(The Center Square) – A bill that would require Wisconsin health care providers to transparently post a list of the prices for their 300 most common procedures will next head to the full Senate after it passed committee on a 3-1 vote.
Hospital groups and the Wisconsin Hospital Association opposed the bill, saying it’s a repeat of federal policy already in place, but bill sponsors say the topic is popular with the public and adds teeth to requirements that hospitals and providers comply and are transparent about the cost of services.
Sen. Julian Bradley, R-New Berlin, told The Center Square on Monday that the bill sponsors are highly supportive of doctors, nurses and providers but the measure is requiring administrators to show patients how much a procedure would cost before receiving the service instead of receiving a surprise bill total later.
Bradley said that he sat down at a computer with those who oppose the bill and showed them how providers in the state do not currently show the prices on their websites.
“There’s no other industry in the world where you find out the price of something after you’ve purchased it and it’s been delivered,” Bradley said. “This is about transparency.”
Bradley added that the bill directly follows the federal guidelines in President Donald Trump’s executive order, so it isn’t duplicative, but it will put those requirements in place permanently in Wisconsin.
He said that sponsors amended the bill to delay fines for hospitals that are actively working to comply with the requirements after meeting with them.
“We’ve tried to overcome every possible objection that the hospitals can come up with and, keep in mind, the only people in opposition of this are the hospitals and the hospital association,” Bradley said.
Hospitals, meanwhile, say that they are being transparent with patients on pricing.
“Hospitals across Wisconsin have provided patients with price transparency tools that far exceed their obligations under federal regulation,” the WHA said in testimony against the bill. “Due to advancements in technology and integration with electronic health records systems, hospitals and health systems have increasingly utilized “push” estimates to patients. A ‘push’ estimate is proactively sent to patients in advance of their service without the patient requesting it.”
Bradley said the largest difference between Senate Bill 383 and the federal requirements is that the Wisconsin bill requires a button to be prominently displayed on a provider’s website for price transparency.

(The Center Square) – A proposal to eliminate Wisconsin income tax on overtime pay is headed for a Tuesday committee vote.
Assembly Bill 461 would match a temporary federal income tax exemption on overtime that would apply to the extra pay received for working overtime up to $12,500 per year for an individual or $25,000 per year for joint filers.
The exemption is targeted at middle-income residents and is phased out for those making an adjusted gross income between $150,000 and $275,000 as an individual or $300,000 to $550,000 as a joint filer.
“Assembly Bill 461 is a practical step to ensure hard-working Wisconsinites keep more of what they earn at a time when their families need that money much more than the government,” Sen. Rob Hutton, R-Brookfield, said in testimony on the bill. “It ensures their sacrifice of personal and family time is not unduly punished by our tax code, supports staffing needs, and honors our state’s traditions of hard work and sacrifice.”
The current federal exemption applies to tax years 2025 through 2028 but the Wisconsin bill would not have an endpoint.
The bill would reduce Wisconsin tax collections by an estimated $176 million in fiscal year 2026 and then $150 million each year after that.
“Not adopting this policy in Wisconsin would further degrade Wisconsin’s tax competitiveness,” Evan Umpir, the General Counsel and Director of Tax, Transportation & Legal Affairs for the Wisconsin Chamber wrote in testimony supporting the bill. “For Wisconsin to remain competitive, we should make sure our tax code rewards hard work and productivity.”

(The Center Square) – Democrats in Wisconsin are joining others from across the country in criticizing or condemning ICE after last week’s deadly shooting in Minneapolis.
Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, who is running for governor, sent a letter to Wisconsin’s members of Congress asking for ICE operations to be suspended.
“The [Trump] administration’s agents should be investigated, charged, and held fully accountable. In this country, no person can be above the law, especially not a public official who abuses their power,” Roys said.
She also called ICE agents a “violent, untrained, unaccountable paramilitary force” and she called them “armed vigilantes who are assaulting our freedoms.”
Roys’ view on ICE is similar to the views from The Milwaukee Democratic Socialists of America, which called for ICE to be abolished.
“We need to keep our communities safe from the masked agents empowered by our right-wing government to act belligerently without consequence,” Milwaukee DSA co-Chair Andy Barbour said.
One of Wisconsin’s tribes, the Oneida Nation, on Sunday said while it has talked about keeping ICE and its agents off tribal lands, said it’s not possible.
“The Oneida Nation does not welcome ICE agents onto our reservation. However, it is not possible to ban them from the reservation – as much as their actions are condemned,” the tribe said in a Sunday press release. “It is important that while we go about our lives, when confronted with ICE agents and the appalling enforcement activities, that we do not increase tensions and manage situations in a calm manner. Should anything arise regarding ICE agents, we have asked Oneida Police Department to assist members in ensuring interaction is lawful and that proper documentation is presented. Our goal is to keep members safe during these escalating troubled times.”
Other Wisconsin Democratic leaders, including Gov. Tony Evers, have condemned the shooting in Minneapolis.

