WisPolitics.com

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.

But, before the courts reinstated the laws, Evers had already rescinded 82 appointments that Republicans approved during the lame-duck session. So, what's the status of those appointments now? That's what WUWM's Marti Mikkelson speaks with JR Ross, of WisPolitics.com, about in this week's Capitol Notes conversation.

With the Supreme Court race drawing to a close, the WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, handicap the contest between Lisa Neubauer and Brian Hagedorn.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.

JR Ross of WisPolitics.com, says challenges to the lame-duck laws are far from over.

As legislative Republicans take over the budget process, the WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, gauge Gov. Tony Evers' budget items that trim back the GOP's labor law changes from the past two sessions.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.

As budget deliberations get started at the State Capitol, the WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, navigate the possible routes for creating a bipartisan transportation budget.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.

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 Lincoln Hills juvenile facility in northern Wisconsin.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald calls the level of spending and borrowing in the plan alarming, especially given tax increases in Evers' overall state budget proposal. In this week's "Capitol Notes" conversation, WUWM's Marti Mikkelson asked JR Ross of WisPolitics.com, if the capital budget plan can make it through the Republican-controlled legislature.

Gov. Tony Evers delivered his budget address late last week to rousing applause from Democrats. He included everything from a program that would 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.

GOP leaders indicated they'll ignore many of Evers' proposals, and craft their own spending plan, using the current fiscal year's "base" budget. JR Ross, of WisPolitics.com, says that means they would work from the current budget, left over from when Republican Scott Walker was governor. It remains to be seen whether lawmakers would go through every single department line by line, or only focus on the major policy items that are in Evers' budget, such as taxes.

Now that Governor Tony Evers has released his budget, the WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, debate the wisdom of taking federal Medicaid funds to broaden healthcare.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.

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.

Evers plans to introduce the proposal as part of the state budget later this week, but Vos says the item will be removed. In this week's "Capitol Notes" conversation, WUWM's Marti Mikkelson asked JR Ross, of WisPolitics.com, if the proposal would then be introduced as a separate bill.

In light of Gov. Tony Evers veto of the Legislature's tax cut bill, the WisOpinion Insiders, Chvala and Jensen, consider which branch's tax cut vision will prevail, or not.

Sponsored by the Wisconsin Counties Association and Michael Best Strategies.