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Sunday, November 09, 2025

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A bill introduced by state Sen. Shelia Harsdorf, R-River Falls, would move flavored tobacco and e-cigarettes behind the counter with other cigarettes in order to curb adolescent smoking.
STATE NEWS

Juuls and swishers could be moved behind the counter, under new legislation

By Dylan Ayer | Nov. 14, 2017

A bill pending in the state Senate would require retailers to remove tobacco- and nicotine-related products from the show floor, placing them in a more secure location, inaccessible without retailer assistance. Following national trends to reduce tobacco consumption, the bill seeks to curb adolescent exposure and accessibility to tobacco products, with most becoming long-term smokers at an early age and developing health conditions later on in life.

Legislation that would make it easier to opt-out of standardized tests passed the state Assembly this week, marking one of the last acts of the years’ legislative session.
STATE NEWS

‘Test transparency’ for K-12 students boosted under Assembly-approved bill

By Andy Goldstein | Nov. 12, 2017

More parents would be able to excuse their children from standardized testing under a proposal approved by the state Assembly last week, as part of a series of education bills making their way through the Capitol. The proposal would allow parents and guardians to excuse their student from statewide examinations between grades three-12, building upon current law, which allows opt-outs during grades four and eight-11. The opt-out provision, which was initially intended to be expanded to other grades, was never broadened after mandated testing became more regularly applied for all students. This inconsistency, bill co-sponsor state Rep.

Following Sheila Harsdorf’s appointment to agricultural secretary, the governor has scheduled a special election to fill the vacant state Senate seat for early next year.
STATE NEWS

Special elections slated to replace vacant seats

By Will Husted | Nov. 12, 2017

Gov. Scott Walker has announced a special election early next year to replace former state Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, following her appointment to the post of agricultural secretary. The appointment comes after Ben Brancel’s retirement from the position in August after seven years on the job.

The state Senate approved Tuesday a bill amending the state Constitution to boost the rights of crime victims
STATE NEWS

'Marsy's Law' boosting crime victim protection clears state Senate

By Jessica Lipaz | Nov. 8, 2017

A bill that would amend the state Constitution to protect crime victims passed the state Senate with bipartisan support Tuesday. Although Wisconsin is the first state to pass a Crime Victims’ Bill of Rights, supporters argue the bill will ensure victims’ rights further than before by putting the legislation into the state Constitution.

The state Assembly passed a bill Thursday that would prohibit state insurance programs from covering the cost of induced abortions except in certain circumstances.
STATE NEWS

Wisconsin Legislature debates two separate abortion bills

By Allyson Duffy | Nov. 2, 2017

Wisconsin state Legislature considered two separate bills surrounding abortion Thursday, one that would prohibit state health insurance programs from covering workers’’ abortions and another that would restrict fetal tissue research. The state Assembly passed a bill 61-35 that would require the state only cover the cost of an abortion as part of a state worker’s health insurance program in cases that are “medically necessary,” such as rape, incest and life-threatening circumstances. The law, however, is unclear what exactly medically necessary means, which sponsors of the new bill aim to tighten up. "This is really making sure essentially that state taxpayers are not paying for elective abortions, period," one of the bill’s sponsors, state Rep.

Legislators passed a pair of bills this week intended to curtail homelessness as the winter approaches.
STATE NEWS

State senate passes two bills to support the state’s homeless population

By Marissa Beaty | Nov. 1, 2017

A statewide council to fight homelessness would be created under a bill approved on a nearly unanimous vote Wednesday by the state Senate. The bill, one of two pieces of legislation targeting homelessness approved by the body, would create an Interagency Council on Homelessness and establish a pilot program that would give those experiencing chronic homelessness higher priority for federal housing choice vouchers. The council, chaired by Lieutenant Gov.

STATE NEWS

Democratic lawmakers worried over plan to consolidate two-year and four-year UW schools

By Benita Mathew | Oct. 26, 2017

Twenty Democratic lawmakers expressed concerns about a recent proposal to merge Wisconsin four-year and two-year colleges in a letter sent to UW System President Ray Cross Thursday. The primary concern centered on planning and implementation of the potential merger that took many people by surprise. “Especially concerning to us is the complete lack of collaboration and deliberation in such a far reaching proposal,” the letter said. Cross originally introduced the proposal in a press release, stating that merging Wisconsin’s two-year schools and four-year schools would boost enrollment at two-year schools.

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