Wisconsin Radio Network

Wisconsin News and Sports

You are here: Home / Archives for Bob Hague

Assembly passes ‘2nd Amendment sanctuary’ bill

By

Rep. Treig Pronschinske

Wisconsin gun owners would not be subject to federal gun laws under a bill that passed the the state Assembly on Wednesday.

The “2nd Amendment sanctuary” bill is from Representative Treig Pronschinske (R-Mondovi).

“Gun sales have spiked over the past couple of years, and we’ve seen politicians and elitists say that we are going to take weapons away from people,” Pronschinske said. “And I think that one thing we have to remember, the 2nd Amendment says it shall not be infringed.”

The bill (AB-293) requires Wisconsin manufacturers to stamp “Made in Wisconsin” on their firearms, and bars law enforcement from confiscating guns or ammunition.

Representative Tip McGuire (D-Kenosha) said that could pose a legal problem.

“Domestic abuse is obviously something that is difficult within our communities, and we’ve seen homicides and other deaths that are the result of this. Thankfully, the federal government back in the 90’s had passed a law that allowed for the confiscation of firearms from known domestic abusers. And this bill would limit, hamstring law enforcement’s ability to maintain that public safety.”

The bill passed on 61-36 vote, with only one Democrat in favor. Governor Tony Evers is likely to veto the bill, it if it passes the Senate.

Evers announces he’s running for reelection

By

Governor Tony Evers made it official over the weekend: he’ll run for a second term.

“Wisconsin, I’m in. I’m running for reelection. We’ve accomplished a lot in the last three years but we’re just getting started. We have more work to do, together.”

Evers made that announcement Saturday, during the state Democratic party’s virtual convention. Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes has yet to announce if he’s running for a second term, or if he’ll join the growing field of Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate.

Johnson remains undecided on bid for third term

By

U.S. Senator Ron Johnson pledged in 2016 that he’d only serve two terms. In a Milwaukee Press Club interview on Thursday, Johnson explained why he may go back on his word.

“What I didn’t realize in 2016 is, that we’d lose the House, that we’re basically lost the Senate, we don’t have the White House. And I’m witnessing a radical agenda by President Biden, who’s not even close to governing as a moderate.”

The Oshkosh Republican accused Biden of being “incredibly divisive.” And Johnson said he was “panicked” for the country when he first ran in 2010, and that he’s “more panicked today.”

Republicans quickly nix Evers’ special session on BadgerCare

By

Assembly Democrats held a brief press conference, prior to the non-event that was Tuesday’s special session of the Legislature.

Governor Tony Evers’ wanted the Legislature to expand BadgerCare and get some $1.5 billion in federal aid for Wisconsin.

“It doesn’t make sense to have Wisconsinites suffer, and be unhealthy, when this money is available,” said Representative Beth Meyers (D-Bayfield.)

Minority Leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) noted the federal money would go towards projects around the state.

“I want this project funded in my region or my district. I want the people in my district to have low-income health insurance,” Hintz said.

As expected, Senate and Assembly Republicans quickly gaveled in and out without voting.

“To say that the decision by Republicans in the legislature is a missed opportunity, doesn’t even come close,” Evers said in Green Bay, where he held a press conference to promote the special session – and some of the projects he said could be covered with the money from the Federal government as a result of expanding BadgerCare – including moving coal piles and constructing a Green Bay visitor’s center.

“It was clear right from the get go, they said no way,” the governor said. “Robin Vos said no way right from the beginning around BadgerCare, when we put it together with a lot of good projects like this, they said no way.”

The Democratic governor lamented a lack of compromise but admitted he’s had no direct meetings with Republican leaders to negotiate.

Republican legislative leaders have spelled out their objections to expanding BadgerCare.

In a letter to Evers, they cited additional costs to the state in broadening eligibility for the program. The leaders also argue there is no coverage gap in Wisconsin because the federal exchanges allow people between 100 percent and 400 percent of the poverty level to get subsidized health coverage.

“By adding childless, working-aged adults earning up to 138 percent of the FPL to Medicaid, who are eligible for significant assistance on the federal exchange, state taxpayers would be responsible for covering some of the extra costs,” they wrote. “However, when someone in that group enrolls on the exchanges using subsidies which are 100 percent federally funded, there is no cost passed on to state taxpayers.”

