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WMC sues the Department of Natural Resources over expansion of PFAS rules

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The state’s largest business lobby is suing the Department of Natural Resources over new PFAS regulations.

Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce and an Oconomowoc dry cleaner want a court to stop the D-N-R from enforcing new rules regarding PFAS cleanup. W-M-C says that the D-N-R doesn’t have any legal right to tell businesses to test for PFAS contamination as a part of cleanup efforts, and that the courts need to stop the state from expanding their list of contaminants without legislative approval.

Those so called forever chemicals have now been found at over 50 sites statewide, mostly linked to firefighting foam spills.

Walgreens to administer COVID-19 vaccinations in Wisconsin

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Walgreens locations around Wisconsin will begin administering COVID-19 vaccinations, starting Friday. Stephanie Schauer is Immunization Program Manager with the Division of Public Health.

“A hundred and seventy-eight Walgreens throughout Wisconsin will be receiving this vaccine. It is a high percentage of stores, but not every store. And so it’s important for individuals to recognize that many store will have the vaccine, but not every one.”

Anyone eligible for the vaccine in Wisconsin can register at the Walgreens website — walgreens.com/findcare/vaccination/covid-19.

“This does not come out of the state allocation, so this is in addition to our state allocation, so we have additional doses,” Schauer said. And this program will continue. As more vaccine becomes available at the federal level, it is the intention of the CDC to expand this program.”

Walgreens also plans to launch a call center for people who can’t access a computer.

 

GOP-authored COVID-19 relief package passes Senate, is immediately vetoed by Governor Evers

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A Republican-authored COVID-19 relief package has ended a month-long trip through the Legislature with the Governor’s veto.

Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu urged Governor Evers to sign the legislation after it passed the Senate on Friday. 

“The governor needs to sign this bill. This bill is vitally important for the state of Wisconsin. Do you know why the governor needs to sign this bill? There are many important extensions of Act 185, very many important extensions.”

LeMahieu says that they wanted to protect businesses who were doing the right thing. 

“I wouldn’t let local Health departments unilaterally shut down a Main Street business that’s trying to operate, that’s had a year now to put CDC guidelines in place and operate safely. We shouldn’t have local Health Departments just shutting down a business.”

But Senator Jon Erpenbach said that Senate Republicans strayed away from the compromise they’d made with the Governor earlier this year. 

“So at the end of the day, Mr. President, we’re left with nothing. A big fat zero of doing anything to try and help out not only Wisconsinites but Wisconsin businesses, help them get open, help schools get open, anything.”

Erpenbach says that Republicans have stapled policy choices onto the bill that go far beyond supporting the people of Wisconsin during the pandemic.

“And now we’re taking this legislation and basically saying that the governor can’t order a mask mandate, even though I already has, but he can order an emergency order just to collect money. That’s not going to keep Wisconsinites safe, Mr. President, and I think we all know that!”

Immediately after the bill passed on Friday, Governor Evers announced a veto.

Alongside some extensions of the previous relief package, the bill would have stripped more powers away from the Governor’s desk including control over where federal relief funding is spent. It would have also restricted Governor Evers from issuing any more mask orders. 

Evers and Senate Republicans originally reached a compromise on the package, but Assembly Speaker Robin Vos balked at that, and accused the Governor of not negotiating fairly with the entire Legislature. 

Alliant Energy prepares to close its last coal power plant in Wisconsin

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Alliant Energy says it’s planning to shut down its last coal power plant in Wisconsin.

The company announced on Tuesday that the plant in Columbia County would be shut down by 2024.

The closure would affect around 110 jobs, but many of those workers are nearing retirement, and Alliant will work to find the other staff jobs throughout the rest of the company.

Alliant is working to expand its renewable energy power generation, and is set to open up a large scale solar array by the end of 2023.

Rep. Pocan says Biden Administration starting off quickly to combat COVID-19

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President Biden has come out of the gate on his presidency with a flurry of executive orders to combat COVID-19.

Congressman Mark Pocan says the Biden Administration has had to ramp up the efforts on the coronavirus because of a lack of action under Donald Trump.

“Not only has there not been a national plan to do vaccine distribution, we don’t even know how many vaccines we had. They had nothing in Surplus. The Trump Administration was completely MIA on a vaccine plan.”

Over the past week, the White House has signed orders to mandate mask wearing in federal buildings, to activate the Defense Production Act and to increase food assistance payments to families.

Pocan says a number of those order directly address issues that the Trump Administration changed. 

“Mobilizing around COVID-19, rejoining the World Health Organization, addressing COVID-19 and domestic and international travel, expanding access improving our care for therapies.”

Under the orders, families will be getting more money for food assistance, government workers will have options for union bargaining, and unemployment benefits have been expanded. 

UW-Madison prof says the future of ‘going to the office’ may look very different after pandemic

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With many offices having shifted to work-from-home thanks to the pandemic, is the concept of driving in to work in the morning dead?

