MON AM News: Hysell responds to WGA criticism of bill requiring tariff costs on receipts; Bill aims to create state income tax subtraction for overtime pay

September 8, 2025

— Rep. Andrew Hysell is calling on the Wisconsin Grocers Association to “take a stand” against tariffs after the group recently criticized his bill that would require tariff costs to be reflected on large retailers’ receipts.

After Hysell, D-Sun Prairie, and other Dem lawmakers began circulating the legislation in late August, the WGA issued a statement arguing the Tariff Tax Transparency Act would bring “additional costs and greater regulatory burden” rather than clarity.

The bill would require retailers that sold at least $3 million in consumer goods in the preceding calendar year to provide a sales invoice or receipt that “clearly states the total cost of any tariff imposed” on the sale.

WGA argues this requirement would be impractically costly for retailers, making it “almost impossible” to comply. It would require upgrading both retail systems and production technology to track tariff costs from the supply chain, according to its release.

“In reality, tariffs are baked into wholesale costs, buried in supply chain negotiations, and scattered across thousands of products,” the group wrote, adding it would “also demand extra staff time to chase down pricing details that suppliers often don’t even share or maybe even have — adding complexity and cost to every transaction.”

The group argues the costs of complying would be borne by retailers and ultimately, consumers in the state.

In a response to WGA’s release, Hysell said it was surprising to see the group take a stand against his bill partially on the basis that requiring the tariff cost disclosures would be prohibitively expensive for consumers.

“Would not that same concern carry over to the job-killing federal tariff taxes pummeling Wisconsin consumers?” he wrote. “Despite the best efforts of my office, we could not locate any statement made by the WGA voicing opposition to these record tax increases.”

Hysell says “hidden taxes” on U.S. households in the form of higher tariff-related costs are being seen “as grocery prices skyrocket.” He argues it’s common sense that Wisconsin taxpayers should be aware of the taxes they’re paying.

But the WGA says his bill risks misleading shoppers, noting prices are affected by fuel surcharges, labor costs and weather changes.

“Singling out tariffs oversimplifies a complex reality and turns receipts into political commentary,” the group wrote. “We urge lawmakers to reconsider placing the burden of federal tax transparency on local businesses. If legislators want to know more about tariff impacts, we suggest working with members of Congress on the act.”

Meanwhile, Hysell says he welcomes the opportunity to meet with the WGA to learn more about the group’s concerns and consider suggestions for improving the bill.

“But, in return, I call on the WGA to take a strong public stand and advocate against these unprecedented federal tariff taxes that are being borne by their customers across Wisconsin,” he wrote.

The WGA did not immediately respond to a request for further comment on Hysell’s response.

See the WGA release and Hysell’s response.

— Republican lawmakers are circulating legislation to create a state income tax subtraction for overtime pay, which they say would ensure “extra effort is not punished” by Wisconsin’s tax code.

Sen. Rob Hutton of Brookfield, Van Wanggaard of Racine and Julian Bradley of New Berlin, as well as Reps. Paul Melotik of Grafton, Bob Donovan of Greenfield and Benjamin Franklin of De Pere, recently began circulating a cosponsorship memo for LRB-4460/LRB-4459.

They wrote the legislation aims to “allow hard-working Wisconsin workers to keep more of what they earn when they sacrifice personal and family time” by putting in extra hours at work.

“Across manufacturing, health care, public safety, logistics, hospitality, and other Wisconsin industries, employers rely on overtime to fill shifts and meet demand and employees rely on those extra earnings to afford the increasing cost of almost all essentials,” authors wrote.

Using the federal definition for overtime pay tied to the Fair Labor Standards Act, the bill would allow for a subtraction of $12,500 per tax year for claimants, or $25,000 per tax year for claimants filing a joint return, according to analysis from the Legislative Reference Bureau.

The subtraction phases out to zero for claimants as their modified federal adjusted gross income increases from $150,000 to $275,000. For those filing a joint return, it phases out from $300,000 to $550,000, the memo shows.

Bill authors say these “reasonable caps” and income-based phase-out ensures tax relief goes to middle-income workers and professions that are more likely to rely on overtime pay. Along with letting workers keep more of their overtime earnings, the lawmakers say the change would also support staffing needs.

