WED AM News: LIBRE Initiative pushing for loosened restrictions on housing development in WI; DATCP issues temporary order targeting New World screwworm

July 15, 2026

— A national group called the LIBRE Initiative is calling for loosening regulations on housing development in Wisconsin to improve affordability, with a focus on the state’s Hispanic community.

Roel Sanchez, the grassroots engagement director for the group in Wisconsin and a former real estate agent, said “we are in one of the worst times” for housing availability given the limited number of homes available in the state and strong demand.

In a recent interview on the organization’s policy goals, he argued the state’s Hispanic residents are among the most impacted by these challenges.

“With the limited access to properties available on the market and the amount of buyers that are actually still on the market, the people that are getting affected the most are more of the individuals like our Hispanic community,” Sanchez said.

He argues zoning restrictions in the state are placing too many limits on how people can build homes or remodel existing structures. The group says Wisconsin isn’t building homes fast enough and points to “outdated zoning and permitting” as a key factor keeping first-time Hispanic homebuyers from entering the market.

“We’re trying to emphasize a focus on loosening restrictions specifically on zoning and of course a lot of the red tape that we have here in Wisconsin,” Sanchez said.

The organization, which seeks to advance what it calls “freedom-minded policy solutions,” is affiliated with the conservative group Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin. The LIBRE Initiative has endorsed Republican U.S. Rep. Tom Tiffany in the governor’s race, touting his “commitment to property tax relief.”

But the group argues housing in particular isn’t a partisan issue, and that regulation of the industry should happen at the state and local level, rather than federal.

Sanchez said the organization backs some elements of the federal 21st Century Road to Housing Act, which became law late last week after clearing the House and Senate in June. The LIBRE Initiative supports provisions in the law that cut “environmental permitting red tape” and other requirements.

But other elements of the law that add new restrictions are less popular with the group, such as language restricting institutional investors from buying single-family homes with some exceptions.

Diego Gomez, the group’s press secretary, says it supported aspects of the law that serve to “get the federal government out of the way … but housing is fundamentally a state and local issue, and Congress should empower those reforms rather than pile on new federal subsidies and mandates.”

He argued every new subsidy or investor restriction “ultimately crowds out private investment and raises costs” for American families.

— DATCP has issued a temporary order adding new restrictions on importing warm-blooded animals to Wisconsin, aimed at reducing the risk of bringing New World screwworm into the state.

The state agency issued the order after cases of the parasite were detected in Texas and New Mexico, noting Wisconsin imports animals from various southern states where there’s a higher risk of New World screwworm infections. DATCP says any warm-blooded animal with an open wound can be infected, including livestock, pets, wild animals and people.

The temporary order, which takes effect Tuesday, adds new requirements for importing animals into Wisconsin from states with active infestation zones. Animals not coming from an infested zone will need a Certificate of Veterinary Inspection stating that, while animals that are coming from an infested zone won’t be able to enter the state unless the importer gets a DATCP permit at least 48 hours prior to bringing in the animal.

In addition, the CVI for animals coming from infested zones must include statements confirming the animal’s origin, a visual inspection within five days of it being imported showing no evidence of the parasite, and details for any treatment that’s administered to the animal.

DATCP says the order will stay in place until it’s rescinded by the state veterinarian.

See more details from the agency on the parasite.

See the release.

— Wisconsin Conservation Voters says it is launching a door-knocking campaign to draw attention to We Energies’ request to raise residential electric rates.

The environmental group said in a press release yesterday that volunteers plan to knock on 25,000 doors across southeastern Wisconsin beginning this week to discuss rising utility rates and renewable energy.

Deputy Director Seth Hoffmeister told WisPolitics that volunteers will encourage residents to send a message to We Energies CEO Scott Lauber via a form on the company’s site; he said “hundreds” of residents have already done so after an $80,000 digital ad buy the group ran last month.

“We’ve seen just how motivated ratepayers who have had enough of rising bills are,” Hoffmeister said in the release. “They’re sick of We Energies using rate hikes to pay for new dirty and expensive gas power plants and corporate greed. Canvassing allows us to meet people where they live and turn their frustration into a unified voice for utility accountability.”

We Energies in April asked state regulators to raise rates for most of its customers by 4.7% in 2027 and 4.5% in 2028.

The average residential ratepayer would see their costs increase from $144 per month to $166 by 2028, a 15% increase.

Data centers are billed under a different set of rules set by the Public Service Commission in April.

— A state appeals court has overturned Sister Bay’s ban on property owners renting more than four bedrooms in their homes for short-term stays, finding it is barred by state law.

Wisconsin’s “Right to Rent” law restricts the provisions municipalities can impose on short-term rentals, and the 3rd District Court of Appeals found that extends to the number of bedrooms that can be rented.

The restriction was challenged by homeowners with more than four bedrooms in their short-term rentals, and the court found it amounted to a “back-door prohibition” on renting, the appeals court found.

That decision reversed a ruling by a Door County judge.

— Nine organizations in Wisconsin are getting $890,000 in worker training grants from the state, supporting programs benefitting more than 340 people.

Gov. Tony Evers and the state Department of Workforce Development yesterday announced the grant funding from the Wisconsin Fast Forward Program, going toward efforts targeting healthcare, customer service, technology and manufacturing.

The single largest grant for about $280,000 is going to Gehl Food LLC in Washington County, which will train 75 unemployed people in food safety, machine operation skills and more. The participants will get equipment certifications and credentials, according to the announcement.

Other grants range from about $12,000 for ATACO Steel Products Corp. in Ozaukee County to $194,000 for Life Point Counseling LLC in Sheboygan County.

See the release.

Top headlines from the Healthcare Report…

— State health officials have identified the first West Nile virus activity in Wisconsin this year and are warning residents to take precautions against infection by mosquitoes.

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.

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