Walker sets July 13 announcement

Republicans hope to kick-start the stalled state budget by voting Thursday on plans that cut $450 million for road projects and reduce taxes for married couples – moves that would get the two-year spending plan out of committee and ready for debate next week in the Assembly.

Before becoming law, both houses of the state Legislature and Gov. Scott Walker must approve the measures.

According to Governor Walker’s office, Walker will work with legislative leaders on the open records law. She didn’t immediately specify what the changes would be.

An aide says Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker will make his bid official on July 13th near Milwaukee. But with progress in the Wisconsin Legislature stalled, Walker is moving ahead with his campaign.

Among the issues that have dogged Walker recently is the performance of a job creation agency he championed. He’s considered a top-tier candidate for the Republican nomination.

The John K. MacIver Institute for Public Policy and the Wisconsin Institute for Law & Liberty release the following joint statement in reaction to sweeping changes proposed by the Legislature’s Joint Finance Committee to the state’s open records laws.

The news breaks on the same day that President Obama visits Wisconsin to promote new rules for overtime pay, a policy that has been criticized by Walker and other Republicans.

The dismantling of Wisconsin’s open record laws is unprecedented and would enable lawmakers to hide their actions from the media and the public.

GOP state Sen. Robert Cowles also said in a statement Friday said the provisions were an attack on transparent government.

“Transparency is the cornerstone of democracy, and the provisions in the budget bill limiting access to public records move Wisconsin in the wrong direction”.

In 2013 lawmakers tried to remove the Wisconsin Center for Investigative Journalism from the University of Wisconsin-Madison campus.

“This is one issue that liberals and conservatives alike have united around in this very short amount of time”.