Wisconsin Legislators Burn the Midnight Oil on GOP’s Lame-Duck Power Grab
The Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison. Shutterstock
STATE AND LOCAL ROUNDUP | Los Angeles straw rules; N.Y.C. mayor stumbles on commissioner’s botched firing … and chronic wasting disease cleanup.
Good morning, it’s Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018. Leading Route Fifty’s state
Scroll down for more from places like Dallas, Texas; Teton County, Wyoming; Wilmington, Delaware; and San Diego, California … ALSO ON ROUTE FIFTY … A tour of Sacramento flood-control infrastructure … school bus driver shortages persist … a debt dispute in Missouri is unresolved as payment deadline passes … Appalachia, Puerto Rico organizations awarded economic development funds … and after complaints over delays, FTA announces grant awards.
Let’s get to it …
TRANSITIONS | In Madison, Wisconsin, state Republicans in the legislature worked behind closed doors Tuesday night to negotiate controversial lame-duck bills to limit the powers of the incoming Democratic governor and attorney general. They had hoped to get a handful of bills on outgoing Gov. Scott Walker’s desk by the end of Tuesday night, but struggled. The Wisconsin Senate OK’d a proposal late Tuesday that would block Gov.-elect Tony Evers from withdraw from a federal waiver for that would implement work requirement rules for Medicaid. [Wisconsin State Journal / Madison.com; Milwaukee Journal Sentinel; AP] … The new administration of Alaska Gov. Mike Dunleavy, who was sworn into office on Monday, has plenty of vacancies needing to be filled, especially when it comes to law enforcement and public safety. The governor is currently “without an attorney general, a corrections commissioner or a top cop.” [Anchorage Daily News] … Kansas Gov.-elect Laura Kelly is urging state lawmakers to “roll back a work requirement and other rules for cash assistance recipients.” [KMUW]
CITY HALLS | City officials in Los Angeles plan to introduce new rules that would require restaurants to only offer straws for drinking when they’re requested. Says L.A. Councilmember Mitch O’Farrell: “The evidence is in, and it’s overwhelming. The aftereffects—the consequences—of widespread plastic use is choking the planet.” [Los Angeles Times] … Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings, who is leaving City Hall in June, delivered his final State of the City address [Dallas Morning News] … New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio denied that the botched firing of Emergency Management Commissioner Joe Esposito was not inspired by the city’s messy response to a snowstorm last month. [New York Daily News] … The San Diego City Council on Tuesday approved Mayor Kevin Faulconer’s allocation of $14.1 million in state homeless emergency aid funding for “rental assistance and subsidies, outreach, and youth services.” [KNSD / NBC San Diego] … The Portland, Maine City Council on Monday approved a resolution criticizing the Trump administration’s new rules that penalize immigrants who use public assistance. [Maine Public]
PAY & BENEFITS | A new opinion from Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood opens the door to retired state employees to serve in the state legislature without having to give up their state pension, which is currently the requirement. [Clarion Ledger] … Amtrak and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority have adjacent rail yards in Washington, D.C. that allowed two men to double-dip to allegedly collect pay from both rail operators by “claiming to be at one employer while physically reporting to the other.” [The Washington Post]
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT | One of the top destinations for Chicago residents looking to relocate is Minnesota. “Nearly 60 percent of Chicagoans surveyed by Greater MSP would consider moving to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area—the second-highest of any metro area after Detroit (68 percent).” [MinnPost]
CORRECTIONS | Delaware Gov. John Carney signed an executive order on Tuesday that “creates a commission focused on reentry reform, policies, and procedures, with a goal of helping former inmates more successfully reenter their communities.” [Gov. John Carney] …
WASTE MANAGEMENT | In Teton County, Wyoming, local officials are trying to figure out who is ultimately responsible for removing animal carcasses infected with chronic wasting disease. [Casper Star Tribune] ….
Michael Grass is Executive Editor of Route Fifty and is based in Seattle.
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