The Wheeler Report has compiled extensive lists of the 2015 Wisconsin Legislature. Members of the Assembly and Senate with contact information and committee assignments are listed below. Check back soon for the 2015 PROFS Legislative Directory, a list that includes links to legislative leadership and the Dane County delegation.
Senate and Assembly partisan caucuses met this week and selected their leadership for the 2015-16 legislative session.
Assembly Republicans will continue to be led by Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester), while Senate Republicans re-elected Scott Fitzgerald (R-Juneau) as their leader. Republicans enjoy large margins over Democrats in both houses — 63 to 36 in the Assembly and 19-14 in the Senate.
Democrat Peter Barca (D-Kenosha) held off challenger Evan Goyke (D-Milwaukee) for the position of Assembly Minority Leader. Senate Democrats will be led by Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse), who challenged Minority Leader Chris Larson (D-Democrat). Larson withdrew his name before the caucus met yesterday.
Assembly Republican Leaders
Robin Vos, Rochester, Speaker
Jim Steineke, Kaukauna, Majority Leader
Dan Knodl, Germantown, Assistant Majority Leader
Tyler August, Lake Geneva, Speaker Pro Tempore
John Murtha, Baldwin, Caucus Chair
Lee Nerison, Westby, Caucus Vice-Chair
Jesse Rodriguez, Franklin, Caucus Secretary
Samantha Kerkman, Salem, Sergeant at Arms
Assembly Democratic Leaders
Peter Barca, Kenosha, Minority Leader
Katrina Shankland, Stevens Point, Assistant Minority Leader
Andy Jorgensen, Milton, Caucus Chair
Jo Casta Zamarripa, Caucus Vice Chair
Beth Meyers, Bayfield, Caucus Secretary
Josh Zepnick, Milwaukee, Caucus Sergeant at Arms
Senate Republican Leaders
Scott Fitzgerald, Juneau, Majority Leader
Paul Farrow, Pewaukee, Minority Leader
Mary Lazich, New Berlin, President
Rick Gudex, Fond du Lac, President Pro Tempore
Sheila Harsdorf, River Falls, Caucus Chair
Van Wanggaard, Racine, Caucus Vice Chair
Senate Democratic Leaders
Jennifer Shilling, La Crosse, Minority Leader
Dave Hansen, Green Bay, Assistant Minority Leader
Julie Lassa, Caucus Chair
Kathleen Vinehout, Caucus Vice Chair
Chancellor Rebecca Blank recently sat down with Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reporter Karen Herzog to discuss the university’s budget and how it relates to the upcoming 2015-17 state biennial budget process.
The chancellor told Herzog that she has worked to make UW-Madison’s budget more transparent to lawmakers, work that culminated in the publication of the 2014-15 Budget in Brief (embedded below).
Blank also shared how the campus has drawn down its reserves as a result of the 2013 controversy over UW System’s financial reserves, and deans and directors have been asked to model budget cuts of 2, 4, and 6 percent in anticipation of possible budget cuts from the state.
Blank also made the case for better faculty salaries, stating the university must compete globally for the best faculty. Faculty salaries are currently at the bottom of the university’s peer group — full professors earn almost 13 percent below the peer median.
The full article is expected to run in the November 11 edition of the Journal Sentinel. ETA: The article ran in the November 12 edition of the paper.
Wisconsin’s partisan primary election will be held tomorrow, Tuesday, August 12. Polls are open statewide from 7 am to 8 pm. Information on voting and how to locate polling places is here. Photo identification is not required to cast a ballot.
Many legislative races are uncontested, but there will be statewide primaries for Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and State Treasurer:
Most incumbent legislators in Dane County face token or no opposition. However, first term Representative Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) will face Middleton Republican Brent Renteria in the 79th Assembly District.
Two Democrats are vying to represent Assembly District 78: Alders Mark Clear and Lisa Subeck. The winner will be unopposed in the November general election and will almost certainly be elected. PROFS hosted a forum with both candidates last month.
Two Democrats are on the ballot in the 17th Senate District, the seat left open after Dale Schultz, a moderate Republican, announced his retirement. Voters will choose between Ernie Wittwer, a retired administrator with the Wisconsin Department of Transportation, and attorney and former legislative aide Pat Bomhack. The winner faces State Representative Howard Marklein in November.
Tomorrow’s election will also determine the Republican candidate for Wisconsin’s 6th Congressional District. Congressman Tom Petri announced his retirement in April. Four Republicans are on the ballot tomorrow, including State Senators Glenn Grothman and Joe Leibham, Representative Duey Stroebel, and technical college instructor Tom Denow. The winner faces Democrat Mark Harris, Winnebago County Executive.
PROFS hosted Democratic candidates in the primary election for the 78th Assembly District on campus Monday evening. Political science professor Kathy Cramer, Interim Director of the Morgridge Center for Public Service, served as moderator. Candidates Mark Clear and Lisa Subeck, both Madison alders, responded to questions from the audience.
