UPDATE: Wisconsin Senate overwhelmingly approves the Assembly bill; Governor Tony Evers signed it into law shortly after.

In one of the least partisan sessions in recent memory for State Rep. Joel Kitchens, the Wisconsin Assembly nearly unanimously approved its bill aimed at COVID-19-related relief.  The bill will allow the state to tap the entire $2 billion earmarked for Wisconsin from the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. It eliminates the one-week waiting period for unemployment insurance, requires the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation to develop a plan to assist state industries like tourism, agriculture, and manufacturing, and sets aside an extra $75 million to address other unexpected needs. Kitchens says it is the response the public needed to see.

One provision taken out from the original bill would have allowed the Joint Finance Committee to make cuts to certain parts of the budget while the state’s projected surplus begins to dry up due to declining tax revenues. Kitchens admits that could lead to steeper cuts down the road.