Hutton in a separate release noted the bill was written to conform to the recently amended Internal Revenue Code to avoid conflicts with federal law and “ensure there aren’t compliance headaches” for workers or employers during tax season.

“When Wisconsinites step up to cover extra shifts and keep our communities running, the tax code shouldn’t punish that effort,” Hutton said in a statement. “This bill helps workers keep more of what they earn and supports employers across sectors — from manufacturing and health care to public safety and hospitality.”

The cosponsorship deadline is Sept. 19 at noon.

See the bill text.

— More than half of the state’s bridges were in good condition last year — the highest rating available — once again coming in above the national average, according to the Wisconsin Policy Forum.

While overall 51% of state bridges received the highest rating — compared to 44.1% nationwide — Wisconsin also had more rated poor at 6.8% compared to 6.6% nationally.

The Wisconsin Policy Forum also found the quality of bridges varied according to who oversees them.

Of those overseen by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation — which owns 37.3% of the state’s bridges — only 1.6% were rated in poor condition.

Among others:

8.6% of bridges overseen by towns were rated in poor condition. Towns account for nearly 31.3% of the statewide total.
11.3% of bridges overseen by counties were rated poor; they account for 21.8% of bridges.
8.8% of bridges owned by cities and villages were rated poor. They account for 9.4% of the statewide total.

See the report.

— An assistant professor at Marquette University is getting a five-year, $2.7 million grant for a study aimed at improving recovery from spinal cord injuries.

The university announced Prof. Kristi Streeter, a physical therapy specialist in the College of Health Sciences, is receiving the funding from the National Institutes of Health’s National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Her work will focus on a new treatment method for restoring diaphragm function after a cervical spinal cord injury.

Streeter says few treatment options exist for improving breathing in patients with these injuries aside from mechanical ventilation. But preliminary findings suggest diaphragm sensory neurons could present a new therapeutic target for restoring respiratory function in these patients, she notes.

“Electrical stimulation of the diaphragm, such as diaphragm pacing, is an emerging intervention used to manage breathing impairments in some individuals who fail to wean from the mechanical ventilator,” Streeter said in the release. “Clinical reports suggest it can promote ventilator weaning but it also shows promise in restoring independent breathing.”

The effort will explore if sensory neuron activity is altered by cervical spinal cord injuries, as well as the effects of activating sensory receptors in the diaphragm and more.

William Cullinan, dean of Marquette University’s College of Health Sciences, says the research has the potential to “lead to a paradigm shift in the management of breathing insufficiency.”

See the release.

— Wisconsin has been ranked No. 7 among states most affected by drunken driving in a report from Zutobi, a company that provides educational resources.

The company’s 2025 US DUI Report referenced data on alcohol-related crashes, deaths and arrests across all 50 states from 2023.

It found Wisconsin had 4.13 drunk driving deaths per 100,000 drivers, and 459.81 DUI arrests per 100,000 drivers. Alcohol-impaired crashes made up 31.2% of all road fatalities in the state that year, the report shows. And drunk driving deaths in the state were 6.4% higher than in 2022.

Meanwhile, the country overall saw an 8.1% decrease in drunk driving deaths in 2023.

Among the top 10 states for drunken driving, only Wisconsin and North Dakota saw an increase in such driving over the year, the report shows.

The No. 1 state for drunk driving was Montana, with 8.08 drunk driving deaths per 100,000 drivers.

See the full report.

For more of the most relevant health care news, reports on groundbreaking research in Wisconsin, links to top stories and more, sign up today for the free daily Health Care Report from WisPolitics and WisBusiness.com.

Sign up here.

As Wisconsin companies saved $1 billion in rate cuts, severely injured workers haven’t had a raise in 9 years

Microbial Discovery Group’s latest expansion project will create 46 jobs in Franklin

TOPICS

CONSTRUCTION

– Construction start nears after land sale for Cooper’s Hawk

– Aspiro starts $21 million renovation of Dousman Street campus

ECONOMY

– These are the wealthiest ZIP codes in southeast Wisconsin

EDUCATION

– Check out Morgridge Hall, UW-Madison’s newest building on campus

– Aug Prep North construction progressing, still on track for fall 2026 opening