Whitefish Bay Resident Bill Berrien and Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann, both Republicans, were the first two candidates to announce they are running for the seat.
Crowley was a Wisconsin legislator before becoming Milwaukee County Executive. He chaired the Milwaukee Caucus and the Legislative Black Caucus.
The Democratic primary is scheduled for Aug. 11, 2026.
“As a legislator, I fought to protect the rights of people across our state, and as County Executive, I’ve led Wisconsin’s largest and most diverse county,” Crowley said. “The challenges I’ve addressed in Milwaukee County aren’t specific to one county or one political party; these are issues that communities face all across Wisconsin.”

(The Center Square) – A group of Wisconsin lawmakers are proposing to end state income tax on overtime earnings.
The bill would subtract the income tax on overtime and have workers instead pay income tax on the normal rate of pay. The bill is intended to conform to federal Internal Revenue Code requirements.
The bill is sponsored by state Sen. Rob Hutton, R-Brookfield along with Reps. Paul Melotik, Bob Donovan, and Benjamin Franklin, and Sens. Van Wanggaard and Julian Bradley.
“When Wisconsinites step up to cover extra shifts and keep our communities running, the tax code shouldn’t punish that effort,” Hutton said in a statement. “This bill helps workers keep more of what they earn and supports employers across sectors—from manufacturing and health care to public safety and hospitality.”
The bill would have what authors call “reasonable limits” on the exception in order to benefit workers that are most likely to rely on overtime. The idea has been proposed before in Wisconsin but not implemented.
“We’re aligning with federal definitions to keep things simple and ensure there aren’t compliance headaches for workers or employers at tax time,” Hutton said. “This bill is a practical step to ensure hard-working Wisconsinites keep more of what they earn.”

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin’s state-owned bridges are in better condition than locally owned county or municipality bridges, according to a new report.
Only 1.6% of the 5,300 bridges statewide operated by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation are considered in poor condition, according to data analyzed by Wisconsin Policy Forum.
That compared to 11.3% of the county-owned bridges being rated poor, 8.8% of those in cities and villages and 8.6% of town-owned bridges being rated poor.
Each Wisconsin bridge is evaluated on three criteria at least every two years, with those in poor condition or older bridges evaluated more frequently, according to the report.
Overall, 51.0% of Wisconsin’s bridges were rated “good” with 6.6% rated in “poor” condition in 2024. Nationwide, 44.1% of bridges are rated as “good.”
“The proportion of Wisconsin’s bridges in good condition consistently has surpassed the national average for many years,” Wisconsin Policy Forum wrote.
Wisconsin’s DOT owns 37.3% of bridges, towns own 31.3%, counties own 21.8% and both cities and villages own 9.4% of the bridges.
The bridges are rated on the condition of the bridge’s deck, the structure that supports the deck and the substructure that supports the entire bridge.
Each area of the bridge is given a rating between zero and nine with zero a failure and nine an excellent rating.
The bridge’s final score is determined by the lowest of the three ratings.
“Bridges are a vital part of Wisconsin’s road network, helping to connect communities and businesses across the state,” the analysis said. “Bridges that are in poor condition are more likely to have weight limits on the vehicles that use them or to be closed completely, which can result in increased traffic congestion and travel times and contribute to potential economic disruptions.”
The analysis showed that local governments have a more difficult time funding bridge repairs and replacements despite $100 million in supplemental state funds that have been available for the repairs in each of the past four state budgets.
“The recent increases in shared revenue and state transportation aid may help communities to fund local bridge projects going forward,” the analysis said. “Many local communities, however, may continue to find it difficult to finance major bridge projects without running up against state limits to property tax increases. Ultimately, state and local leaders will have to decide how much they’re willing to tax and spend in service of maintaining high-quality bridges on interstates and rural roads.”

(The Center Square) – Milwaukee’s new superintendent says the city’s school district will likely need $100 million more.
Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said on UpFront over the weekend that Milwaukee schools could be looking at a $100 million “structural imbalance” as soon as next year.
“If there is no additional state aid coming in, that would either mean pretty drastic cuts to the district or raising of revenue somehow to be able to continue to provide the same level of service we’re providing today,” Cassellius said.
Cassellius didn’t offer any specifics but blamed inflation for part of the imbalance.
“Any time you have inflation, our gas prices go up, our utility prices go up, our food prices go up. And I’m sure parents are tightening their own belts, and so we’ll be tightening our belts as well as we face what might be up to $100 million structural imbalance that we think we might have next year as we begin to look at the budget for the upcoming school year,” Cassellius added.
The talk of a budget shortfall comes a little more than a year after MPS went to taxpayers for their last budget shortfall.
Voters in Milwaukee approved a $250 million property tax increase for MPS in April 2024.
“I’m a superintendent, and have been a state superintendent, and I like to ask for money all the time,” Cassellius joked on UpFront. “But we do have adequate funding right now, thanks to the wonderful Milwaukee voters who voted for [the] referendum. I think we’d be in a really different place right now had the Milwaukee voters not given us their trust.”
Cassellius said she is “dedicated to making sure that we continue to earn that trust and be good stewards of the public’s money.”
But any request for more money will come as MPS continues to struggle with the loss of state aid because of last summer’s fiscal mismanagement scandal. The district has still not turned in all of its late financial reports.
And there’s MPS’ falling enrollment, as well as the district’s chronic absenteeism rate, low graduation rate, and Milwaukee Public Schools’ worst-in-the-nation racial learning gap.
Cassellius said she’s already spoken to the Republicans who control the state legislature and is cautiously optimistic.
“[The talks] have gone really well. Obviously, I think they’ll want to see some demonstrated results out of MPS, but they’ve been open and friendly, and I think they want to see change at MPS, too,” Cassellius added.

(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.