The Pew Charitable Trusts - State and Consumer Initiatives from Wisconsin

Cheers! All 50 States Embrace the Home Brew Boom

As of July 1, all 50 states will allow aspiring brewers to make their own beer at home. But states are still figuring out how to regulate the popular hobby.

Wisconsin Supreme Court Retains Conservative Tilt

The Wisconsin high court’s perceived conservative tilt will remain after a justice was re-elected in Tuesday’s vote.

Balance of Power, Future of Key Issues at Stake in Wisconsin Court Race

Two years after one of the most contentious and bruising Supreme Court elections any state has ever seen, Wisconsin voters will return to the polls Tuesday to cast their votes in another judicial election.

Election Day Registration in the 2012 General Election

In the eight states — Idaho, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Wisconsin, and Wyoming — and the District of Columbia that allow Election Day registration, nearly 1.25 million voters registered or updated their information and cast ballots on Election Day last November.

The Cost of the 2012 General Election in Wisconsin

Last year, we noted Wisconsin’s extensive efforts to provide and share data on the costs to administer elections in the state. Recently, the state provided updated figures showing that the November general election cost slightly more than $10 million.

Should Public Workers Have to Live Where They Work?

Municipal residency requirements have gradually become less common. State efforts to ban them can get ugly as cities fight to maintain their middle class population base.

The Cost of Eliminating Election Day Registration in Wisconsin, Part Two

The Wisconsin Government Accountability Board recently released its final report on the cost of ending Election Day registration in the state. The study estimated the price tag at $14.5 million, almost three times as much the initial projection provided in a preliminary report last December.

In Michigan and Wisconsin, Some Lawmakers Want to Go Part-Time

Should lawmakers in Michigan and Wisconsin cut their work hours? That’s what some hope to do, as they push constitutional amendments that would convert their states’ full-time legislatures into part-time bodies.

Wisconsin State of the State Address 2013

MADISON, Wisconsin -- Jan. 15 -- Following is the prepared text of Gov. Scott Walker's (R) 2013 State of the State Address

Public Safety in Wisconsin

Public safety in Wisconsin.

Falling Short on Dental Sealants: Wisconsin

How well is Wisconsin protecting kids from tooth decay?

Economic Development Agencies Face New Scrutiny

When Wisconsin partially privatized its Department of Commerce last year, the hope was to create a less bureaucratic job creation organization. Since then, though, the new entity has faced a series of setbacks.

Best of #StateReads: Roots of a Voting Rights Challenge

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Cost of Eliminating Election Day Registration in Wisconsin

Recently, several Wisconsin legislators have discussed drafting legislation to end Election Day registration, which the state has allowed for more than 35 years.

Best of #StateReads: Why New Jersey’s Trains Flooded but New York’s Stayed Dry

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

The Impact of the Fiscal Cliff: Wisconsin

Federal and state finances are closely intertwined, and the fiscal cliff’s tax and spending provisions will have consequences for states.

Voter ID Rulings Vex Administrators Ahead of Election Day

Recent court rulings and ongoing lawsuits have prompted widespread concerns about whether election laws can work smoothly next Tuesday.

Wisconsin Election Costs

Democracy does have a price tag—at least for the costs of running elections. In Wisconsin, the Government Accountability Board (GAB), the state’s election agency, has made a concerted effort to collect cost data. Why?

Federal Court Clears South Carolina Voter ID Law

A federal court has cleared the way for South Carolina’s voter ID law to be in place in 2013, despite the Justice Department’s decision to oppose the law.

Still Risky: Checking Accounts in Wisconsin

Checking accounts, the most widely used financial product in America, contain hidden risks that can harm consumers. Four of the 12 largest banks nationwide offer checking accounts in Wisconsin and hold 26 percent of all deposits in the state. Here’s what consumers in Wisconsin may be paying.

Feds Slam Wisconsin Public-Private Partnership for Economic Development

Transferring control of Wisconsin’s economic development efforts from a state agency to a new public-private partnership was a focus of Governor Scott Walker’s campaign and one of the first things he accomplished when he took office.

Wisconsin Voter ID Law Unlikely to Apply in November

Wisconsinites this November won’t likely need to show photo identification at the polls. That’s because the state Supreme Court says it won’t immediately consider whether to reinstate a voter ID law blocked in a lower court.

N.J. Lawmaker to Replacement Refs: ‘Keep Out’

New Jersey’s Senate president plans to introduce legislation that would ban the use of replacement officials in professional sporting events played on state soil.

Wisconsin Judge Strikes Down Collective Bargaining Restrictions

A county judge in Wisconsin has thrown out most of Governor Scott Walker’s law that severely restricts collective bargaining for public employees, throwing into question changes to contracts already negotiated under the year-old law.

