The Weekly Update

Governor’s State of the State Address

Governor Evers delivered his annual State of the State address last week Wednesday, January 22. You can read the full address in the press release or watch a recording of the address on WisconsinEye.

Governor’s Budget Address

Governor Tony Evers is expected to deliver his 2025-27 Budget Address on Tuesday, February 18, 2025, starting at 7:00 p.m. The address will be live streamed on WisconsinEye. More details will be shared as they are made available.

Department of Education Senior Appointees Announcements

Last week, the Department of Education announced senior appointees for various positions at the department. These positions include the Chief of Staff, the Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy and Programs, and the Principal General Counsel.

Senate HELP Committee Antisemitism Legislation

Last week, Chairman Cassidey, the Chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) Committee and Senator Fetterman reintroduced the Protecting Students on Campus Act.

As summarized in the Committee Release, the bill:

• “Empowers students by improving awareness of how to report alleged civil rights violations.   
  • Requires colleges and universities to post noticeable links and language on their main webpage on how to file a Title VI discrimination complaint, including accessible links to OCR complaint website. “  

• “Ensures institutions that receive federal funding properly handle discrimination complaints. 
  • Requires colleges and universities to report the number of civil rights complaints they receive and the actions they took to address the complaints.  
  • Requires the DeptEd Inspector General to audit institutions that report high ratios of discrimination complaints relative to their student population.” 

• “Requires the Assistant Secretary of Civil Rights to brief Congress monthly on:
  • How many reports OCR is getting, broken down by type of discrimination; 
  • What OCR’s plans are to work through those complaints; and 
  • How long the complaints have been pending with OCR. “

Joint Address Invitation

Over the weekend, Speaker Johnson extended a formal invitation for President Trump to address a Joint Session of Congress on March 4. Assuming President Trump accepts the invitation, you will be able to watch the address on C-Span. 

Senate Hearings on Cabinet Nominees

This week, the Senate is expected to hold several additional nomination hearings for President Trump’s cabinet nominees. A full list of upcoming hearings can be found on the Senate Hearings & Meetings Page.

Linda McMahon’s nomination hearing to be the Secretary of Education has not yet been scheduled. 

House/Senate Floor Schedules

The House of Representatives is in a District Work Period; however, the Senate is scheduled to be in session and voting this week. A full list of votes can be found on the Senate website as they are released.