Republican leaders reject action on Evers’ latest special session

By

Governor Tony Evers

Governor Tony Evers on Wednesday morning called a special session of the Wisconsin Legislature to address health care and economic recovery. Within hours, Republican leaders announced they won’t hold votes on Evers’ proposal, the same outcome as all previous special sessions called by the Democratic governor.

“We’re not only going to expand access to healthcare for tens of thousands of people across our state, we’re going to use that $1 billion we’d save and put it toward making sure our economy can bounce back and recover from this pandemic,” Evers said in a statement announcing the special session. “It’s time for Republicans to put politics aside, and let’s work together to invest in economic development and recovery efforts across our state.”

The special session will be held this upcoming Tuesday. Lawmakers are being asked to consider expanding BadgerCare Plus and address Wisconsin’s economic recovery from the coronavirus.

State Senator Jon Erpenbach (D-West Point), who serves on the legislature’s budget committee, said Evers’ proposal presents a real opportunity. “We’re not going to see this again,” he said. “We’re not going to see an opportunity to get an additional billion dollars with no strings attached to it really, other than taking the Medicaid expansion, to spent on projects that need to be done, all over the state.”

Evers’ bill would designate $1 billion toward more than 50 projects around the state. Wisconsin qualifies for that one-time bonus payment if it expands BadgerCare Plus under a provision of the American Rescue Plan.

Assembly Minority Leader Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh) said it could provide obvious benefits to the entire state.

“But not acting is also a decision with consequences, and it’s one that’ll hurt the state going forward,” Hintz said. “Both of them are decisions, but one really is an opportunity we should take advantage of. And I hope my colleagues will come to the table.”

Republican leaders in the Assembly and Senate rejected the plan, in a joint statement issued Wednesday afternoon.

Senator Devin LeMahieu

“In Wisconsin, there is no coverage gap between BadgerCare and the heavily-subsidized federal exchanges. Everyone who wants insurance in our state has access and options,” said Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) and  Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostberg). “Our unique-to-Wisconsin solution is working, and we will not shift tens of thousands of people off their private insurance to a government-run system.”

“If the Governor were serious about the proposals he packed into this bill, he could fund each one of them today with the mountain of federal funds at his direct disposal,” Assembly Majority Leader Jim Steineke (R-Kaukauna) and Senate President Chris Kapenga (R-Delafield.) “This is a thinly-veiled political maneuver by the Governor. We intend to gavel out this unserious stunt.”

Republicans announce bill to end $300 weekly federal unemployment benefit

By

Republican leaders in the Wisconsin legislature have drafted a bill to end $300 in weekly federal payments, to people who aren’t working.

State Senator Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green) said he’s spoken with a number of employers in his district, including one who told him ” we’re no longer competing with other employers, we’re no longer competing with Illinois, we’re no longer competing with Iowa. We’re competing with the couch.'”

Sen. Howard Marklein

“When you pay people more to stay home, they stay home,” Marklein said during a Tuesday press conference at the Capitol.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said, when combined with state UI benefits, the pandemic-related federal payment disincentivizes work.

“On unemployment today, you are making 16 dollars and 75 cents an hour, and not required to look for work. Well, if you can go and work at 14 dollars an hour, how many people are going to make that choice,” Vos said. “People might make the financial decision to stay home, where the government is paying them to sit on their couch, more than somebody would pay them to actually do work.”

Vos said the bill encourages unemployed individuals to return to work amid a statewide worker shortage. It ends Wisconsin’s participation in federal unemployment enhancement programs that provide disincentives to return to work.

He hopes to have a hearing on the bill next week, and a vote by the full Assembly by next month. A statement from Governor Tony Evers’ office indicates the bill would face a likely veto.

“If Republicans are interested in putting this pandemic behind us, they’ll stop playing politics with our economic recovery and pass the governor’s Badger Bounceback agenda so we can invest in making healthcare more affordable, supporting our kids and our public schools, and building infrastructure and creating jobs across our state,” said Evers’ spokesperson Britt Cudaback.

