Wisconsin Supreme Court Sets Hearing Date for Budget Repair Act

The Wisconsin Supreme Court set a date to hear arguments for and against Gov. Walker's budget repair act with controversial collective bargaining limitations.

The legislation, known as Wisconsin Act 10, passed through the Senate on March 9 and Assembly on March 10 and was signed into law on March 11.

In response, Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca promptly filed a complaint with the Dane County district attorney, alleging that the Republicans had violated Wisconsin's Open Meeting Laws by not giving a 24-hour notice for the hearing.

The case was heard by Judge Maryann Sumi, who was originally appointed to the bench by former Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson in 1998.

In a 33 page decision released on May 26, Judge Sumi struck down Wisconsin Act 10, ruling that the lawmakers did indeed violate Wisconsin's Open Meetings Laws by not giving 24-hour notice for the meeting.

In her decision, Judge Sumi noted that it was not up to her to decide whether the legislation was a sound policy for Wisconsin, but stated that "it is the court's responsibility, however, to apply the rules of law to the facts before it."

The Wisconsin Supreme Court is set to hear the case on June 6.

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Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (R-District 10)

• On May 25, AB 57, an act co-sponsored by Sen. Sheila Harsdorf, passed through the Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Corrections. The legislation (along with SB 54, which Harsdorf introduced to the Wisconsin Senate) seeks to classify synthetic canniboids (also known as synthetic marijuana) as a schedule one substance in the state of Wisconsin. Under the legislation, a person found in possession of synthetic canniboids could be fined up to $1,000 or imprisoned for up to six months, or both. Second-time offences would be considered a class I felony, and subject up to $10,000 in fines or be imprisoned for up to three and a half years, or both. The bill has now been referred to the Assembly Committee on Rules.
• Harsdorf has agreed to a series of debates with Democratic candidate Shelly Moore. No dates have been set yet, however, Hudson Patch Editor Micheal Foley plans to host one of the debates. Patch users can send a proposed debate question to foleymo@patch.com with the subject line "DEBATE QUESTION."
• Harsdorf has three Joint Finance Committee meetings scheduled for the week, the first is on Tuesday, May 31, the second is on Thursday, June 2 and the third is on Friday, June 3.

Rep. Dean Knudson (R-District 30)

• On May 25, Gov. Scott Walker signed AB 7, the voter ID legislation, into law. The new law will require each eligible voter who attempts to register or to vote at the polls on election day to present a valid Wisconsin driver's license or Wisconsin ID issued to the person by the Department of Transportation, a valid, or current identification card issued to the person by a U.S. uniformed service. The new law eliminates the use of identification such as student IDs for UW students for voting. Having been signed by Gov. Walker, AB 7 will b published into law on June 9.
• On May 25, SB 93 passed in the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations. Co-sponsored by Rep. Dean Knudson, the legislation seeks to create a licensing system under which an individual is permitted to carry a concealed weapon. Individuals would be able to apply for said permit through the Department of Justice. The bill now awaits a scheduling in the senate.
• Knudson has a Committee on Education meeting scheduled for Thursday, June 2.

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI)

• On May 27, Sen. Ron Johnson, along with Sen. Herb Kohl, Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) and Sen. Al Franken (D-MN); introduced a bipartisan bill to get the St. Croix Bridge project moving forward. Johnson stated that "replacing the St. Croix Bridge is critical to economic activity in both Wisconsin and Minnesota, it should have been done years ago. I'm happy to join in this bipartisan, bicameral effort."
• On May 24, Johnson appeared on Fox News and discussed the debt ceiling vote with Brian Kilmeade. Footage from the appearance can be seen on Johnson's website.
• Tweet of the week:"Wait times in Britain's NHS continue to climb. This is what Obamacare has in store for America. http://tinyurl.com/4ymh74v."
• Johnson has no committee meetings scheduled for the week.

Sen. Herb Kohl (D-WI)

• On May 27, Sen. Herb Kohl announced his support for bipartisan legislation to move the St. Croix Bridge project forward. The legislation was introduced by Kohl, along with Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Sen. Al Franken (D-MN), and Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI). In a press release, Kohl stated that "St. Croix County has been growing faster than any other place in our state, that kind of growth necessitates investment on a similar scale.  We must have infrastructure that is safe and reflective of the needs of our communities. But we must also be respectful of our natural resources.  I believe that these goals can be met, and will be met with continued bipartisan cooperation, as well as cooperation between our state and local governments and federal officials."
• Kohl has no committee meetings scheduled for the week. 

Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI)

• On May 23, Rep. Ron Kind voted in favor of HR 1657. The legislation dictates that any business determined by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) to have misrepresented its status as a small business owned and controlled by veterans or service-disabled veteran so it could increase its contracting opportunities will be barred from contracting with the VA for not less than five years. The legislation passed with 385 in favor and 4 against; 45 representatives did not vote. The bill now awaits action in the U.S. Senate.
• On May 25, Kind voted against HR 1216. The act aims to amend the Public Health Service Act to convert funding from direct appropriations to an authorization of appropriations for a program of payments to qualified teaching health centers for approved graduate medical residency training programs. The bill passed with 234 voting in favor and 185 voting against; 12 representatives did not vote. The bill now awaits action in the U.S. Senate. 
• On May 26, Kind voted in favor of HR 1540. The bill authorizes $690 billion in budget authority for the Department of Defense and the national security programs of the Department of Energy. The legislation passed with a 322 to 96 vote; 13 House of Representative members did not vote. HR 1540 now awaits action in the U.S. Senate.
• In his weekly YouTube address, Kind honors the sacrifices made by our men and women in uniform.
• Tweet of the week: "Thankful the Senate rejected @RepPaulRyan’s plan to end #Medicare as we know it and put #seniors on the #PathtothePoorhouse."
• Kind has two meetings scheduled for the Committee on Ways and Means, the first on June 2 and the second is on June 3.