The policy on concealed weapons at the State Capitol is coming into focus and there will be different rules for the State Assembly and the State Senate.
As the Associated Press reports:
“GOP leaders released policies that would allow hidden weapons in Capitol corridors, public spaces and in Senate and Assembly committee meeting rooms. Anyone with access to the Senate or Assembly floors, including lawmakers, their staff and reporters, could carry hidden weapons during session periods. Individual lawmakers in both houses would be allowed to choose whether to allow weapons in their offices.
Spectators would be barred from bringing concealed weapons into the Senate’s overhead galleries, but they could go armed in the Assembly galleries.”
The policy needed to be in effect by next Tuesday when any Wisconsin resident with four hours of training can apply for a concealed carry permit. With the law change, Illinois becomes the only state in the country that does not allow the carrying of concealed weapons.
The wire service quotes the National Conference of State Legislatures which reports at least nine other states allow weapons in their statehouses.
Gov. Scott Walker is set to announce the policy for state buildings later this morning. We’ll post that update when we receive it.
MINING IN THE NORTHWOODS
Earlier this summer when we visited Ashland and Hurley to begin our reporting on a proposed iron ore mine in the region, citizens packed into the Hurley K-12 school auditorium to grill representatives of the company behind the plan.
That scene replicated itself yesterday as a legislative committee traveled to the area for what it called an “informational hearing” on the topic and every seat in the 336-seat auditorium was taken. The Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economy and Small Business heard from a wide variety of voices on the proposal which supporters say would directly create hundreds and indirectly create thousands of high-paying jobs and critics say would pollute one of the most pristine, beautiful areas in Wisconsin.
Some lawmakers are looking at ways to change the permitting process for ferrous mining in Wisconsin to match what’s done in Minnesota and Michigan. Supporters of the project want a finite date on DNR acceptance or rejection of a proposed plan. Critics worry the goal is simply to ram this specific project through.
The 4.5-mile stretch of Iron and Ashland Counties in the Penokee Mountain Range represent roughly 25 percent of the country’s entire iron ore reserves. Tim Sullivan, who runs the Wisconsin Mining Association, says that’s worth about $225 billion in today’s marketplace.
If you want to see our earlier reporting on this topic, click here.
HERE AND NOW PREVIEW
I’m filling in for Frederica this week on the program.
We’ll continue our series of interviewing Wisconsin’s announced candidates for U.S. Senate. After hearing on earlier programs from Mark Neumann (R-Nashotah) and U.S. Rep. Tammy Baldwin (D-Madison), it’s Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald’s (R-Horicon) turn to introduce himself to voters.
As I mentioned in yesterday’s post, we’ll discuss Wisconsin’s economy with Reggie Newson, the new head of the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
We’ll keep on the economic theme and discuss consumer issues with UW-Madison Business School Prof. Deborah Mitchell.
Here and Now airs at 7:30 tonight on Wisconsin Public Television and again on Sunday mornings at 9:30 a.m. For full schedule information about the program, click here.
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