Capitol Notes

Thousands of Democrats descended on Milwaukee over the weekend for the party's annual state convention. Many top Democrats spoke, including Gov. Tony Evers and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin. The recurring theme for the weekend was the party's desire to defeat Republican President Donald Trump in 2020.

The Republican-controlled Joint Finance committee last week continued its work on Gov. Tony Evers' budget proposal. It voted to increase funding for public schools by $500 million, rejecting Evers' request for $1.5 billion.

State Republicans held their annual convention this past weekend in Oshkosh, WI. Party members and leaders used the event to look at what went wrong for the GOP in the fall of 2018 — and to better position the party for the 2020 elections.

Republicans on the Joint Finance committee last week stripped many of Gov. Tony Evers' policy items out of his proposed budget. Evers campaigned on many of these issues, including expanding Medicaid, as well as legalizing medical marijuana and decriminalizing small amounts. Republicans also rejected Evers' plan to borrow up to $40 million to replace lead pipes, mostly in Milwaukee.

Gov. Tony Evers last week sought to clarify some comments he made about Foxconn. He said he wanted to renegotiate the state's contract with the Taiwanese company because it's "unrealistic" to think it will create 13,000 jobs at the LCD screen plant it's building in Racine County — especially given the reduced size of the project. Republican Legislative leaders blasted Evers, accusing him of trying...

Gov. Tony Evers announced last week that he wants to renegotiate the state's contract with Foxconn. He says it's "unrealistic" to think the Taiwanese company will employ 13,000 people at the LCD screen manufacturing plant in Racine County, especially given that the size of the facility has been reduced.

The results of the state Supreme Court race were finalized last week when Appeals Judge Lisa Neubauer, who was backed by Democrats, conceded to conservative Appeals Judge Brian Hagedorn. The court currently leans 4-3 conservative. When Hagedorn takes office in August, the gap will increase to 5-2 conservative.

The Wisconsin Supreme Court election made headlines last week, with a race too close to call. According to unofficial totals, about 6,000 votes separate Appeals Court Judge Brian Hagedorn, who's backed by conservatives, and Appeals Court Judge Lisa Neubauer, who's backed by liberals. The margin between the candidates is half a percentage point.

News about the lame-duck laws approved in December dominated the headlines again last week in Wisconsin politics. A second Dane County judge blocked portions of the laws, which limit the powers of new Democratic Gov. Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul. Then, an appeals court reinstated the laws except for the parts that the Dane County judge blocked.

It was a wild ride at the State Capitol last week, as a Dane County judge struck down the lame-duck laws that the Republican-led Legislature passed in December, before Democratic Gov. Tony Evers took office. The laws stripped Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul of some of their powers.

After months of anticipation, Milwaukee was chosen last week as the site of the Democratic National Convention in July of 2020. The city beat out two other finalists — Houston and Miami Beach. President Donald Trump narrowly won Wisconsin in 2016.

We've been talking about Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' proposed biennial state budget for months. Then last week, he released his capital budget — a separate plan that includes the amount of money he's proposing for construction and building projects across the state. Evers wants to borrow an additional $2 billion to renovate UW System buildings, and to build a new adult prison near the troubled Lin...

Gov. Tony Evers delivered his budget address late last week to rousing applause from Democrats. He included everything from a program that wouild provide drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants -- to a repeal of the lame duck laws that the Republican-controlled legislature passed in an attempt to weaken his powers.

Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said last week he gives Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' plan to legalize marijuana, and decriminalize small amounts, a 10 percent chance of passing the Republican-controlled Legislature. Vos called the proposal a "very difficult sell" because it would decriminalize recreational marijuana.

The Republican-controlled Legislature passed a middle class tax cut last week. It includes using a surplus to pay for the cut. Now, the ball is in Democratic Gov. Tony Evers' court. He also is pushing for a tax cut — but to pay for it, he wants to virtually eliminate a manufacturing tax credit. There's been talk that Evers will veto the GOP tax plan, and unveil his own, in his budget address later...

The Republican-controlled legislature is moving ahead with its plan for a middle class income tax cut. A bill passed out of committee last week and is scheduled for floor debate Tuesday and Wednesday. Lawmakers want to use a surplus to pay for the tax cut, while Gov. Tony Evers is pushing a plan to eliminate a tax credit for manufacturers.

There was a lot of drama last week involving Foxconn. The Taiwanese electronics giant said it would shift the focus of the huge plant it's building in Racine County from manufacturing LCD screens -- to research and development. But, after a conversation between President Trump and Foxconn Chairman Terry Gou, the company announced that LCD screen manufacturing at the plant is back on.

Gov. Tony Evers raised eyebrows last week when he announced in his first State of the State address that he was directing Attorney General Josh Kaul to withdraw Wisconsin from a federal lawsuit against the Affordable Care Act.

New Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers, a Democrat, is locking horns with Republicans in the state Legislature. In the last week, Evers rejected GOP plans for a middle class tax cut, and to guarantee health coverage for people with pre-existing conditions. Republicans said they'd stand in Evers' way if he tries to expand Medicaid coverage.

New Gov. Tony Evers got some help last week when a coalition of liberal-leaning groups filed a lawsuit which, if successful, would benefit him.

Today is Inauguration Day in Wisconsin, and Tony Evers will be sworn-in as governor. The Democrat defeated Republican Incumbent Scott Walker last November.

In this New Year's edition of "Capitol Notes," we look ahead to the stories that'll likely top the headlines in 2019. It begins with the Jan. 7 inauguration of Democrat Tony Evers as Wisconsin governor. Evers narrowly defeated Republican Scott Walker in the November midterm election.

For our "Capitol Notes" conversation today, we're going to examine the year in politics. Probably the biggest story of 2018 — Republican Gov. Scott Walker narrowly lost his bid for a third term to Democratic challenger Tony Evers.

Often, political news slows as the holidays approach. But that hasn't been the case this year. Democratic Governor-Elect Tony Evers has been busy announcing his first cabinet picks. Republican legislative leaders have been busy responding to the announcements. In this week's Capitol Notes, JR Ross of Wispolitics.com talks about the latest developments.

Republican Gov. Scott Walker signed the lame-duck bills into law late last week. The measures weaken the powers of Democratic Gov.-elect Tony Evers. In addition, the legislation limits early voting to no more than two weeks before an election. Attorneys for a coalition of liberal groups asked a federal judge Monday to block the early voting restrictions.