(The Center Square) – Voters from 36 states across the country will return to the polls to elect their next governors in 2026.
Several governors races are expected to see fierce competition between parties as they battle for control of their states. In other states, like California, primary challenges are likely to determine who will be elected to state leadership.
Out of 36 governors races in 2026, the Cook Political Report ranks five as “toss ups” where “either party has a good chance of winning.”
Here are those races.
Arizona
Incumbent Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs is seeking reelection in a race that appears to be hotly contested.
Karrin Robson, a former candidate for Arizona governor, and Arizona U.S. Reps. Andy Biggs and David Schweikert will face off in a three-way primary election for the Republican nomination. Both Biggs and Robson received endorsements from President Donald Trump in the race for governor.
Robson has run on implementing principles of Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency to reduce government spending in Arizona.
“While Katie Hobbs misplaces hundreds of millions of taxpayer funds and grows the government, Karrin will shrink it,” Robson’s website reads. “She will streamline operations, prioritize responsible spending, and hold every agency accountable.”
Biggs has focused on border security throughout his campaign so far, with a focus on implementing Trump’s immigration agenda.
Hobbs has made affordability a focus of her campaign, touting her record over the past four years of reducing budget deficits in the state and providing tax cuts to middle class families. She also highlighted her work to order National Guard troops to the southern border.
Arizona’s primary election to determine who Hobbs will face off against in the general election is set for Aug. 4.
Michigan
Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer is term-limited and a crowded group looks to succeed her.
Secretary of State Jocelyn Benson and Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrest, are looking to win the Democratic nomination for the Great Lakes State. They are joined by Democrats Marni Sawicki, former mayor of Cape Coral, Fla., and Chris Swanson, sheriff of Genesee County.
U.S. Rep. John James, former Michigan attorney general Mike Cox and Tom Leonard, former speaker of the Michigan House of Representatives, are vying for the Republican nomination to be Michigan’s governor.
Benson, seen as a frontrunner for the Democratic nomination according to recent polling data, has focused her campaign on highlighting past achievements as the secretary of state. She has highlighted past achievements in voter security, reducing government bureaucracy, and reducing costs.
“As Secretary of State, Jocelyn has overseen the highest turnout, most secure elections in Michigan’s history by making it easier to vote and harder to cheat,” Benson’s campaign website reads.
As frontrunner for the Republican nomination, James has focused his campaign on lowering taxes and healthcare expenses.
“John will audit wasteful DEI programs, eliminate foreign influence in our institutions, and rebuild trust in government,” James’ website reads.
Michigan will hold its primary election on Aug. 4.
Wisconsin
Democratic Gov. Tony Evers announced in July he is retiring from politics. Evers’ retirement has left a field open for others hoping to fill his post.
Lt. Gov. Sara Rodriguez, former lieutenant Gov. Mandela Barnes, state Rep. Francesca Hong and Milwaukee County executive David Crowley are among a crowded field seeking the Democratic nomination.
In a less crowded race, Republicans in Wisconsin are looking to take back the governor’s mansion as U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany, Washington County executive Josh Schoemann and Andy Manske have declared campaigns for candidacy.
Barnes has highlighted past issues from his campaign that he plans to focus on as governor. He focused on using public funding to lower energy costs in the state and expanded voting opportunities.
As Republicans look to retake the Wisconsin governorship, frontrunner Tiffany has touted his past legislative experience and pushed for an end to sanctuary jurisdiction laws in Wisconsin.
Wisconsin will hold its partisan primary elections on Aug. 11.
Georgia
Term-limited Gov. Brian Kemp will end his two-term run as the governor of Georgia and hand the reins off to another candidate in the Peach State.
On the federal level, Georgia is considered a swing state with two Democratic U.S. senators and the state’s preferring Joe Biden in 2020 but Trump in 2024. However, on the state level, Republicans have consistently had the advantage.
Several members of Kemp’s cabinet have declared their candidacy for the seat. Attorney General Chris Carr, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and Secretary of State Brad Raffensberger are each vying for the Republican nomination.
President Donald Trump offered Jones his “Complete and Total Endorsement” for governor in August 2025, giving a boost to the lieutenant governor’s bid.
“We’re fighting for election integrity, lower taxes, and to secure Georgia values,” Jones wrote in a post on social media.
Democrats in Georgia are hopeful to capitalize on their wins in the U.S. Senate by flipping the governor’s mansion.
Former Republican Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan, former mayor of Atlanta Keisha Lance Bottoms and Mike Thurmond have all declared candidacy for the Democratic governor nomination.
Lance Bottoms has focused on expanding Medicaid as a key component of her campaign for governor.
“Keisha will work to eliminate income taxes for teachers, crack down on corporate landlords that are buying up houses and making it harder for families to buy a home or afford rent, and she will invest in education so our children have better pathways to success through career training or college,” Lance Bottom’s website reads.
Georgia’s primary election is set for May 19.
Nevada
Incumbent Republican Gov. Joe Lombardo is running for a second term in Nevada. With less competition compared to other battleground states, Attorney General Aaron Ford looks to be the Democrat poised to take on Lombardo.
In 2024, Trump won Nevada as the first Republican president to do so since 2004.
Ford has received endorsements from both Democrat U.S. Sens. Catherine Cortez Masto and Jacky Rosen in his bid for governor.
Trump has endorsed Lombardo is his reelection campaign.
“As governor, he is fighting tirelessly to Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Ensure NO TAX ON TIPS, Advance MADE IN THE U.S.A., Unleash American Energy DOMINANCE,” Trump wrote on social media. “Joe Lombardo is SMART, STRONG, AND TOUGH.”

