|
Capitol Notes
WI: Weekly Political and Legislative Update |
TO: Clients/Friends of Capitol Consultants, Inc./Wimmer & Company, S.C.
FROM: Capitol Consultants, Inc.
& Wimmer Company, S.C.
DATE: January 20, 2012
SUBJECT: Weekly Legislative and Political Update
|
Recall Petitions Turned In
On Tuesday, organizers of efforts to recall Governor Walker turned in more than one million signatures to the Government Accountability Board (GAB). The amount of signatures is well above the required 540,208 that were necessary to begin the process of triggering a recall election against the Govenor.
The GAB is currently examining the signatures and is expected to take more than the 31 days that are currently allowed to thoroughly examine the signatures for their validity. The GAB has said that it could up to at least 60 days to certify the signatures and will be going to court soon to ask for an extension.
If the requisite amount of signatures that are needed to trigger a recall election against the Governor are certified, the recall election process will begin and an election will then be scheduled for later in the year.
Recall organizers also turned in enough signatures to force recall elections (if the signatures are also certified by the GAB) against Lieutenant Governor Rebecca Kleefisch and four Republican state Senators - Majority Leader Scott Fitzgerald (R-Horicon), Pam Galloway (R-Wausau), Terry Moulton (R-Chippewa Falls) and Van Wangaard (R-Racine).
No date has been set for a potential recall election, but GAB officials are requesting that all of the recall elections be held on the same day, which appears to be in late Spring as the earliest possible date.
To read more about the recall signature certification process, click here. |
|
Kathleen Falk Announces for Governor
On Wednesday, former Dane County Executive and former two-time state-wide candidate Kathleen Falk announced her candidacy for Governor as a Democrat in a possible recall election against Governor Walker.
Falk, who resigned her post as Dane County Executive in late 2010, announced through an email to her supporters saying, "As your Governor, I will make different choices than Scott Walker. I know Wisconsin is a place where we can have good paying jobs...a clean environment...successful schools affordable health care. We can have workers and management talking and working together to solve tough problems. I know we can, because I did it for more than a decade as a chief executive and I know we can do it again. The people of Wisconsin have done a brave thing: demanded change. And together we will continue to make history."
Falk's quick announcement has not quelled speculation that other Democrats could enter the race, which would trigger a primary election to then challenge the first-term Governor. Other Democrats that have been mentioned include: Milwaukee Mayor Tom Barrett, former Congerssman David Obey (D-Wausau), former Congressman Steve Kagen (D-Appleton), Assembly Democratic Leader Peter Barca (D-Kenosha), state Senators Tim Cullen (D-Janesville) and Jon Erpenbach (D-Waunakee) and Kathleen Vinehout (D-Alma).
This week, Public Policy Polling, a Democratic polling firm, released a poll handicapping the possible Democratic candidates who are considering running for Governor in a possible recall election. The poll found that current Milwaukee Mayor and 2010 Democratic Governor's nominee, Tom Barrett, defeating Falk in a head to head race by a 46% to 27% margin and leading former Congressman Obey by a 42 percent to a 30 percent margin.
Barrett, who is up for re-election this Spring for another term for Milwaukee's Mayor, has not ruled out running for the seat if a recall elecition occurs. As his spokesperson said this week, "supporters have asked Tom to take a serious look at running," (www.wispolitcs.com).
In response to Kathleen Falk declaring her candidacy for Governor, Governor Walker said,
"Kathleen Falk's announcement today comes as no surprise, as we have long anticipated she would be the nominee hand-picked by big-government, public employee union bosses. Falk has already lost two statewide elections, failing to earn the trust of Wisconsin voters. Governor Walker's record of success and progress will stand in stark contrast to Falk's intent to take Wisconsin back to the days of record job loss, massive deficits, and double digit tax increases. Falk's record as Dane County executive falls in lockstep with a Madison liberal ideology that is far outside the mainstream of the majority of Wisconsinites." |
|
State Capitol Happenings
Next week expects to be a busy week in the Capitol. It is expected that both the Senate and the Assembly will be in session. As of this writing, the Senate has not yet announced what days it will be in session. The Assembly, however, will be in session for the first time this year on Thursday, January 26, where it will consider an array of bills possibly including a controversial mining bill that would regulate a proposed mine in northern Wisconsin.
Next Wednesday, January 26, Govenor Scott Walker will give his second State of the State Address at 7 p.m. where he will speak to a joint session of the legislature and a state-wide audience. It is expected that the first-term Governor will tout the successes of many reforms that he has put in place during his first year in office.
The Department of Workforce Development (DWD) announced this week that Wisconsin's unemployment rate for December dropped to 7.1 percent, down from 7.3 percent in November. DWD did report, however, a decline of 3,900 private-sector jobs for the month. Meanwhile the government sector reported adding 2,200 jobs, making for an overall loss of 1,700 jobs for the month (www.wispolitics.com). |
|
The Week Ahead
| Jan 25 Wed | Education (Senate)
9:30 AM
412 East | Items: Wisconsin ESEA Waiver Proposal
| Public Hearing |
|
| Jan 25 Wed | Education (Assembly)
9:30 AM
412 East | Items: Wisconsin ESEA Waiver Proposal
| Public Hearing |
|
| Jan 25 Wed | Health (Assembly)
10:00 AM
417 North (GAR Hall) | Items: Assembly Bill 440; Assembly Bill 471
| Public Hearing |
|
| Jan 25 Wed | Administrative Rules (Joint)
2:00 PM
400 Southeast | Items: Clearinghouse Rule 11-011; Emergency Rule 1113
| Public Hearing |
|
| Jan 25 Wed | Administrative Rules (Joint) (Executive Session)
2:05 PM Upon Adjournment of Public Hearing
400 Southeast | Items: Clearinghouse Rule 11-011; Emergency Rule 1113
| Executive Session |
|
|
