Republican lawmakers across the country are pushing to increase the use of cash bail and pretrial detention.
Author Archives: Harm Venhuizen / Associated Press
Harm Venhuizen is a state government reporter with The Associated Press in Madison, Wisconsin, primarily covering elections and voting rights. Prior to this, Venhuizen interned at Military Times. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy from Calvin University in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where he served as editor-in-chief of Chimes, the student paper. During his time at Chimes, he earned recognition for his investigative coverage of controversial personnel decisions, sexual assault and university employment policies against same-sex marriage. Venhuizen grew up on a small farm in rural Wisconsin, and spent a summer working as a wildfire firefighter with the U.S. Forest Service.
Posted inGovernment
Explainer: Disagreements on size of Wisconsin budget surplus
Republican Wisconsin lawmakers and Democratic Gov. Tony Evers can’t seem to agree on how much extra money they have to work with in the state budget.
Posted inGovernment
Wisconsin Republicans push tighter budget, downplay surplus
Wisconsin Republican legislative leaders downplayed the state’s record budget surplus, even as Democratic Gov. Tony Evers has pushed for massive spending increases on K-12 education, tax cuts and funding for local governments.
Posted inGovernment
Gov. Tony Evers pushing for tax cuts, new paid family leave program
Democratic Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers is making a plea for bipartisanship in his state budget proposal.
Posted inGovernment
Republicans push bill to undo Wisconsin open records ruling
Republican lawmakers are backing a bill that would render a controversial Wisconsin Supreme Court decision obsolete by loosening limits on when people who sue over open records requests can recover attorney’s fees.
Posted inGovernment
GOP election tactics no surprise to Wisconsin’s Black voters
Recent revelations about Republican election strategies targeting minority communities in Wisconsin’s biggest city came as no surprise to many Black voters.
Posted inGovernment
Wisconsin’s estimated budget surplus tops $7 billion
Wisconsin’s projected state budget surplus is now forecast to reach $7.1 billion by July, up more than half a billion dollars from the previous estimate just two months ago.
Posted inGovernment
Wisconsin Gov. Evers promises a tax cut, compromise to increase funding
Wisconsin Gov. Tony Evers pledged to compromise with Republican lawmakers to increase funding for schools and local governments.
Posted inGovernment, Health & Welfare
‘Here again’: Abortion activists rally 50 years after Roe
Sunday’s main march was held in Wisconsin, where upcoming elections could determine the state Supreme Court’s power balance and future abortion rights.
Posted inGovernment
Democrats call for removal of Wisconsin election official Robert Spindell for voting comments
Wisconsin Democrats are calling for the Republican leader of the state Senate to remove his appointee to the state’s bipartisan election commission over comments he made about minority turnout in Milwaukee.
Posted inGovernment
Wisconsin Senate OKs welfare vote, nixes Evers’ abortion ask
Republican Wisconsin lawmakers on Tuesday rejected calls from Gov. Tony Evers and other Democrats to ask voters whether the state should continue to ban abortions, opting instead to advance a ballot question on welfare eligibility.
Posted inGovernment
Wisconsin voting groups criticize GOP election commissioner who celebrated reduced Milwaukee turnout
Black and Hispanic voters in Wisconsin’s largest city say a Republican election commissioner publicly applauding GOP strategies he credits with depressing minority turnout are a public admission of a conservative strategy in place for years.