(The Center Square) – One of Wisconsin’s Republican congressmen said he voted to extend the COVID-era health care subsidies because the country needs an off-ramp.
Western Wisconsin Republican Derrick Van Orden voted for a House plan that would extend the Biden-era enhanced subsidies for three years.
“We have to have a bridging mechanism,” Van Orden said. “You can’t just turn the spigot off.”
Van Orden voted against the subsidy extension just a day earlier. But he said on Thursday that Republicans have to do something other than say no.
“This is an absolute Democrat problem, and the Republicans are going to ride a horse in, and fix this,” he added. “But we have to have a bridging mechanism.”
Republican leaders in the Senate have said the extension plan from the House is dead on arrival, so it remains to be seen just what that “bridging mechanism” will be.
The COVID subsidies have become a major issue in Van Orden’s race for Congress. A liberal group earlier this week announced a seven-figure ad buy to target Van Orden for his opposition to continuing the enhanced subsidies.
Late Thursday night, one of Van Orden’s Democratic opponents blasted Van Orden for his vote.
“The House did the right thing [by] passing a 3-year extension of the ACA tax credits. But it shouldn’t have taken this long,” Democrat Rebecca Cooke said on X. “And let’s be clear:@derrickvanorden spent months attacking these tax credits and has repeatedly called for repealing the ACA. His vote today shows he’s scared of losing – and he should be.”
A number of Republican voters criticized Van Orden on X on Thursday, including one who said Van Orden’s vote cost him a vote.
Van Orden responded.
“Today I voted to give us enough time to fix what the democrats broke,” Van Orden wrote. “We need an off-road. We are already working on real policy change.”

