|
In this update:
- Michael Best Updates
- Election Updates
- Court Updates
- Administration Updates
- Legislative Updates
- Committee Schedule
- Upcoming Events
| | MBS welcomes Matt Swentkofske to the team | | |
Michael Best Strategies is excited to announce the addition of Senior Director Matthew Swentkofske to the firm’s Madison office. With more than two decades of experience in government affairs and lobbying across local, state, and federal levels, Swentkofske joins the Michael Best Strategies Wisconsin team, bringing deep expertise in highly regulated industries such as food and beverage, financial services, and higher education.
Read Michael Best’s press release here.
Read Matt’s bio here.
| | Berrien launches governor campaign | |
Businessman Bill Berrien (R) officially announced his gubernatorial campaign this week. In his statement, he said, “Bureaucrats and politicians like Tony Evers have failed Wisconsin. They sold our land to China, encouraged illegal immigration in our communities, and welcomed boys into our daughters’ sports and locker rooms. The time for change is now.” He touts his service as a Navy SEAL and refers to himself as an “outsider and a businessman just like Donald Trump.”
Mr. Berrien launched the Never Out of the Fight PAC in April, causing speculation of his bid. The PAC told WisPolitics it raised $1.2 million between its launch in mid-April and June 30. He is the owner and CEO of Pindel Global Precision and Liberty Precision, and he is joining Washington County Executive Josh Schoemann as the announced GOP candidates.
Democratic Party of Wisconsin Chair Devin Remiker said Democrats are expanding their “playbook” that won races against previous GOP candidates, like Tim Michels in the last governor’s race. “Bill Berrien’s rich enough to buy himself some attention and clueless enough to think that’s going to work — just like Elon Musk did this past April only to see his political career end,” Remiker said.
| | Jacobson announces 17th SD bid | | |
State Rep. Jenna Jacobson (D-Oregon) announced her bid for the 17th Senate District to challenge state Sen. Howard Marklein (R-Spring Green). She promised to fight for more public funding for education in front of an elementary school in Ridgeway, and she said Sen. Marklein is a “classic politician” and became “addicted to the power and the money of politics.” Green County supervisor Todd Larson and businesswoman Lisa White both previously announced they would run for the seat as well, but Mr. Larson informed party leadership he is no longer running after Rep. Jacobson’s announcement.
The 17th Senate District is considered a competitive district in the next elections. Former Vice President Kamala Harris took the 17th SD by one percentage-point in 2024 over President Donald Trump. Similarly, U.S. Senator Tammy Baldwin (D) and State Supreme Court Justice Susan Crawford both won the district over their conservative opponents. Next fall, there will be four competitve seats that could determine the majority of Senate. Democratic lawmakers need to win at least three of the four competitive Senate seats to flip the chamber which is currently controlled 18-15 by Republicans. Three of the seats are currently held by Republican Senators: Marklein, Rob Hutton (R-Brookfield), and Van Wanggaard (R-Racine), and the fourth seat is representated by Sen. Jeff Smith (D-Brunswick).
| | Major Shift in Wisconsin Rulemaking: Supreme Court Strikes Down JCRAR Oversight Powers | |
On July 8, 2025, the Wisconsin Supreme Court held in Evers, et al., v. Marklein, et al., that statutory provisions granting the Joint Committee for Review of Administrative Rules (JCRAR) authority to pause, object to, and suspend administrative rules violate the Wisconsin Constitution’s bicameralism and presentment requirements.
The majority opinion, authored by Chief Justice Karofsky, and joined by Justices Ann Walsh Bradley, Dallet, and Protasiewicz, held that the JCRAR’s authority to alter the rulemaking process impacted the legal rights and duties of individuals outside the legislative branch, and thus triggered constitutional requirements that a bill pass both houses (bicameralism) and be presented to the Governor for signature (presentment). By failing to comply with those requirements, the JCRAR statutes were held facially unconstitutional.
Read Michael Best’s full alert on the decision.
| | Trump Trade 2.0: Trump's Trade Letters Hit the Inbox | | |
Reciprocal Tariff Increases Shift to August 1
On July 7, the White House announced that President Trump will delay the reimposition of tariffs from July 9 to August 1, offering a brief reprieve as trade negotiations continue. In the meantime, 12 additional countries or trading blocs will receive formal letters outlining new tariff rates unless alternative agreements are reached, with all letters to be posted publicly on Trump’s Truth Social account. At a press briefing, Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt emphasized that these letters are unilateral notices and part of Trump’s “tailor-made” trade strategy. Although the administration had promised “90 deals in 90 days,” only two agreements (Vietnam and the UK) have been finalized so far.
Read the complete update from the Michael Best Strategies Federal Team.
Are you concerned about the impacts of the outlined trade issues? Please contact Sarah Helton, Michael Best Strategies’ Trade Practice Lead at sarah.helton@michaelbest.com for assistance.
| | Evers takes action on bills | |
Governor Tony Evers (D) signed Assembly Bill 140, now 2025 Wisconsin Act 16, a bipartisan bill that will create exceptions for Tax Increment District (TID) Number 5 in the city of Port Washington and TID Number 10 in the city of Beaver Dam. The support will aid in attracting new data centers and growing the multi-billion-dollar industry in the state. In his press release, Gov. Evers said, “This bill will help these two communities compete for new data centers, bolster our local communities, and build upon our work to build a 21st-century workforce and economy. I look forward to seeing how these developments will continue to take shape in the months and years ahead.”
Last week, Gov. Evers took action on six bills in addition to the budget, signing all of them into law. Two of the bills, SB 124 and SB 125, would advance Wisconsin’s nuclear energy innovation by requiring a study of nuclear energy opportunities and potential nuclear power and fusion sites in Wisconsin and creating a Nuclear Power Summit Board.
The six bills signed last week include:
| | Budget recap interviews on “UpFront” | | |
The Governor and GOP leadership appeared on “UpFront” last weekend to discuss their final thoughts of this year’s budget process. Governor Tony Evers (D) said shortly after signing the budget in the middle of night, “We need to compromise when necessary, and I think that’s a strength, not a weakness. And that’s the takeaway for me.” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos (R-Rochester) said the negotiations caused the process to take a little longer, but the process was similar to previous budgets.
Joint Finance Committee Co-Chair Rep. Mark Born (R-Beaver Dam) said in a sit-down interview that everyone is going to get wins in a compromise. Referring to Gov. Evers and legislative Republicans, Rep. Born said “Certainly, he’s going to point to the things he likes. We’re going to point to the things we like. That’s a compromise. And so, are there things that would have been different if I got to build it personally on my own, or our caucus just got to build it on their own? Of course. But that’s the way the legislative process works, and that’s part of the compromise.”
Watch the segment here.
| | As of 12:00 pm Friday, there have been no committee meetings scheduled for next week. Committee and Agency meeting notices are frequently updated and can be found here (for the Legislature) and here (for the Administration). | | |
Monday, August 25th at 11:30am - Meet the Cabinet with Department of Children and Families Secretary Jeff Pertl
Register for the event here.
We are briefly pausing “Capitol Chats” through the summer, and the series will resume in September.
| | |
If you would like any additional information about the above topic, or if you would like to find time to discuss the above matter in more detail, please do not hesitate to contact your Michael Best Strategies contact.
Have a great day,
Wisconsin GR Team
| | | | |
One South Pickney Street, Suite 700
Madison, WI 53703
Phone: 608-257-3501
Fax: 608-283-2275
| | | | |
