State Representative Paul Farrow (R-Pewaukee) is a co-author of the measure, which keeps a recall election from taking place unless there’s a clear reason for one, such as if an official is facing criminal charges or is accused of an ethical violation.

In the past year, 13 state lawmakers, Governor Scott Walker, and Lt. Governor Rebecca Kleefisch have faced recall efforts because of the debate over changes to the collective bargaining powers of public employees. Last summer, two Republican lawmakers lost their seats in recalls. Election officials are still reviewing petitions against the governor, lieutenant governor, and four GOP state senators.

During a hearing Thursday on the proposed amendment, Farrow said “it’s not healthy for our state or our society when the recall process is misused and on a constant cycle of repeat.” Supporters of the change point to the millions of dollars the recalls cost taxpayers, such as an estimated $9 million price tag for a statewide election to remove the governor.

State Representative JoCasta Zamarripa (D-Milwaukee) accused Republicans of pushing the change because they are afraid of being held accountable to voters. Zamarripa says it looks bad that lawmakers want to repeal the rights of the people because “they fear the will of the people.”

Farrow argues recalls can still happen, as long as there is a clear reason for them, but a single vote on an issue should not be the basis for removing someone from office before their term is up. He says lawmakers should “not have to look over their shoulders” every time they take a vote.

The proposal is a constitutional amendment, which requires it to pass two consecutive sessions of the Legislature before going to a statewide vote.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:07)

The release of the documents comes just two weeks before a federal court will take up a legal challenge against the new maps, which were approved last summer by majority Republicans.

Latino group Voces de La Frontera uncovered the activity and filed a complaint Monday in Dane County court claiming a violation of the Open Meetings Law. “It really makes a mockery of our democratic process,” said Voces executive director Christine Neumann-Ortiz. 

Neumann-Ortiz levels charges against “all actors” including the Government Accountability Board, which implemented the law, and Michael Best & Friedrich, a law firm hired by Republicans to consult on the redistricting. She says Act 43 should not be implemented as the “entire process is corrupt.”

A contact to Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald’s office went unreturned.

AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (1:10)

Documents show GOP lawmakers signed confidentiality agreements, under which they pledged not to publicly discuss the maps while they were being drawn up by a law firm hired by the Republicans. Barca notes Democrats had suggested that no outside law firms be hired for redistricting. “Now it’s so clear, why it would have been important to do that,” says Barca, adding that Wisconsin’s tradition of open and transparent government is “in tatters right now.”

The confidentiality agreements with 75 GOP lawmakers were turned over by an attorney with the firm of Michael Best & Friedrich in response to a federal court order on request from the immigrant rights group Voces de la Frontera.

AUDIO: Senator Neil Kedzie (5:30)

Kedzie says he’s reaching out to the tribes in the area, particularly the Bad River Band, whose reservation is nearest the proposed mine site. “We will be listening to their concerns, we will be having personal meetings,” he says. “We will approach this from the perspective that they have valuable input, they have vested interests in what happens, and we should listen to that.”

The Assembly passed its mining bill largely at the behest of Gogebic Taconite, which proposes a massive open pit iron ore mine in the Penokee Hills region of Iron County. That bill has been seen as a nonstarter in the Senate, where Republicans hold a slight one vote majority.

The bill is in response to a Government Accountability Board rule that would have required corporations spending over $25 on a political message to report the expense. A legislative rules committee recently blocked it from taking effect, which state Representative Jim Ott (R-Mequon) says was necessary because they believed the proposal went “way beyond” current campaign finance laws.

State government watchdog groups argue the proposal is overkill. Jay Heck with Common Cause in Wisconsin says lawmakers could have just raised the threshold for triggering a report, rather than making it so corporations can completely hide their political spending. He says the proposal is a “surface to air missile” that will keep the public from knowing where large third party expenditures are coming from.

Supporters of the bill say the previous rule could have been interpreted to mean a person who spends their own money to put up a large sign for a candidate or prints flyers to pass around their neighborhood could have been required to register with the state. Heck and others say the rule was specifically targeted at large special interest groups that spend millions on ads and direct marketing campaigns during election season, and the move by Republicans is meant to prevent the GAB from passing rules again. Heck says it will just to keep the public in the dark during the recall and general elections later this year.

The proposal is being considered by the Assembly elections committee.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:03)

AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (1:20)

Poor communication between law enforcement and the legal system have been cited in many cases like that involving Evans. “I think what we have is circumstances currently exist, inadvertently but nonetheless exists, where the left hand literally doesn’t know what the right hand is doing,” says Milwaukee Police Chief Ed Flynn. “This also teaches lessons to young people — the wrong lessons.” Flynn notes Milwaukee saw a 48 percent increase in juvenile crime last year, and a 28 percent increase in arrests of juvenile robbery suspects, while arrests of adult robbery suspects declined slightly.

“In the first nine months of 2011, Milwaukee police arrested almost 2,500 juveniles for breaking the law,” says state Representative Jon Richards, a Milwaukee Democrat. “These are offenses that are very serious, often involving guns, often involving loaded guns.” Mallory O’Brien directs the Milwaukee Homicide Review Commission. She says 74 percent of criminal suspects in Milwaukee have juvenile records. “They (police officers) don’t have this information on the streets,” O’Brien says. “This level of information is really important for public safety in our communities.”