(The Center Square) – Voters in Wisconsin are worried about their wallets heading into the 2026 elections.
The Institute for Reforming Government recently released the results of its listening session tour, and unsurprisingly “affordability” is the number one concern.
“By far, the most significant issue discussed in every listening session was cost of living – rising prices in the basic essentials – as well as costs related to housing, health care and child care. Inflationary pressures on food and living expenses, housing, health care, child care,” IRG’s report stated.
“Similarly, in IRG’s poll of statewide voters, 39% of voters said that “cost of living” was the #1 issue that would drive their vote, which included 49% of Independents. One of every two voters said lowering food costs.”
Wisconsin voters are not alone in worrying about affording the basics. Most 2026 polls say affordability is the top issue for voters this year.
IRG’s CEO CJ Szafir said voters are drawing a line from their day-to-day struggles to politics, policies and their votes.
“The data makes one point unmistakably clear: affordability is the defining issue for Wisconsin families. Residents across the state described grocery bills that feel unsustainable, housing and tax burdens rising faster than wages, child care and health care costs that strain every household budget, and jobs that fail to keep pace with inflation,” Czafir said. “The takeaway is simple – candidates who prioritize affordability and present serious, practical solutions will be the ones who earn the trust of Wisconsin voters in 2026.”
The IRG report says health care, state taxes and housing are the second-biggest issues for voters.
“Over 60% of voters indicated that health care, taxes, and housing were important issues for their vote,” Czafir added.
As has been the case for years, voters say they are also worried about the state’s public schools. But, the report says, it is not a top concern.
“Only 5% of voters indicated that K-12 education was the most important issue in 2026,” the report added. “In the same poll, while voters had plenty of ideas to improve their schools, of the respondents that had school-aged children living at home with them, 45% of them said that they were ‘very satisfied’ with their children’s schools.”

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin is expecting more people and higher costs from its Medicaid program in the coming year.
The state’s Department of Health Services this week wrote a letter to lawmakers explaining that costs will be $213 million more than expected.
“Several factors are contributing to the projected deficit,” Health Department Secretary-designee Kirsten Johnson wrote. The “Medicaid budget adopted lower Family Care and Family Care Partnership enrollment growth trends than the Department recommended during budget development. The actual enrollment trend so far this biennium suggests program enrollment will be even higher than the Department anticipated.”
Specifically, Johnson said managed care enrollment will cost $45 million more than expected. She also said fee-for-service nursing home expenditures and Children’s Long Term Supports costs will be “significantly higher than budget due to higher-than-projected utilization.” Johnson said the fee for service increase will be at least $59 million higher, and the CLTScosts will be $38 million more.
Johnson said there could be some cost savings. She told lawmakers that “BadgerCare Plus and SSI Managed Care enrollment has trended lower than budget in the first six months of the year.”
But she also warned that HMO costs are higher than expected. Still, Johnson told lawmakers “managed acute care costs are more favorable compared to the budget.”
Wisconsin’s state budget has $9.7 billion set aside for Medicaid, and it’s not clear whether Republicans will find more money for the program.
Johnson promised to continue to update lawmakers as 2026 begins.
“The department will continue to manage program funds in a cost-effective manner while maintaining access to quality health care to over 1 million Wisconsinites,” Johnson added.

(The Center Square) – Menomonie’s leadership on Monday unanimously approved regulation changes in zoning that will classify data centers in the northwestern Wisconsin community as such rather than in the same designation as warehouses.
Zoning, lot sizes, and land use for large artificial intelligence data centers is included in the changes.
Balloonist is considering building a data center in Menomonie. The new regulations mean Balloonist will need to reapply for zoning and permitting.
The community of about 17,000 off Interstate 94 between Minneapolis and Eau Claire is not alone in looking to set rules for data centers. Madison and Milwaukee are also looking at adopting data center regulations, as are state lawmakers.
State Rep. Shannon Zimmerman, R-River Falls, and Sen. Romaine Quinn, R-Birchwood, on Monday introduced legislation that would create new statewide regulations.
“With guardrails in place, Wisconsin can be a leader in the digital economy while protecting residents and ensuring responsible development,” Quinn said.
The plan from Quinn and Zimmerman would:
• Prohibit energy costs for data centers from being passed on to other customers.
• Require any renewable energy used to power data centers to be located at the site.
• Require water used by a data center for cooling purposes to be recycled.
● Require data centers to annually report the total amount of water used.
• Require a data center to file a bond or security sufficient to cover the cost of any required reclamation.
• If construction of a proposed data center is not completed, the owner must restore the parcel to the condition that existed prior to any construction
“The bill I am introducing will prevent utility companies from passing their electricity costs on to any other customer. Wisconsin is open for business – just not at the expense of ratepayers already here,” Quinn added.

