(The Center Square) – More than three-dozen Wisconsin lawmakers want Gov. Tony Evers to pause his plan to cut sentences short for some criminals in the state.

Rep. Jim Piwowarczyk, R-Hubertus, released the letter to the governor, saying crimes victims in the state need more time and more of a voice in the process.

“Many Wisconsinites are stunned that convicted cop killers are even being considered for commutation. Cases like Ted Oswald's murder of Waukesha Police Captain James Lutz are exactly why so many families believed Wisconsin's truth-in-sentencing laws finally brought certainty and finality for victims and their loved ones," the lawmakers wrote.

Evers announced in April he is ending a pause in commutations in Wisconsin, and he is reviewing thousands of requests.

“It’s time for Wisconsin to join red and blue states across our country and finally move our justice system into the 21st Century by reforming our criminal justice and corrections systems to improve public safety, reduce the likelihood that individuals will reoffend when they enter our communities, and save taxpayer dollars in the long run,” the governor said in a statement.

Piwowarczyk said the governor's announcement not only caught families off-guard, but has created a problem for what he called "overwhelmed" state and local prosecutors who are required to abide by Marcy's Law that has protections for crime victims and their families.

“Victims and their loved ones deserve certainty, transparency, and respect from our justice system,” Piwowarczyk said. “Instead, families are being blindsided by commutation applications through social media posts and news reports. That is unacceptable. Wisconsin’s commutation process must put victims first, not reopen emotional wounds without proper notification or meaningful input.”

Piwowarczyk and the other lawmakers asked in their letter for a pause in commutations to allow lawmakers to:

● Create a robust public notification system and online tracking list for commutation applications;

● Extend victim notification periods to at least 90 days;

● Guarantee hearings that allow victims and families to be heard directly;

● Require full notification to district attorneys and sentencing judges;

● Remove all homicide offenders from eligibility for commutation consideration.

(The Center Square) – The University of Wisconsin-Madison would not release any documents related to its contract or payments to consultant Tripp Umbach weeks after the university released a document that made claims regarding the university’s statewide economic impact.

The university claimed that it does not hold the contract and that it was denying access to what it called “draft documents” related to Tripp Umbach and payments to the firm.

“The university does not hold the contract, therefore there are no responsive records,” a public records custodian wrote to The Center Square in response to a public records request. “After a thorough search, the university has determined no record exists at the University of Wisconsin Madison related to your request.”

The Center Square also requested the documents from the University of Wisconsin system administration following the public records denial.

In April, the university released a 58-page document making claims that the university makes a $38.9 billion total economic impact on the state.

Universities across the country contract with Tripp Umbach for the firm to produce similar reports, which are then used in requests for public funding or donations to the college or university.

Tripp Umbach produces reports for health care and economic development organizations along with colleges and says on its website that “our work enables leaders to make informed decisions, secure support, and implement strategies that deliver measurable results.”

Economists regularly criticize economic impact reports produced by contractors such as Tripp Umbach for not following economic principles and only including revenue figures, along with invented multipliers, in order to produce larger numbers than the real economic figures.

Sports teams also use economic impact reports when they are seeking public funding for stadiums or large events in order to convince the public and politicians that those projects are worth large public funding figures.

UW-Madison athletics leaders used a 2022 consultant report that made economic impact claims to support sending $15 million annually to the University of Wisconsin athletics departments as part of a name, image and likeness bill ultimately signed into law by Gov. Tony Evers.

Rep. Andy Barr and Ed Gallrein secured partisan nominations in high-profile Kentucky primary races Tuesday, according to multiple outlets.

President Donald Trump's endorsement appeared critical for both candidates.

Gallrein, a farmer and business owner, rode the political capital and the endorsement of President Donald Trump to defeat long-time Congressman Thomas Massie, who has served in Kentucky's fourth congressional district since 2012.

Massie drew the ire of Trump for his continued pressure on the administration about the Jeffery Epstein files and the ongoing conflict with Iran.

Trump surrogates Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth both made campaign apperances for Gallrein.

“Fourth district voters appreciate having an independent conservative voice who works for them,” Massie said

Gallrein has spoken out about Massie’s voting record and criticized his lack of support for Trump’s agenda, including Massie’s vote seeking to restrict Trump’s authority in the conflict with Iran.

"If we do not take advantage of this narrow window of opportunity we have, history will punish us," Gallrein said at a campaign event on Monday.

Trump has called Massie is "fraudulent" and the "Worst Congressman in the History of our Country" before polls closed on Tuesday.