UW-Madison business professor Hart Posen says it depends entirely on the type of business you’re working in. 

“Some firms will demand that their people come into the office, but I think others will see it as ‘there are benefits to having people in the office’! People talking to one another, coming up with ideas.”

Posen says that some businesses may have to make a case to new hires and current employees as to how safe they will be, as well as showing why having a physical space would be cost effective.

“And I think for firms, this has lead to this question of ‘how can we make this make it worthwhile to be at the office?’ Why do we do what we do, except for the past year as everyone has gone to the office.”

Posen says that some businesses that have already gotten rid of physical office spaces during the pandemic might find it useful to bring them back, but that a hybrid model of days at home and days at the office will spring up as well.

IRS Free File system now open for 2020 tax returns

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People can now start filing their taxes through the IRS Free File Program.

Spokesman Christopher Miller says that most people will qualify for using one of the multiple different programs on the market. 

“For anyone who makes $72,000 or less they will find at least one free file product that matches their needs and usually more.”

Tax season hasn’t officially started, but preparers will keep those completed returns ready for when the IRS is ready to start taking files in February. Miller says getting your tax information to the IRS is important, even if you don’t expect to pay any taxes for last year. 

“Anyone who didn’t get that first or second economic impact payment, often called stimulus, will need to file a tax return for 2020 to get that amount.”)

You can find a list of Free File programs online at https://www.irs.gov/. 

Governor Evers sets date for special session on unemployment system

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A date has been set for a special session of the state Legislature to discuss the state’s unemployment program.

Governor Tony Evers signed an executive order on Wednesday setting that special session for January 19th.

Evers made the announcement about that session during his State of the State Address on Tuesday night. In it, he said that he understands that revamping the outdated and aging system will take years, and that’s why it’s got to be done as soon as possible.

It’s unclear if Republicans will take up the session, or just gavel out like they have with the last several special sessions.

There’s already pushback from some members of the Legislature. Senator Howard Marklein says the governor has, and has had for months, all the money and authority he needs to fix problems at the Department of Workforce Development.

Governor Evers calls for fair maps, more broadband funding, and DWD overhaul in State of the State address

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Governor Tony Evers laid out his roadmap for 2021 at Tuesday night’s State of the State Address.

Evers took little time in laying out tall goals for 2021. Evers says he’ll be calling for a special session of the Legislature to overhaul and rebuild the state’s unemployment system.

“We know that replacing the system will take years. That’s why it should have been done sooner. But it’s also why we don’t have another moment to waste.”

Republicans have been decrying the backlog of unemployment claims that were generated by outdated systems and processes at D W D, and Evers wants them to get together and fix the issue.

Evers says that the massive push for increased internet access showed the vast digital divide across parts of Wisconsin, and that he’ll be stepping up the funding for broadband expansion to $200 million in his next budget.

“This pandemic has shown us first-hand that lack of access to high-speed internet continues to be a setback for kids, families, and businesses across our state.”

Governor Evers says that a fair and open redistricting process will be vital to the state in 2021. Evers says that the last time maps were drawn in the state, Republicans did so in secret with the help of attorneys, and that no one got to provide any input. 

“I’m announcing that my biennial budget is going to make sure that the legislature draws our maps in the light of day, in the public eye, and with public input by requiring public meetings for map drawing process.”

Many of the records for those strategy sessions were never released, and Evers says he doesn’t want to see a repeat of that process. “Because the people of our state deserve to know how these maps are drawn and by whom.”

Evers thanked the people of Wisconsin for their strength and perseverance through the pandemic and what was a tough year, and alled for continued unity among the people of the state.

GOP-backed COVID-19 relief bills getting fast-tracked through new session of Legislature

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A proposed package of GOP backed COVID-19 bills got its first hearing at the state Capitol on Tuesday.

There’s a number of business friendly measures in the package, including restricting local health departments from closing businesses for long periods of time, and broad lawsuit immunity for businesses. Those immunity measures that got most of the attention on Tuesday. 

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos says that he wants to have businesses continue their COVID-19 prevention efforts, but also be free from lawsuits if someone catches the virus. 

“But the idea is to try and find a balance, with the assumption that businesses are going to do the right thing.”

Kristine Hillmer with the Wisconsin Restaurant Association says that her industry has been unfairly targeted by health restrictions. 

“Our industry has become a major fall guy for this pandemic, which also makes us a major target for frivolous lawsuits over exposure to COVID-19.”

The bill would also require school boards to vote every two weeks if they want to keep students in virtual classes. 

“So if they decided to do a hybrid plan, where as an example they were in person two days a week, and hybrid three days a week, that would not qualify to have the school board take a recurring vote. It’s only if they are all virtual,” says Vos. 

Other measures would give the GOP-controlled Joint Finance Committee control over any future federal COVID-19 funding, and prevent local health departments from closing businesses for long periods of time.