(The Center Square) – Some of the loudest opposition to the Trump Administration’s raid in Venezuela is coming from Wisconsin’s progressive lawmakers.
Democratic candidate for governor Francesca Hong was one of the first to accuse the president of breaking the law and starting a new war.
“Trump’s rogue attack on Venezuela and the abduction of Maduro sets an alarming precedent that does nothing to make our country safer or improve the lives of working Americans. It is not only unconstitutional, but a violation of international law,” Hong wrote on X.
President Donald Trump on Saturday announced that U.S. special forces went into Venezuela to capture now-former president Nicholas Maduro. Maduro has been indicted on drug trafficking charges. He’s due in a New York City courtroom today for an arraignment.
Wisconsin Democratic Socialist Ryan Clancy cheered the weekend protest in Milwaukee against the Venezuelan raid.
“I’m grateful to the folks who braved the cold [Saturday], with just a few hours’ notice, to stand with the people of Venezuela and against the Trump regime’s unlawful act of war,” Clancy wrote on X. “This isn’t about one person. This isn’t about drugs (and Trump has been explicit about this, noting that he wants to hand control of Venezuela over to oil companies). It’s unacceptable and dangerous for one country to accuse a leader of a crime and to invade that country to abduct them. When regime change is external, it shatters countries’ autonomy and costs lives.”
The protests in Milwaukee saw a few dozen people turn out. Milwaukee state Sen. Chris Larson, D-Milwaukee, also took to social media to blast President Trump and the Venezuelan raid.
“Trump and his regime are not only a national embarrassment. Today, they made themselves into an international pariah,” Larson added on X. “It is distinctly unAmerican to ignore history and rekindle the worst mistakes of our previous attempts at regime change. No more wars for oil.”
Wisconsin’s Republican state lawmakers were mostly silent on the raid, but the state’s Republican congressmen all supported the raid on X over the weekend.

(The Center Square) – 2025 was a deadlier year in Milwaukee after the city’s police department reported a jump in homicides last year.
Milwaukee’s homicide database shows 142 people were killed in the city in 2025, compared to 132 in 2024. That is an 8% increase.
Milwaukee Police are not offering any thoughts as to why more people were killed in 2025 than 2024.
Mayor Cavalier Johnson told The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the spike in homicides is “vexing.”
The murder increase in Milwaukee stands out, in part, because 2025 saw fewer murders in most big cities. Washington, D.C reported a 31% drop in homicides, while Chicago reported 30% fewer killings. New York City, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and New Orleans also reported a drop in homicides in 2025.
Nationwide, the FBI said homicides fell almost 20% in the last year.
Milwaukee did see a double digit drop in other crimes, however.
The police database shows a 19% drop in non-fatal shootings. Milwaukee Police say 515 people were shot and survived in 2025, down from 637 in 2024.
Aggravated assaults fell 22%, and robberies dropped 28%. But the biggest year-over-year decline in crime in Milwaukee came from carjacking cases.
The police database reported a 49% drop in carjackings, from 513 in 2024 down to 264 in 2025.

(The Center Square) – As legislation continues to move on $210 million in tax incentives for a new $1.5 billion pulpwood facility in Hayward, Synthec Fuels’ chief operating officer said that the decision on whether to put the facility in Hayward or another state is not solely dependent on the state funds.
The plant would take pulpwood and turn it into aviation fuel in what is called sustainable aviation fuel made from CORSIA wood mass operated by a German company working with Wisconsin-based Johnson Timber.
A bill dubbed the Forestry Revitalization Act would provide $60 million in enterprise tax credits and use the state forestry account to back $150 million in bonds for an incentive toward the project.
“You’re not selecting your site because of any incentives, you know, there are other factors which each are important,” Synthec Fuels CEO Matthias Mueller told The Chronotype of Rice Lake. “This is a significant amount, and even though we are fully funded, it creates positive effect on our side, and so we will have to weigh everything if decisions are being made. But I think this is premature, right now, to say that.”
The bill had a public hearing in the Senate Committee on Insurance, Housing, Rural Issues and Forestry in October but has not seen a vote or an Assembly public hearing.
Senate President Mary Felzkowski, R-Tomahawk, is a bill sponsor along with Rep. Chanz Green, R-Grand View.
“This facility would be a great boon to Wisconsin, directly creating about 150 jobs at the facility and supporting over 200 additional jobs for loggers, truckers, foresters, etc., and converting 880,000 tons of wood residue into 48 million gallons of biofuel annually,” Felzkowski said in testimony supporting the bill.
Mueller told the paper that Hayward was the “first choice” for the plant over options in Minnesota and Michigan and that access to pulpwood, energy and both rail and highway transportation are important factors along with the tax incentives.
“The good news is that our business plan is not relying on it, but obviously, you know, it’s enhancing the bottom line, and it’s lowering the risk at our end,” Mueller told the outlet.
Part of the need for the sustainable aviation fuel is European regulations, which require a mix of the fuel.
The European Union will require 2% blends of the fuel by 2025, or 1.2 million tons, and 20% by 2035, or 13.6 million tons.

