The Capitol Report

Wisconsin’s primary doesn’t happen until August of next year. But the major Democratic candidates for U.S. Senate are busy gathering resources for the primary and general election fight ahead.

A bill that would limit liability for gun makers and dealers in civil court cases could make it harder to punish those who sell firearms later used in crimes, say anti-violence advocates.

Republicans in Wisconsin would still have an advantage under drafts of Assembly and Senate district lines created for Gov. Tony Evers’ People’s Maps Commission, according to a WisPolitics.com review of the proposals.

The inmate population at state adult prisons recently breached the 20,000 threshold for the first time since January, according to Department of Corrections data reviewed by WisPolitics.com in late September.

The taxpayer-funded elections probe led by former conservative state Supreme Court Justice Michael Gableman has been under fire for weeks. Now Gableman is defending the probe via video.

The primary election for Wisconsin’s lieutenant governor is just under 11 months away. So far, no Democrats are making noise about getting into the race.

More than half of the state’s county Republican parties have formally called for a “cyber forensic audit” of the 2020 elections. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, is using the same language as he expands the review headed by former Wisconsin Justice Michael Gableman. But the man leading the effort to get county parties on board with the call for an audit insists what Vos wants isn’t enough.

When the rest of the world went virtual during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, rural Wisconsin went dark. In an effort to close those internet-access gaps, more money is going toward broadband expansion in Wisconsin than ever before. 

The controversy surrounding the disputed member of the Natural Resources Board has led to a lawsuit from Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul. Kaul’s lawsuit seeks to force Prehn from the board that controls policy of the Department of Natural Resources.

Wisconsin counties are largely prioritizing business recovery, public health, housing and broadband expansion with their more than $1.1 billion in total ARPA funds, according to WisPolitics.com interviews with local government officials.