Wisconsin’s unemployment rate in March was 3.8%, although considerably higher in some communities.

Republican governors of more than a dozen states have announced that they will soon cease paying their state’s unemployed residents the federal jobless supplement, curtailing benefits for about 2 million Americans.

Fair Maps coalition rallies a Capitol

By

Wisconsin’s Fair Maps Coalition rallied at the state Capitol over the noon hour Monday. Senator Jeff Smith (D-Eau Claire) is Senate sponsor of a reintroduced bill calling for non-partisan redistricting of congressional and legislative districts.

“Every head scratching vote, every policy for the public good ignored by lawmakers, all stems from one issue: gerrymandering,” Smith said.

Representative Deb Andraca (D-Whitefish Bay) said Republicans used their majorities in the legislature ten years ago, t draw maps that favor them in elections.
“They used computer programs to design maps, that make no sense, unless your only goal is to prevent the other side from winning. And it worked. Even though Wisconsin is a purple state, one party holds overwhelming majorities in the Senate and the Assembly,” she said.

While Andraca said Republican Representatives Travis Tranel of Cuba City and Todd Novak of Dodgeville support the reform bill, non-partisan redistricting has failed to advance in the past.

Republicans who oversaw the process ten years ago have little incentive to support non-partisan reform. Redistricting occurs every ten years following the census, and Republicans who hold majorities in the legislature will once again draw the maps.

WEDC grant hooks up rural Eau Claire County in pilot program with SpaceX Starlink

By

Eau Claire County has received a grant from the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation, for a pilot program to provide high-speed internet in rural areas.

As the county’s information systems director Dave Hayden explains, the service will be out of this world.

“We’re going to pilot SpaceX Starlink low orbit satellite technology, in an unserved an underserved area of southeastern Eau Claire County, just south of Augusta.”

The pilot project will provide high-speed internet to 50 rural homes and businesses. It’s being supported by a $27,000 grant from WEDC, as well as funding from a group of healthcare providers.

‘We’re moving forward hopefully in the next couple of weeks, notifying the participants that we’ve selected and getting them connected,” said Hayden

Participants will be asked to fill out a weekly survey to gauge service and reliability over the year-long period covered by the grant. SpaceX plans to launch additional satellites, which Hayden says should improve service.

Pop up clinics are key amid decline in vaccinations

By

The number of people in Wisconsin getting vaccinated against COVID-19 is dropping, and Deputy Health Services Secretary Julie Willems Van Dijk said they’re now taking the vaccine to where people are.

“Vaccinators are going to malls and shopping areas, and farmers markets and even bars and Brewers games and Bucks games,” Willems Van Dijk said this week. “I hope we have a vaccination center at the state fair and at every county fair.”

The goal remains vaccinating 80 percent of Wisconsin’s population. As of Wednesday, 38 percent had completed the vaccine series, and 44.5 percent had gotten at least one dose.

Willems Van Dijk said pop-up clinics may vaccinate relatively small numbers of people.

“You’re probably going to see 50 or 100 people. And compare that to some of our mass vaccination clinic sites and some of our health systems which were doing a thousand, even two thousand doses a day. It’s going to take us longer to get there, with those smaller sites.”

National Anthem mandate passes state Assembly

By

When Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban ordered his NBA team to stop playing the national anthem, Wisconsin state Representative Tony Kurtz (R – Wonewoc)  was inspired to draft a bill mandating the anthem at sports venues here.

“I do want awareness of the national anthem,” Kurtz said. “And when one individual, a billionaire can say “I don’t want to play it,” at his whim, that’s a problem.”

Although Cuban backed down under pressure from the league, Kurtz’s bill addresses the problem by requiring the anthem at any sports facility that’s received taxpayer support, although it carries no penalties for failing to do so.

The bill would requires playing the anthem prior to games at any facility that receives taxpayer funding, from Fiserv Forum to a middle school gym.

“I’m proud of our national anthem, I’m proud of our flag, I’m proud of our nation and I’m not afraid to say you need to play this,” Kurtz said.

The bill passed the Assembly on a bipartisan vote Tuesday, although some Democrats call it a political stunt. It now goes to the Senate.