"Thomas Massie is a terrible congressman, he's been a terrible congressman from day one," Trump said to reporters on Tuesday. "I don't think he's a Republican, I think he's actually a Democrat, he's not a libertarian, he's really a Democrat."

Gallrein will face off against Melissa Claire Strange, the Democrat candidate in Kentucky's fourth district, in November.

Andy Barr, a Trump-endorsed Republican, came out on top of the race to succeed Sen. Mitch McConnell. He became a frontrunner after Nate Morris was nominated to an unnamed ambassadorship in the Trump administration's cabinet.

Barr has touted his record in Kentucky’s sixth congressional district throughout his campaign. Barr was first elected to his post in 2012.

“Together, we’ll cut taxes, slash waste and fire the deep state bureaucrats who steal our freedoms,” Barr said. “We’ll deport illegal aliens instead of putting them in luxury hotels.”

Voters in Kentucky will return to the polls in November to elect candidates who will serve in the U.S. Senate and U.S. House next year.

(The Center Square) – A handful of Republicans at the Wisconsin Capitol are asking for a second chance to vote on the proposed tax deal that died last week.

Six Assembly Republicans sent a letter to Gov. Tony Evers, asking him to call another special session.

“We appreciate the progress made through those discussions, particularly efforts focused on returning surplus funds to taxpayers, providing property tax relief, supporting schools, and helping hardworking Wisconsinites manage rising costs. These are the kinds of issues where collaboration matters most. While we may not agree on every issue, we remain committed to working toward responsible outcomes and ensuring politics does not stand in the way of doing what is best for the people of Wisconsin," Reps. Shannon Zimmerman, Todd Novak, Bob Donovan, Ben Franklin, Pat Snyder and Clint Moses wrote in the letter.

All six voted for the plan that would have sent tax rebates of up to $600 to Wisconsin taxpayers. The plan also would have ended income taxes on tips and overtime and given schools $300 million to "buy down" local property taxes.

Schools also would have gotten $300 million more for special education.

"Despite last week’s setback, we encourage you to call the Legislature back into Special Session to continue work on the common-sense reforms that received broad bipartisan support through months of negotiation. The failure of this legislation to advance does not change the reality that Wisconsin families are still facing rising costs and growing pressure on household budgets. We cannot allow political gamesmanship or ideological extremes on either side of the aisle to prevent meaningful progress on issues where common ground clearly exists," the lawmakers added.

Evers, over the weekend, blamed politics for the tax deal's demise. He said it was a "done deal" until Republican candidate for governor Tom Tiffany publicly criticized the deal.

Evers also blamed Democrats at the Capitol for the tax deal's death.

"They believe that somehow putting money back into people's pockets that are struggling financially across the state, apparently they don't believe that's an issue," Evers said.

But Democrats in the Wisconsin Senate are not softening their opposition to the plan.

Sen. Kelda Roys, D-Madison, who is also running for governor, on Monday said she remains a no vote.

"It’s never bad politics to do the right thing. We can’t afford to risk a $2.9 billion deficit with Trump hellbent on crashing our economy. We WILL fund schools & take pressure off property taxes, but can’t if they blow a projected (not existing) surplus & necessitate future cuts," Roys wrote on X. Turning a *projected* (not existing) surplus into a $2.9b deficit as the Trump economy is in chaos is reckless."

(The Center Square) – Wisconsin collected $2.4 billion in general purpose revenue taxes in April, a 13.7% increase from the year before.

Those numbers matched the revenue estimates released before last week’s failure of a $1.8 billion surplus spending bill in the Wisconsin Senate.

The April numbers showed that state collections through April were up 5.2% year over year to nearly $17.4 billion in the fiscal year compared to $16.5 billion in collections in fiscal 2025.

That increase led to the Department of Administration’s new economic forecast showing that it expects the state to collect $300 to $350 million more in taxes from Wisconsin residents than its revised estimates in January showed.

More than half of that total, between $175 and $185 million, will come from individual income tax collection increases while $70 to $80 million will come from corporate tax collections.

“While a portion of the gain in individual income tax collections results from a favorable comparison due to processing season anomalies in fiscal year 2024-25, growth has significantly exceeded the 1.4 percent growth rate estimated in January for fiscal year 2025-26,” the Department of Administration wrote in a memo.

Part of the processing season anomalies were noted in the April revenue report for the state.

“Individual income taxes and Total GPR in Fiscal Year 2025 were negatively impacted by third-party check receiving and processing delays in April,” the report noted. “Those check payments, estimated at over $200 million, are included in the May revenue report.”