Mussel Invasion Moves West

For more than two decades, mussel pests have threatened the water supply in the Great Lakes. Now they have crossed the Rocky Mountains.

Best of #StateReads: Kentucky Judges Review Child-Abuse List

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Amid Lawsuits and Controversy, States Prepare for Voter ID

Identifying and verifying hordes of extra voters will be a daunting task for many states ahead of Election Day.

Heat Wave, Budget Cuts Strain Utility Safety Net

Budget cuts and a blistering hot spell wave left states short on cash this summer while tackling high energy demand. Now many worry about having enough heat when winter comes.

Report: Cost of Walker Recall Effort Topped $80 Million

Wisconsin’s unprecedented 15 recall races for governor, lieutenant governor and state senate in 2011 and 2012, prompted a record amount of campaign spending, according to a report released Wednesday (July 25). Candidates, groups and committees spent a total of about $137.5 million on races, including about $84.5

Waiting to Vote in Combined Locks, Wisconsin

During June’s recall election, the average time voters waited in line in Combined Locks, Wisconsin was one hour. The jurisdiction has one polling place, where 1,588 voters cast ballots.

For Some States, Medicaid Expansion May Be a Tough Fiscal Call

GOP governors appear poised to leave federal dollars on the table.

More GOP Officials Vow to Decline Medicaid Expansion

Republican state leaders say they’d rather forfeit federal money than dip into state coffers to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act.

Best of #StateReads: Iowa Felons Struggle for Voting Rights

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Widening Gap Update: Wisconsin

Wisconsin paid its full annual pension contribution from 2005 to 2010, and the pension system was fully funded in fiscal year 2010, facing only a $132 million funding gap. Most experts agree that a fiscally sustainable system should be at least 80 percent funded. The state also had a $2 billion bill for retiree health care costs, 38 percent of which was funded, well above the 8 percent national average in 2010.

Voters Without ID in Wisconsin

The battle over voter ID continues, and in Wisconsin, it is being fought in the courtroom. Two judges recently blocked the state’s law requiring photo ID at the polls from taking effect.

Post-Recall Wisconsin Open for Business, Governor Says

The recent recall election in Wisconsin that let Governor Scott Walker keep his job was apparently also good for businesses in the state, or so says the governor.

Squeezing Local Governments

Cities, counties and school districts are facing a one-two punch: simultaneous drops in property tax revenue and state aid. The blows come even as demand for services is growing. This fiscal squeeze—not seen since 1980—has resulted in painful choices for local governments large and small.

Time Served in Wisconsin

The average offender in Wisconsin released in 2005 served 2.9 years in custody, 18% more than the average offender released in 1990.

Infographic: Thirty Years of State Recalls

In all of U.S. history, only two state governors have been recalled from office. Today, Wisconsin’s Scott Walker seeks to avoid becoming the third.

Other Elections Besides Walker Recall

Voters will also decide ballot measures, five state legislative primaries and a gubernatorial primary in Montana.

Mining Boom in Great Lakes States Prompts Environmental Concern

PART ONE OF TWO: Mining is a thriving industry again in the upper Midwest. But there are questions about whether current state regulations can handle the environmental impact.

Wisconsin Recall Campaign Turns on Job Creation Issue

Scott Walker promised to be the job-creation governor. Two years later, he’s struggling to prove he deserves the label.

Best of #StateReads: Why Louisiana Leads the World in Imprisonment

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Primaries Set Gov Races in Wisc., N.C.

Voters Tuesday (May 8) formally picked candidates for governors' races in four states while North Carolina voters approved a ballot measure to ban same-sex marriage in the state.

Military and Overseas Voters in Wisconsin

According to Wisconsin’s Government Accountability Board (GAB), which oversees elections, 65 of the state’s 1,851 municipalities did not send requested absentee ballots to military and overseas voters at least 45 days prior to the April 3, 2012 presidential primary, as required by federal law.

N.C. Governor Race Overshadowed

With all the talk about the recall election of Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker, another governor’s race that will get decided this month has been largely overlooked.

Best of #StateReads: Years After Immigration Law’s Passage, Much Has Changed in Arizona

This week’s extraordinary journalism about state government, tagged to #StateReads on Twitter.

Recall of Wisconsin Governor Gets National Attention

For the first time in Wisconsin state history, voters will have the chance to recall their governor. The race has drawn millions of dollars from outside the state and is seen to have national implications.

Kids Brush Up on Oral Health at Area Schools

A recent national report shows the number of ER visits for dental problems increased 16 percent from 2006 to 2009. The report, conducted by the Pew Center on the States, indicates the trend could be continuing.

More States Consider Diverting Foreclosure Money

TODAY'S TAKE: Officials in a growing number of states are considering diverting money from a $25 billion foreclosure settlement between big banks and attorneys general to help pay for programs that have nothing to do with housing.