The Madison-Monday Morning Report–
6-23-2025
The Budget is Due in 8 Days
Although most of the bills that are heard during hearings at the Capitol do not significantly affect your daily lives, I encourage you to click on the notices that I have linked in the “HEARINGS” section of these reports to get a feel on just how expansive the government has become. They have regulated and financed everything, as you will see.
My Substack - Savagespeaks has written about the recent history of the budget in Wisconsin. See it here. You should also read my Substack on researching budgets, past and current. See it here.
BUDGET FIGHT!
Why on earth would the Wisconsin legislature send this wacko governor a budget? As stated before, the liberal Supreme Court has given him the ability to modify the language within the budget document to achieve ANY result he desires. As a matter of fact, the WCD would go as far as to say that ANY legislator that votes in favor of sending a budget to this governor is complicit in the “great steal” and fleecing of Wisconsin.
It looks like Steve Nass and Chris Kapenga are pushing back.
State Senator Steve Nass was elected to the legislature in 1990, and I do not believe he has ever voted for a budget. He’s one of those budget hawks that understands that spending programs never go away. We see it at the federal level, even “in your face” wasteful programs seem to stay around forever. Small little “pilot” programs don’t go away either, they get expanded every session until they become “to big to fail”. And don’t forget the welfare programs. The Medicaid (BadgerCare) program is quite the hook for taxpayers. Offer free healthcare to people who don’t work and then tell us that we can’t cut the program because of the millions of people who suddenly aren’t working rely on the program, including literally half of all children. Low- income workers qualify as well. It is unsustainable and self-inflicted. As the Nass team pointed out at the outset of BadgerCare, if you give Walmart workers taxpayer funded healthcare, then why would Walmart try to compete with it? Even if Walmart wanted to, they can’t compete with the government. Walmart and other big corporations are off the hook, and the taxpayer is picking up the tab.
NOTE: Check out the BadgerCare Program here. It’s a MUST READ. You’ll see clearly why the healthcare industry LOVES Robin Vos and the republican leadership. Tens of billions of taxpayer dollars every year get shoveled into the healthcare system, and a nice chunk of that money gets shoveled back to leadership.
Senator Nass as of Monday morning, June 23, 2025, is a “no” on the budget.
State Senator Chris Kapenga was elected to the legislature in 2010, and (for the most part) has been a force for conservatism and fiscal restraint. Kapenga is clearly signaling that the spending frenzy (that I have, as you know, placed clearly at the feet of Robin Vos) must stop.
Senator Kapenga as of Monday morning, June 23, 2025, is a “no” on the budget.
It appears that with these two senators holding the line, the budget will need some support from democrats to pass. It’s time a few more ‘Republican” senators joined in the fight. The time is perfect for this fight, and it must be fought, and it must be won.
Resources:
To Review the Budget Papers click here. As you can see, there’s not much talk of “cutting” anything. And as long as most of you are ok with that, don’t expect anything to change. Ever. Reagan said “ “The closest thing to eternal life on earth is a government program” and that is just as true in Madison, Wisconsin as it is in Washington, DC.
Follow the Joint Finance Committee - Click here.
NOTE: Of interest is the paper on the Electronic Registration Information Center (ERIC). Read it here.
Hearings –
Note: If there is something that we feel is a must-know item that is receiving a hearing we will point that out. Otherwise, simply follow the links provided.
There are three kinds of hearings.
1. A public hearing where the public is allowed to address bills that are being heard. The bill authors generally go first to answer questions from the committee. Lobbyists and “experts” give their thoughts as well.
2. Executive sessions are where the members of the committee vote on passage. Generally, no testimony is given during an executive session, but last-minute amendments might require explanation and clarification from the Legislative Council (lawyers who provide legal interpretations of the bill’s language).
3. Informational hearings are hearings where invited speakers give their thoughts on topics that they are familiar with. Generally, testimony is limited to invited speakers.
Monday – No hearings scheduled.
Tuesday – The Assembly Committee on Ways and Means is holding a public hearing on two more spending bills. See the notice here.
Wednesday – The Senate Committee on Transportation and Local Government is holding a public hearing on several bills that spend money and/or addresses regulation. See the notice here.
Thursday – The Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules is holding a public hearing on a rule relating to the definition of “lead exposure” (see the notice here) and an executive session on three rules, including the lead exposure rule. See the notice here. NOTE: The Rules committee has a 6–4 Republican majority but Rep. Petersen (who ran as a republican) has been voting with the democrats. A 5-5 vote kills any attempt to kill a rule brought forward by any of Governor Evers agencies.
Friday – No hearings scheduled.
NOTE: It would not be feasible to discuss every bill being heard every week. If you have a particular bill you’re following, please look at the committee schedule - View the entire committee hearing schedule here - You will need to enter the current date.
Links to Savagespeaks Tutorials and other Information.
Know how to do your research – The links below contain valuable information.
Notification Service – Viewing a Bill history - Researching Budgets
As a reminder of why we must follow our government closely, read the following Substacks.
Monday Count Bill/Kevin Peterson -14 Week Abortion Bill - Wedding Barn Fiasco - Monday Count Bill Revisited - The 2020 election Revisited - Meagan Wolfe Has to Go
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Bill Savage, Editor – Wisconsin Conservative Digest
Bill Savage is a former Chief of Staff at the Wisconsin State Capitol. Current editor of the Wisconsin Conservative Digest and author of Savagespeaks.Substack.com.