Stateline Headlines

Wis. panel considers bill limiting local recalls

Legislators back broad Scott Walker authority to sell state property

Presidential speculation heats up

Budget committee approves $50 tobacco use fee

Change would reverse declining funding for child support enforcement

Watchdog group accused of showing Democratic bias with fundraiser

Budget panel makes changes for public retirees to stop double-dipping

Child support enforcement cuts will backfire

GOP move gives state more control on construction

Republican lawmakers may try to resurrect bail bonding

Proposal gives Scott Walker administration more power to sell state property

Critics pounce on Scott Walker's three out-of-state trips this week

State bill would ban mandatory flu shots

Walker signs layoff alternative bill

Wis. not likely to take up gay marriage again soon

Wisconsin Gov. Walker to headline Iowa GOP event

Gov. Scott Walker signs work-share measure

Taxpayers will pay more under Scott Walker health plan, study says

Obama and Walker earn identical approval ratings in Wisconsin

Republican lawmakers may try to resurrect bail bonding

Proposal gives Scott Walker administration more power to sell state property

Walker reports state added 32,000 jobs in 2012

Wisconsin adds 62,000 over past 2 years

State stewardship funds trimmed by $18 million

Scott Walker proposes UW tuition freeze, much smaller funding increase

IRS asked about Wisconsin recall, Texas tea party group says

Scott Walker proposes UW tuition freeze, much smaller funding increase

State stewardship funds trimmed by $18 million

Wis. budget committee OKs stewardship reductions

Walker revises UW budget, calls for tuition freeze

State treasurer duties gutted by committee

Lawmakers forgo real work and focus on junk

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.

Assembly passes drunken driving bills

Walker meets with Dalai Lama before speech

Walker says IRS screening 'more than political'

Bill to get around injunctions blocking state laws gets preliminary Assembly OK

State Senate passes bill to cut budget of Milwaukee County Board

Wisconsin conservation groups hope to ward off stewardship program cuts

Assembly to consider bill that alters Wisconsin landlord-tenant law

Milwaukee County sheriff's official questions eviction law change

Measure requiring 4 work searches per week for jobless benefits advances

Department of Administration awards $3.2 million in housing grants

Committee signs off on Wis. venture capital bill

Venture capital bill stalls; dispute surfaces on whether biotech firms should be included

Tom Barrett blasts state lawmakers over vote to end residency rules

Wisconsin conservation groups hope to ward off stewardship program cuts

Assembly to consider bill that alters Wisconsin landlord-tenant law

Democrats say new money must go to schools

Panel approves drunken driving bill

State budget panel OKs residency rule based on distance

State budget panel holds up $63 million in WEDC funding over problems

Wisconsin revenue to grow $500 million more than expected

State Rep. John Nygren promises more money for schools

Lawmakers to move ahead with WEDC budget vote

Democrats oppose bill affecting asbestos lawsuits

Lawmakers cite frustration with Wis. jobs board

Assembly passes informed consent bill

GOP leaders would set distance limit for workers who move after residency rules dropped

Wisconsin Assembly passes measure that changes what doctors must tell patients for diagnoses

Latest turmoil at WEDC prompts Democrats to demand changes

Scott Walker pledges to address treatment of disabled students in voucher schools

Assembly approves junk food stamps bill

Troubles mount for Gov. Scott Walker's jobs agency

Legislature OKs sanitation worker safety bill

Assembly passes bill requiring that most food stamp benefits go to purchasing healthy foods

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

Other Elections Besides Walker Recall

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

In Wisconsin, Assessing a New Labor Law’s Impact

RACINE, Wisconsin - A year after union protests swept Wisconsin's Capitol, labor and management are still grappling with the collective bargaining law that prompted the backlash. Leaders of local governments and schools enjoy having more options to balance their budgets, but state funding cuts often outweigh the benefits.