State Capitol

Gov. Tony Evers had the legal right to ban conversion therapy for LGBTQ+ youth, and a Republican-controlled legislative committee exceeded its authority by blocking the rule, the state Supreme Court found Tuesday.

Wisconsin lawmakers voted to approve a state budget that spends more than $111 billion over the next two years, cuts more than 300 state jobs and increases funding for the child care industry and the UW system. It also cuts taxes by about $1.4 billion.

Lawmakers are aiming to get it to Gov. Tony Evers’ desk before a deadline out of Washington could cost Wisconsin hospitals nearly $1.5 billion.

The final state budget for 2025-27 will include a date to decommission the notorious Green Bay Correctional Institution, increase funding for the Universities of Wisconsin system by $256 million and cut taxes by $1.5 billion.

Hours after many details of a long-negotiated bipartisan budget deal were announced, GOP leaders said they’ll vote to include the closure of the troubled Green Bay Correctional Institution in their final budget.

Advocates are calling on the state Legislature to appropriate more money for crime victim services after funding approved by a budget committee on Friday fell short of the amount requested by Wisconsin’s Attorney General Josh Kaul.

The Joint Finance Committee did not take up three of the budget’s most consequential issue areas when it gaveled in late Friday night — more than 12 hours later than initially scheduled. 

The state Assembly passed a set of bills Tuesday that would expand nuclear power in Wisconsin, sending those proposals to Gov. Tony Evers’ desk.

Assembly Republicans have endorsed an $87 million cut to the Universities of Wisconsin, while advocates for higher education say the state should invest more as federal funding declines.

In the days since two Minnesota lawmakers were shot in their homes, Wisconsin representatives have differed about security needs for elected officials in the state.