State Assembly Debates Reading Bill, Contraceptive Access and Liquor Law Overhaul on Wednesday

Thursday, June 22nd, 2023 -- 10:01 AM

(Raymond Neupert, WRN) Assembly Republicans brought a number of bills to the floor for a vote on Wednesday.

State Assembly Republicans laid out a number of bills up for debate and votes on Wednesday. Among the bills are a repeal of the personal property tax, a bill allowing pharmacists to sell contraceptives directly, and a package to overhaul Wisconsin's liquor regulations.

This is State Representative Rob Swearingen, "I can tell you that alcohol has a rich history in the state of Wisconsin, but it does need to be regulated. It's regulated because we're not selling chocolate milk. We're not selling jolly good soda. We're talking about beverage alcohol in the state of Wisconsin."

A notable absence from the agenda was a plan to help pay for improvements at American Family Field. Speaker Robin Vos says a deal isn't ready yet. "So, I think one of the core principles for us is to ensure that yes, the state has a partner, but we have local partners actively involved as well helping to pay for something that has a direct financial benefit for them."

Vos isn't happy that Milwaukee is considering a lawsuit over restrictions in the recently passed shared revenue law. Ahead of a floor session on Wednesday, Vos chastised the city council. "At the time, they were willing to flex on things that they thought were important for them to find that common sense consensus. And to now say that they are going to use the very dollars the state of Wisconsin gave them to sue the state is a really bad sign for future relations."

Bills on the floor on Wednesday included a major overhaul of the state's liquor laws, a plan to change how elementary students are taught reading, a repeal of the personal property tax, and a plan to allow pharmacists to directly prescribe contraceptives over the counter.

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