(The Center Square) – Krause Funeral Home and Cremation Services workers in the Milwaukee area are no longer represented by a union after an employee-backed petition was filed earlier this year, the company withdrew recognition of the union and the Teamsters Local 344 union dropped a complaint in the case.
Krause employee Noah Watry and fellow workers filed a decertification petition in October and National Right to Work Foundation staff attorneys filed a motion to intervene in a case in front of the National Labor Relations Board.
The petition asked the NLRB to hold a vote to remove the union from the three Milwaukee-based Krause locations. Those represented included funeral directors, embalmers and apprentices at the locations in Milwaukee, Brookfield and New Berlin.
The union then accused Krause and the NLRB from withdrawing recognition illicitly and filed unfair labor practice charges.
“This case illustrates clearly the lengths that union officials will go in order to hold on to power in a workplace where workers would prefer to be independent,” National Right to Work Foundation President Mark Mix said in a statement. “The Foundation is pleased to have been able to aid Mr. Watry and his colleagues in navigating the convoluted federal labor bureaucracy that places hardworking Americans like them at a disadvantage whenever they seek to exercise their rights.”
Wisconsin is one of 26 states with Right to Work laws that make union affiliation and dues payment strictly voluntary, even though union officials can impose exclusive bargaining control upon all workers in a workplace.

(The Center Square) – The woman who was almost Wisconsin’s state superintendent of schools says 2026 needs to be the year that the adults in charge of education in the state do their part to help children read.
Brittany Kinser, who lost the 2024 race for superintendent and now leads Kids Win Wisconsin, said 2026 starts the second year since Act 20 was supposed to overhaul how teachers teach kids how to read.
But, she said, it hasn’t.
“Nearly 100,000 early-grade students, or 36.8%, were identified as at risk for reading difficulties. In first grade alone, 47% of students fell below the reading benchmark,” Kinser wrote in her latest Kids Win Wisconsin newsletter.
She, however, doesn’t blame the kids.
“We know what works. When the science of reading is fully implemented early, children succeed. What’s left now is adult responsibility – following through on implementation, being honest about results, and restoring high academic standards,” Kinser told TCS.
Act 20 is supposed to retrain teachers, with a focus on the science of reading, to boost student reading levels by the fourth grade. But its roll out has been slow, and in some places scattered.
Official training began in July, and not every teacher has completed the course.
Some school districts say it is expensive to comply with the new law, and some have said they would not have changed anything about their reading lessons unless forced to by the state.
Kinser said that puts even more focus on adult decisions in Wisconsin’s schools.
“Kids don’t control schools or policy – adults do. And adults have to take responsibility when kids can’t read,” Kinder added. “Our kids have all the potential in the world. They deserve adults who are willing to match that potential with high expectations and real accountability so 95% of children can read well and build a bright future.”
Kinser’s Kids Win Wisconsin has an online tool that shows parents just how well their kids’ school is doing with literacy proficiency.

