A recent article in Wisconsin Watch— “We’re not going to be quiet; disability community in Wisconsin demands better access to voting” by Nora Eckert, published earlier this week, shows just how difficult voting can be for disabled people, and casts some light on why Wisconsin is ranked 44th of all the states in the disability […]
Evers Passes Mandatory Minimums for Drunk Driving Homicides
Wisconsin governor Tony Evers signed a bill yesterday that established a mandatory minimum of five years prison time for people convicted of homicide while driving drunk. The bill applies to both first-time and repeat offenders. In Wisconsin, the first drunk driving offense is treated as a civil violation. You can have your driver’s license suspended, […]
Representative Jimmy Anderson and the Ongoing Fight for Accessibility
Earlier this year, we spoke with Representative Jimmy Anderson about his request to Republican Assembly Speaker Robin Vos for reasonable accommodations related to his disability. For today’s episode, Ali is joined in the studio by Rep. Anderson to get updates about his ongoing fight for accommodations and his work in the state legislature. Representative Jimmy […]
State Senate Passes Bills, Confirms Secretary Nominations
The state Senate reconvened for a two-hour long floor session today. One bill passed today changes how the state regulates the hemp industry. Wisconsin legalized hemp in 2017, but this bill makes hemp regulations consistent with last year’s federal farm bill. One change in the bill makes the state agriculture department’s current pilot program for […]
Disability Rights with Representative Jimmy Anderson
Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) recently denied Representative Jimmy Anderson’s (D-Fitchburg) request to phone in to committee meetings. Rep. Anderson, who is paralyzed from the chest down, argues that the Americans with Disabilities Act requires the State Legislature to provide accommodations. The situation has sparked a broader conversation about disability rights, which is the […]
Legal Action Against the Lame-Duck Legislative Session
Last week, a federal judge ruled that early voting restrictions signed into law during Wisconsin’s lame-duck session in December violated a 2016 court order. For the first part of today’s episode, we speak with Analiese Eicher, program director at One Wisconsin Now, one of the organizations that filed the court challenge. Then, we hear from Representative […]
