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Failing to act Johnson, House Republicans fail to embrace Coronavirus aid legislation

U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Oshkosh, criticized coronavirus legislation that cleared the House by a large bipartisan majority over the objections of all four Wisconsin Republicans in that chamber. The bill cleared the House on March 13 by a 363-40 vote as the state’s House delegation split along party lines. Johnson said he worried about “unintended consequences” in the House bill by mandating small businesses pay sick leave, saying it could drive them further into debt. He said using existing state unemployment funds may be a better way to address the situation. “I hope the Senate will approach this with a level head and pass a bill that does more good than harm - or, if it won’t, pass nothing at all,” Johnson said. Gov. Tony Evers sent Johnson and U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, D-Madison, a letter urging them to support the bill.

Evers seeks unemployment changes To help workers impacted by the growing coronavirus pandemic, Gov. Tony Evers has called on lawmakers to immediately repeal a one-week delay in collecting unemployment benefits — something Republicans approved nearly a decade ago. Evers also ordered bars and restaurants to be closed to in-house patrons as of 5 p.m. yesterday as part of the state’s escalating response to the outbreak. He also issued a new ban on gatherings of 10 or more people after prohibiting groups of 50 or more just the day before. The Tavern League knocked the order closing bars, saying there would be large swaths of noncompliance because the directive came so late.

Graduation rates rise, with caveat The good news is a higher percentage of Wisconsin students are finishing high school. The same old news is there continues to be an achievement gap between white students and those of color. New numbers from the Department of Public Instruction show overall four-year graduation rates rose to 90% for 2018-19, compared to 88.4% in 2014-15. For white, non-Hispanic students, the rate was 93.8%, up from 92.9%. Both black and Hispanic students also showed progress, even though a big gap with their white counterparts remains. Black student graduation rose to 71.3% from 64% and Hispanic students rose to 82.8% from 77.5%. The only category that saw a decrease in rates over the last five years was among Pacific Islanders, which fell to 83.3% from 84.5%. Ron Johnson

COVID-19 causes cancelations around Wisconsin, and selfquarantines, including Scott Walker The international outbreak of the coronavirus sparks a tidal wave of closings and cancellations, from State Capitol tours to the Wisconsin high school basketball tournaments. While Washington, D.C., falters over the appropriate responses, Gov. Tony Evers declares a public health emergency. He also signs an executive order authorizing DHS to take the necessary measures to help prevent and respond to the virus. In two different announcements, schools are closed and gatherings of more than 50 people are banned. State funds are also authorized to help local health departments with costs related to quarantine and isolation. The order also authorizes the Wisconsin adjutant general to activate the National Guard to assist in the state’s response and directs the Department of Agriculture Trade and Consumer Protection to enforce prohibitions on price gouging during an emergency. New cases in Wisconsin are being announced each day and people taking steps to self-quarantine. That includes former GOP Gov. Scott Walker, who has been in self-quarantine for the last two weeks after coming in close contact with someone infected with COVID-19 at last month’s Conservative Political Action Conference. A Walker spokesman told WisPolitics.com the former governor is in his Milwaukee home as a precaution and that March 13 was his last day of quarantine. Meanwhile, U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson’s office said the Oshkosh Republican was considering selfquarantine after coming into contact with a member of the Spanish parliament who has tested positive for COVID-19.

Karofsky accuses Kelly of being ‘for sale’ ► Dane County Judge Jill Karofsky in a Milwaukee debate accused rival Daniel Kelly of hanging a “for sale” sign on the state Supreme Court, because his conservative donors know their influence has led him to side with them time and again. Kelly fired back the suggestion was obnoxious, ugly and vile, charging Karofsky has repeatedly lied about him in their race for a 10-year term on the bench. “My opponent has made the centerpiece of her campaign an ugly slander,” Kelly told a forum hosted by the Milwaukee Bar Association. “The entire rationale for it has been a lie. There is no basis for it.” But Karofsky pointed to Kelly deciding to house his campaign in the state GOP headquarters as one of several signs that her opponent is beholden to partisan interests. She pledged if elected she would recuse herself from any case involving the state Democratic Party. “We need to make sure that when folks get to the court, that they know that the decision on the court is being made for one reason and one reason only, and that’s based on what the law is and not based on the money that’s come in during a judicial election,” Karofsky said. Jill Karofsky

Nursing homes to get mail-in ballots Following Gov. Tony Evers’ declaration of a public health emergency, the Elections Commission unanimously voted to allow nursing homes to receive and send mail-in ballots instead of sending teams of special voting deputies to those facilities. Commission Administrator Megan Wolfe said at an emergency meeting that statute permits two special voting deputies to visit and collect votes from residents of longterm care facilities. But Evers’ executive order and DHS’ recommendation that only essential personnel visit the facilities does not include the deputies. The commission also voted to give municipal clerks the option to relocate nursing home polling stations and other facilities where there is a public health concern. State law calls for polling locations to be established 30 days before an election, but that’s already passed. The action means clerks can still find alternate sites as needed.

Ag groups press state senate on farm bills Sixteen agriculture groups came together at the Capitol to press senators to take up 14 bills that have been passed by the Assembly. “Wisconsin farmers have been hit hard by a combination of low commodity prices, trade disruptions and tariffs, as well as extreme weather events throughout the last five years,” said Karen Gefvert, director of governmental relations for the Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation. “The ag groups are asking the Senate to take action that would benefit Wisconsin agriculture.” Five of the bills are centered around investments in programs and grants for water quality and groundwater protection, issues that Jefferson County beef farmer, Kirsten Jurcek, said go hand-in-hand with farm profitability. “Saving soil saves us money in the long term,” she said. “Maintaining our rural property values also depends on us having clean water to drink and access to lakes and streams that are fish-able and swim-able.” The other bills include labeling requirements that would prevent plant-based products from using the term “dairy” and “meat,” investments to exporting dairy and a grant program at DATCP, tax credits on farm buildings, funding for UW-Madison and UWExtension and a wildlife abatement program. The Senate was due to convene later in March.

Obama manager: WI is ‘most important’ Former Obama Campaign Manager David Plouffe told a crowd in Madison that Wisconsin is likely to be the most important place in the world over the next seven months. Speaking at a recent signing of his new book, “A Citizen’s Guide to Beating Donald Trump,” Plouffe said the Electoral College map puts Wisconsin in an influential position. “There are people in all parts of the world, every continent, who are going to be looking very closely at what’s happening here,” Plouffe said at the Madison Public Library event. He emphasized the importance of maximizing voter turnout in Milwaukee and Dane counties to ensure President Trump loses in November. But in order to do that, Plouffe said, Dems would have to win over voters who are unlikely to be going to the polls wearing Bernie Sanders shirts or with Joe Biden bumper stickers on their trucks. “We will likely win this election with people who are pretty apathetic about voting and even apathetic about our candidate,” Plouffe said.