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin lawmakers will again work to alter the state’s unemployment laws when bills increasing weekly unemployment pay by $25 and creating a website for employers to report job ghosting along with adding identity verification procedures to initial unemployment claims.
The bills are scheduled to be voted on in the Assembly Workforce, Labor and Integrated Employment Committee on Tuesday.
The stipulations were the result of negotiations between both labor and management through the state’s Unemployment Insurance Advisory Council, which has five members representing labor unions and five representing employers.
The unemployment pay increase in Assembly Bill 652 would make the maximum weekly benefit $395, the first increase since 2014. The bill adds a $5,000 fine for attempting to fraudulently obtain benefits in another person’s name.
“Like any negotiation and compromise, employers did not get everything we wanted into the agreed bill,” Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce Executive Vice President of Government Relations Scott Manley said in testimony on the bill. “Similarly, we know our friends in the labor caucus did not get everything they wanted either. But what both sides ultimately agreed to advances priorities for both workers and employers.”
The bill seeks to eliminate employment ghosting – an employee not showing up for an interview, declining a job offer or failing to show up for the first day of work – by eliminating unemployment benefits if any of those occur. The bill does have a clause for circumstances considered “good cause” for any of the mentioned job ghosting.
Department of Workforce Development Legislative Director Rachel Harvey testified on the bill, saying the unemployment pay increase is insufficient, comparing it to rates in Minnesota ($948), Illinois ($593), Iowa ($622) and Michigan ($614).
She also objected to a part of the bill that would reduce unemployment payments is someone is also receiving Social Security disability payments after a court ruled the state cannot block unemployment for those receiving disability.
“This bill package includes law changes that are inconsistent with current payments under a federal court’s order, have previously been vetoed by Governor Evers, are redundant requirements that mirror measures DWD already has in place to protect the integrity of Wisconsin’s Ul system, and create new barriers to benefits, all while failing to provide adequate resources for the department to implement these provisions in their entirety,” Harvey wrote.

(The Center Square) – No official complaint has been filed after a co-owner of a Sister Bay restaurant and bar allegedly burned a bartender’s Charlie Kirk hoodie.
The Door County Sheriff’s Department said that an officer did receive a call about the incident but the caller did not want to report the incident as the victim of a crime.
A co-owner of Husby’s Food and Spirits in Sister Bay, Chad Kodanko, wrote that he is “stepping away from the business and all of its affairs” after the incident, where he is accused of burning the shirt. Kodanko also resigned his post as a Sister Bay village trustee.
Bartender Robert Meredith said that he will no longer work at Husby’s, according to Fox 11.
The sheriff’s office said that the caller who asked about the incident said that he would speak to an attorney before deciding if he would file charges.
“Recent media coverage has implied that the Sheriff’s Office failed to investigate this matter,” the department wrote on social media. “That implication is incorrect. As of today, December 30, 2025, no party with firsthand personal knowledge has reported this incident as a crime to the Door County Sheriff’s Office.”
Kodanko wrote a post on the Husby’s Facebook page regarding stepping away from the business.
“First and foremost, I want to apologize for my inappropriate behavior and for all of the damage it has caused to the employees, the community, our patrons and my business partners,” Kodanko wrote. “My goal has never been to divide people and my actions did that. Due to threats of violence towards our employees and myself, effective immediately, I am stepping away from the business and all of its affairs.”

(The Center Square) – One of Milwaukee’s most prominent education reformers says it is good to hear Milwaukee Public Schools’ new superintendent talk about closing school buildings, but he says she needs to do more than talk.
Colleston Morgan Jr., the executive director at Milwaukee’s City Forward Collective, said MPS Superintendent Brenda Cassellius told the Journal Sentinel she may be open to a plan that could close some under-utilized schools but not before 2027 at the earliest.
“MPS faces a $100M+ budget gap. Rightsizing 5-6 schools, 2-3 years from now simply isn’t enough,” Morgan wrote on social media Tuesday.
Milwaukee Public Schools have lost more than 35,000 students since 2006. In all, Milwaukee is seeing more than 11,000 fewer students at all schools in the same nearly two decades.
“MPS enrollment declines stretch back to at least 2006,” he added. “And, to be clear – for at least the last decade, this hasn’t been about exits to public charters & private schools using vouchers.”
The two plans presented to MPS leaders earlier this year would close either five or six schools but would then see more money spent on the new schools where those students go.
Morgan said this is not simply a problem of open or available classrooms. He said this is a fiscal problem that MPS has largely ignored for years.
“MPS has a $1.6B annual budget – and a larger tax take than the [City of Milwaukee],” he wrote on X. “What’s needed now is stewardship.”
Morgan is touting a City Forward Collective Poll from last fall that shows 57% of voters support closing or consolidating schools, compared to just 31% who want to raise taxes to keep Milwaukee’s half-empty schools open.
“[Milwaukee’s] residents understand this reality: they support rightsizing, especially when given information,” Morgan added on X.