John Nygren Set To Return To Madison As A Lobbyist: This Shouldn’t Even Be Legal!

Two weeks ago I wrote that John Nygren, elected just a month before, had announced that he was retiring essentially effective immediately from the Wisconsin Assembly. Well now it’s been announced that he will become a lobbyist for the Wisconsin Association of Health Plans. The maintenance staff in the Capitol…

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John Nygren: Re-elected November 3rd, Resigns Today, Vapers On Wednesday.

This does come as a bit of a surprise: State Rep. John Nygren, R-Marinette, will step down from his seat in the 89th Assembly District effective Wednesday, according to a news release. Nygren has represented the district — which includes portions of Marinette, Oconto and Brown counties — since 2006…

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The Decline In Transparency In WI State Government

There’s been some new troubling nonsense out of Madison about transparency in government. Apparently several people have their noses out of joint about what Governor Tony Evers will release under the open records laws while GOP legislators spend tax dollars trying to avoid doing exactly the same thing. First, I…

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Candidate Fitzgerald Playing Tax Cut Parlor Games

Actual state income tax revenues for the current fiscal budget period are now expected to exceed the budgeted revenues by $753 million. Under the current budget some of the excess will go toward technical training and additional funds going to pay down the state’s current debt. The balance would accrue…

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GOP : Attorney General Stand Off Continues

I probably should have added this to my previous post about the Lame Duck settlement impasse…it sort of belongs there…but it gets more interesting. Yesterday, September 4th, the Wisconsin legislature’s Joint Finance Committee scheduled a closed door meeting to review how to handle legal settlements brought to them by the…

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Lame Ducks In Madison Aren’t The Laws

Instead I would suggest that it is the GOP ‘lawmakers’ who are the lame ducks. For those of you following Wisconsin politics, you are familiar with the lame duck laws pushed through the legislature and signed by outgoing Governor Scott Walker between the November 2018 election and the January 2019…

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Another Tax Windfall, Another Tax Giveaway?

With the economy booming: The state is expected to take in $753 million more through the summer of 2021 than earlier estimated, giving lawmakers a small windfall as they work on the state budget. Well…first of all…these are always estimates based on current trends. So really…there is no guarantee this will…

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NO! Because Too Much Money Would Go To Milwaukee

After recent announcements out of Milwaukee County government and the Mayor of Milwaukee’s office complaining that Milwaukee sends more money to Madison than is sent back…we get this: Republican legislative leaders are raising concerns about a plan in Democratic Gov. Tony Evers budget that calls for borrowing $40 million to replace lead pipes…

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Alberta Darling Isn’t Following The Conversation Either

I am still tracking through the conversation on granting illegal immigrants Wisconsin driver’s licenses. Before 2007, they were able to get licenses. And from the original article that I used around talking points for Rep. John Nygren, we see this one from Senator Alberta Darling: Sen. Alberta Darling, R-River Hills,…

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John Nygren is So Right And Pretty Much Wrong

Governor Tony Evers is recommending that Wisconsin renews the ability of illegal immigrants to get driver’s licenses. That was the policy here before 2007. There are any number of safety and financial concerns that inform granting licenses and any number of political and legal issues in opposition. But Rep. John…

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