AUDIO: Mallory O’Brien (3:03)

Under current state law, the office of the Director of State Courts has established an automated information system, known as the Consolidated Court Automation Programs (CCAP), that contains information about cases filed in the circuit courts in this state, including courts dealing with juveniles. Those records are sealed, with limited exceptions. The bill permits the office to transfer juvenile records to law enforcement agencies – but doesn’t specify a mechanism for doing that. Nancy Rotier, legislative liaison for the office of the Director of State Courts, raised some concerns about that. “Typically, when access to a confidential website is controlled by the people who set up the website, they set up user IDs and passwords in order to control that flow,” she says. “Right now the court system operates with a user ID and password system, but we have less than 3,000 users. There are almost 20,000 full-time law enforcement officers in the state. We’re not sure who, and how, this bill and the authors envision that access is going to be taken care of.” She says costs to set and maintain such as system would be significant. “These things do cost money, and this bill does not provide any resources for us to do this. In the current biennium, CCAP is taking a cut of a million dollars in its budget.”

AUDIO: Nancy Rotier (8:15)

The bill (SB 173)  received a public hearing Wednesday before the state Senate’s judiciary committee.

The bill being considered by the Assembly Natural Resources Committee would create a hunting season for gray wolves running from October thru February. Permits would be issued in the same way the state’s bear hunting season is currently handled, with a preference system used to determine who receives a limited number of licenses.

State Representative Roger Rivard (R-Rice Lake), a sponsor of the bill, says a wolf hunt would be an effective tool to help the state manage a growing population, estimated at over 800 wolves. Supporters argue the wolf population should be down around 350 animals, which was the goal established when the animals were added to the federal endangered species list.

However, UW-Madison wildlife ecologist Tim Van Deelen testified that the state should shy away from setting a low population goal. He says that could be used by groups planning to file federal lawsuits against the recent delisting.

State Representative Nick Milroy (D-South Range) says Wisconsin should approach the issue carefully, or federal officials could again take over management of the wolf population. The animal was only recently removed from the endangered species list.

Al Lobner of Milladore was among advocates of a wolf hunt who say a season is needed to get the population down and to protect livestock and pets that have been attacked by wolves. Over 30 attacks by wolves on domesticated animals were reported to the state last year. Lobner says nobody wants to see wolves extinct, but “we need to do what is necessary to get these animals under control.”

A committee vote on the bill could come later this month.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:19)

AUDIO: Bob Hague reports (:55) 

The bill (SB 395) will allow home-brewers to take small amounts of their beer-and-wines outside their homes and hold community contests. It’s expected to come to a vote this month in the state Senate.

Legislation from state Representative Scott Suder (R-Abbotsford) would create a wolf hunting season running from October through February. The Abbotsford Republican says a hunt will allow the state to effectively manage the animals, preventing attacks on livestock and pets that have been reported around the state in recent years.

The move comes less than a week after gray wolves were removed from the list of federally endangered species. The state now has the power to manage the size of the population, which the DNR estimates at about 800 animals.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:12)

The removal of the federal protections means the state can now issue permits to landowners to remove animals that attack private property. Proponents of a wolf hunt argue that will not be enough to bring the population down to a more manageable number, which Suder says would be around 350 wolves.

Permitting would be set up similar to how the state currently handles bear hunting, where a preference system is used to determine who receives a license. Fees would be used to compensate the owners of animals attacked by wolves.

An Assembly committee will hold a hearing on the bill later this week.

Opponents of the mining bill gather outside of the Capitol. (Photo: Jackie Johnson)

The state Assembly has approved controversial mining legislation that would streamline the approval process for a proposed iron ore mine in northern Wisconsin. The bill passed Thursday night on a party line vote of 59-36.

Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald (R-Horicon) called it the biggest jobs bill lawmakers will take up this session, with the potential to create hundreds of jobs when constructing the mine and generational jobs once a mine is opened. Supporters also argue it will create thousands of jobs across the state, primarily in Wisconsin-based businesses that manufacture mining equipment.

AUDIO: Andrew Beckett reports (1:13)

Democrats argue the bill strips away environmental protections and threatens water, tourism, and wetland areas. State Representative Sandy Pasch (D-Whitefish Bay) says it will help create a strip mine in a pristine area of the state, which already generates thousands of jobs tied to recreation.

State Representative Janet Bewley (D-Ashland) says the proposal ignores the needs of communities that will be impacted, favoring the interests of an out-of-state mining company over the people of Wisconsin.

Republicans countered that the bill does not guarantee Gogebic Taconite will be allowed to open a mine. Lawmakers say it just provides developers with a clearer timeline for considering the approval of the proposal.

Debate on the bill was interrupted several times by protesters, with those in the gallery shouting obscenities and even unfurling a large banner at one point. Assembly Speaker Pro Tem Bill Kramer (R-Waukesha) eventually ordered observers in the galleries removed, over the objections of Democrats.

The legislation now heads to the state Senate, where its fate remains unknown.