Legislative Session Review: Wisconsin

Wisconsin adjourned its 2018 regular legislative session March 22, and Governor Scott Walker (R) finished acting on the bills sent to his desk on March 30. The highlights of this year’s session included passing a sales tax holiday and child care tax rebate and allocating $100 million for new school safety programs.

Legislative Highlights

• During his election and reelection campaigns, Walker told voters that he would cut taxes every year that he was in office. This year’s tax cut took the form of a one-time $100-per-child tax rebate and a new sales tax holiday. The sales tax bill was thought to be dead in the Senate, with Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R) calling it a “gimmick,” but he was finally swayed in the closing days of the session.
• In response to the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, lawmakers came together to pass a $100 million package to boost school security. Although this bill had broad bipartisan support, Democrats lamented that a bill to establish more stringent background checks died in the Senate.
• Lawmakers were unable to pass a $155 million tax incentives package for consumer products manufacturer Kimberly-Clark, which had announced plans to reduce its workforce. Opponents said that the plan would set a troubling precedent whereby any company could gain tax preferences by threatening to cut jobs. The bill passed the Assembly but stalled in the Senate.

Election Preview

Wisconsin voters head to the polls November 6 to determine whether Governor Walker will be reelected to a third term. A crowded field of Democratic candidates is vying to replace the two-term governor, but no one has yet moved to the head of the pack. Although the governor faced a recall election in 2012 and is currently among the 15 least popular governors in America, many pundits say that Walker is favored to win reelection. Statewide elections for lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of state, and treasurer will also take place in November.

More immediately, the governor was forced to call a special election to fill two legislative seats that have been open since January after being ordered to do so by a federal appellate court. Walker argued against holding the elections, saying that they would be a waste of taxpayer time and money, but he relented after losing for the third time in court. The elections will take place on June 12. All 99 assembly seats and 17 of 33 state senate seats are up for election in November.