On Thursday, July 8, Governor Tony Evers (D) signed 2021 Act 58, the state budget for the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium, which began July 1. The Wisconsin Assembly approved the budget bill (Assembly Bill 68) on June 29, with the Senate concurring in the bill the following day. The two-year budget, assembled by the Republican-led Joint Finance Committee […]
Legislature Passes State Budget
July 1, 2021
This week, the Wisconsin Legislature passed a state budget for the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium, which began on July 1. The Assembly approved the budget bill (Assembly Bill 68) on June 29, with the Senate concurring in the bill the following day. The two-year budget proposal, assembled by the Republican-led Joint Finance Committee (JFC), would spend […]
State Budget Recap: Health Services, Insurance, Children and Families (June 15)
June 22, 2021
On Tuesday, June 15, the Wisconsin Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee (JFC) held an executive session to consider various motions related to the 2021-23 state budget. Below is a list of motions that JFC considered on June 15, including whether each motion was adopted and how the committee voted. The committee includes 12 Republican members and […]
Governor Calls for Special Session on Medicaid Expansion; Legislative Leaders Plan to Gavel Out Immediately
May 21, 2021
On May 19, Governor Tony Evers (D) signed Executive Order 116, directing the Legislature to convene a special session on his proposal to expand Wisconsin’s Medicaid program, also known as BadgerCare. The bill put forward by the governor, LRB-3568, would accept federal money to expand Medicaid coverage to about 90,000 additional people. Over the next […]
Vaccine Update: About 40 Percent Fully Vaccinated; State Resumes Administration of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
May 21, 2021
As of May 19, Wisconsin had administered almost five million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with more than 2.3 million Wisconsin residents or 39.8 percent of the state’s population fully vaccinated. About 82.5 percent of Wisconsinites aged 65 and older have received at least one dose. All U.S. adults are eligible to receive a COVID-19 vaccine […]
Finance Committee Overhauls State Budget, Removing Hundreds of Policies and Resetting Spending Levels
May 21, 2021
The Legislature has taken steps to overhaul Wisconsin’s 2021-23 state budget by removing hundreds of policy proposals and resetting spending levels to the 2019-21 baseline. On May 6, the Republican-led Joint Committee on Finance (JCF) met to vote on major aspects of the 2021-23 state budget put forward by Governor Tony Evers (D). Gov. Evers’ […]
Vaccine Update: Nearly 4 Million Doses Administered; State Pauses Administration of Johnson & Johnson Vaccine
April 23, 2021
As of April 21, Wisconsin had administered nearly 4 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines, with more than 1.6 million Wisconsin residents or 28.8 percent of the state’s population fully vaccinated. Almost 80 percent of Wisconsinites aged 65 and older have received at least one dose. All U.S. adults are now eligible to receive a COVID-19 […]
Wisconsin Supreme Court Rules Against Gov. Evers in Public Health Emergency Case, Ending Statewide Mask Mandate
April 9, 2021
On Wednesday, March 31, the Wisconsin Supreme Court issued a ruling in Jeré Fabick v. Tony Evers, holding 4-3 that the governor cannot issue successive emergency declarations on the same subject. Petitioner Jeré Fabick sought a declaratory judgement on Governor Tony Evers’ authority to issue multiple public health emergency declarations related to the COVID-19 pandemic. […]
Gov. Evers Signs PBM and COVID-19 Bills
April 9, 2021
On Friday, March 26, Governor Tony Evers announced that he had signed 14 bills into law, including several key healthcare-related bills. One of these bills was Senate Bill 3, now 2021 Wisconsin Act 9. The law authorizes the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) to license and regulate pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs). The Assembly […]
Appeals Court Rules State Can Release Records on Businesses with COVID-19 Cases
April 9, 2021
On Monday, April 5, a three-judge panel from the District IV Court of Appeals ruled against Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce (WMC) and in favor of Governor Tony Evers, his administration, and the media in a case involving information about businesses whose employees have contracted COVID-19. The lawsuit was filed in October 2020 in Waukesha County […]