Wisconsin Headlines

Written By: ECJ Staff  |  Posted: Tuesday, March 22nd, 2016

How Bad Are Wisconsin Roads?

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation released a statement affirming that 91% of the local road system in Wisconsin is in "fair or above" condition. The Wisconsin County Highway Association couldn't disagree more. The WCHA conducted a survey showing that county in Wisconsin are resurfaced every 56 years.

A report from the US Department of Transportation also found Wisconsin roads unsatisfactory. The report said that 71% of Wisconsin roads are in poor or mediocre condition.

Proposals to raise money for transportation costs were proposed in the legislature in 2013 but were rejected. The proposals included increasing the gas tax, user fees, and higher vehicle registration fees.

Cops, Kleefisch Killed Civil Asset Forfeiture Reform Bill

M. D. Kittle - Wisconsin Watchdog

After what appeared to be strong bipartisan support for civil asset forfeiture reform, the legislation has died on the vine.

Assembly Bill 537 succumbed to a committee chairman who openly loathed it, and it will not get a hearing in the Senate's Labor and Government Reform Committee.

State Rep. Joel Kleefisch, R-Oconomowoc, chairman of the Assembly Criminal Justice and Public Safety Committee, did not like the reform bill, which would provide protections against law enforcement seizure of private property.

Toward the end of last month's rapid-fire Assembly winter session, before representatives moved from lawmaking to campaigning, the bill was transferred from the recalcitrant Kleefisch's Criminal Justice Committee to the Assembly Rules committee.

By then, there just wasn't enough time to move the bill along before the Assembly closed up shop, according to Kit Beyer, spokeswoman for Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester.

Currently, law enforcement officials are allowed to seize property they believe has been used in illegal activity or is the result of illegal activities. The agency can then begin court proceedings to have the property declared forfeited and sell it even when the owner of the property has never been charged with a crime.

Wisconsin Has the Third Highest Taxes in the Nation

According to a report at WalletHub, Wisconsin has the third highest taxes in the nation. The state and local taxes for the average resident are 13.58%, which is 26.82% higher than the national average. Wisconsin also had some of the highest real estate taxes in the nation.