Minn. silica bill with moratorium passes 1st stop

Published: February 26, 2013
Tags: bill, fracking, gas production, hydraulic fracturing, Matt Schmit, Michelle Benson, mines, oil production, Senate Energy and Environment committee, silica, silica sand

State senators are leaning toward halting new silica sand mines while the state studies the health and environmental costs of the booming industry.

Lawmaker proposes tax bypass for building materials 

Published: November 22, 2011
Tags: ABC, Andre Jacque, Associated Builders and Contractors of Wisconsin, bill, Curtis Witynski, Harlan Clinkenbeard, John Mielke, League of Wisconsin Municipalities, sales tax

A Green Bay-area legislator has revived a proposal that would let contractors bypass the state sales tax when buying materials for public projects.

ANALYSIS: Obama disconnects rhetoric, reality in jobs bill pitch

Published: October 10, 2011
Tags: Barack Obama, bill, George Washington University, jobs, jobs bill, John Boehner, John Sides, unemployment

In President Barack Obama’s sales pitch for his jobs bill, there are two versions of reality: The one in his speeches and the one actually unfolding in Washington.

Democrats question GOP jobs promise

Published: January 26, 2011
Tags: bill, Erpenbach, Fred Risser, Jauch, jobs, John Schmitt, lawmaker, Legislature, Michael Ellis, Obama, Scott Fitzgerald, special session
Comments: 3

By James Briggs The state Legislature is moving at a brisk pace this week, pushing pieces of Gov. Scott Walker’s special session agenda closer to his desk. Walker on Monday signed his first bill, which will make contributions to health savings accounts tax deductible. The Legislature also has debated and passed bills related to lawsuit [...]

Republicans target prevailing wage changes 

Published: January 20, 2011
Tags: bill, John Fales, Litjens, Mary Williams, prevailing wage, repeal, Robb Kahl, Turonie

By James Briggs State Rep. Mary Williams keeps in her Capitol office a tangible reminder of a law she says is holding down Wisconsin’s construction industry. Opening the top-right drawer of her desk Wednesday afternoon, the Republican from Medford pulled out a thick stack of paper and let it drop like a brick, smacking the [...]

Tax deductions for job creation passes committee (UPDATE)

Published: January 20, 2011
Tags: bill, jobs, Scott Walker, tax deduction

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin businesses would be eligible for a tax deduction for every new job under a bill that has passed the Legislature’s budget committee. The proposal that passed Thursday would cost $67 million over the next two years and extend tax benefits ranging from $92 to $316 for each job created. The [...]

Assembly candidate calls for ironworkers licensing

By Paul Snyder An ironworker running for state Assembly wants to revive a licensing bill for his trade even if industry reps consider the proposal little more than a power grab. “We can’t afford to have buildings falling down in this state,” said Thad Kubisiak, a member of Ironworkers Local 383 who is running as [...]

Doyle vetoes bill to promote green buildings (UPDATE)

Published: May 19, 2010
Tags: bill, Doyle, energy, green, green building, Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, LEED, Legislature, Molepske, renovation, U.S. Green Building Council, veto
Comments: 2

Darryl Enriquez and Sean Ryan A bill that would have applied green building standards to public projects died Wednesday when Gov. Jim Doyle vetoed the proposal. State Rep. Louis Molepske Jr., D-Stevens Point, chided members of Doyle’s administration for not raising concerns about the bill while the Legislature was in session this year. Molepske was [...]

Bill pitches prison for willful workplace violations

By Paul Snyder Company executives, project managers and safety directors could face up to 20 years in prison for work site accidents if a federal bill becomes law. The Protecting America‘s Workers Act, introduced by Congresswoman Lynn Woolsey, D-Calif., would let the Occupational Safety and Health Administration enforce stiffer penalties for willful safety violations that [...]

Renewable energy bill dies on Earth Day

Published: April 22, 2010
Tags: bill, Buchen, Doyle, energy, Neumann, renewable energy, Russ Decker, Scott Walker, Tom Barrett

By TODD RICHMOND Associated Press Writer MADISON, Wis. (AP) — As outdoor lovers celebrated Earth Day’s 40th anniversary, state lawmakers pulled the plug on a bill that would have set aggressive new renewable energy standards. The state Senate finished its two-year session Thursday without voting on the bill after Democratic leaders balked at reports that [...]