The primary election will be held Tuesday, August 12. More information on the fall primary, including absentee and early voting, is here.
Video courtesy of WKOW.
PROFS will host a public forum of candidates in the Democratic primary for the 78th Assembly District on Monday, July 21 at 7pm. The forum will be held in Room 1325 in the Health Sciences Learning Center. A map of the district, which includes much of the west side of Madison, is here. Free parking for the forum is available in lots 60 or 82 (Nielsen Tennis Stadium/Waisman Center).
Madison alders Mark Clear and Lisa Subeck will be on the ballot on Tuesday, August 12. Clear has served on the Madison Common Council since 2007 and is currently executive director of Accelerate Madison, an association of digital technology busineses. Subeck has served on the Madison Common Council since 2011 and is executive director of NARAL-Pro Choice Wisconsin, a reproductive rights advocacy organization.
WisconsinEye recently interviewed both candidates:
Isthmus also profiled each candidate this week. The full article is here.
Political Science professor Kathy Cramer, Interim Director of the Morgridge Center for Public Service, will moderate the forum. Audience members will be able to contribute questions at the forum, but we encourage you to leave questions in the comments section below.
The winner of the primary will almost certainly win election in November since no other partisan candidates will be on the ballot.
The forum is free and open to the public.
The Wisconsin fall primary will be held on Tuesday, August 12. The date was moved from September to August three years ago to comply with the federal Military and Overseas Vote Empowerment (MOVE) Act which requires states to mail overseas ballots at least 45 days before the general election.
Returning students and vacationing faculty and staff may find themselves away from the polls on election day. Voters may request an absentee ballot by mail or vote early between July 26 and August 8. Weekend voting is no longer permitted. More information on absentee voting is here.
Many legislative races are uncontested, but there will be statewide primaries for Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of State, and State Treasurer:
Most incumbent legislators in Dane County face token or no opposition. However, first term Representative Dianne Hesselbein (D-Middleton) will face Middleton Republican Brent Renteria in the 79th Assembly District.
Two Democrats are vying to represent Assembly District 78: Alders Mark Clear and Lisa Subeck. The winner will be unopposed in the November general election and will almost certainly be elected. PROFS will host a candidate forum with Clear and Subeck at 7 pm on Monday, July 21 in Room 1325 Health Sciences Learning Center, 750 Highland Avenue.
Kathy Cramer, Interim Director, Morgridge Center for Public Service
PROFS will host a public forum of candidates in the Democratic primary for the 78th Assembly District on Monday, July 21 at 7pm. The forum will be held in Room 1325 in the Health Sciences Learning Center. A map of the district, which includes much of the west side of Madison, is here.
Political Science professor Kathy Cramer, Interim Director of the Morgridge Center for Public Service, will moderate. Audience members will be able to contribute questions at the forum, but we encourage you to leave questions in the comments section below.
Madison alders Mark Clear and Lisa Subeck will be on the ballot on Tuesday, August 12. Clear has served on the Madison Common Council since 2007 and is currently executive director of Accelerate Madison, an association of digital technology busineses. Subeck has served on the Madison Common Council since 2011 and is executive director of NARAL-Pro Choice Wisconsin, a reproductive rights advocacy organization.
The winner of the primary will almost certainly win election in November since no other partisan candidates will be on the ballot.
The forum is free and open to the public.
The legislature’s Joint Committee on Audit met yesterday and unanimously approved UW System’s plan for managing and disclosing cash balances and fund reserves. Campus financial reserves have been the subject of intense legislative scrutiny since April 2013 when the Legislative Fiscal Bureau reported UW System holds more than $650 million in reserve.
The legislature directed UW System to develop a plan as part of the 2013-15 biennial budget (Act 20), and the Legislative Audit Committee requested additional changes after a plan was presented to them on November 20, 2013. The Board of Regents approved those revisions earlier this month.
The revised plan requires individual campuses to hold between 10 and 15 percent of their total fiscal year expenditures in reserve. Campuses with less than 10 percent fund balances must report a savings plan to the regents, while campuses holding more than 15 percent fund balances must provide justification to the regents and submit a spending plan for tuition, auxiliary operations, general operations, and unrestricted program revenue.
Archived audio of the meeting is available
The Legislature’s Joint Committee on Employment Relations (JCOER) will meet tomorrow, Wednesday, April 23, at 9:30 am to discuss UW-Madison’s new personnel system. UW System’s proposed personnel system is also on the agenda. The committee may take executive action on the plans after the public hearing, which will be held in Room 412 East, State Capitol.
The legislature directed UW-Madison and UW System to develop and implement their own personnel systems as part of the Act 32, the 2011-13 biennial budget, but the plans were never approved. JCOER held a public hearing last April, but did not vote on the plans, citing concern over UW System’s financial reserves.
UW-Madison’s personnel plan is here.
