TUE AM News: GOP bill would make changes to Historic Preservation Tax Credit program; UW-Madison research aims to develop better treatments and vaccines for cancer-causing viruses

July 8, 2025

— A bill being circulated by GOP lawmakers would make changes to the state’s Historic Preservation Tax Credit program, which authors say will ensure it remains “an important, useful resource.”

Sen. Dan Feyen, R-Fond du Lac, and Rep. David Armstrong, R-Rice Lake, recently sent a cosponsorship memo to other lawmakers seeking support for the legislation.

The tax credit is used by property owners to offset the cost of rehabilitating qualifying “historic” properties, in addition to a similar tax credit at the federal level. The credit only applies to income-producing buildings such as hotels, housing developments and other businesses, according to the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp., which oversees the program.

“Many Wisconsin businesses occupy historic properties that contribute to the character and attractiveness of their communities … However, various changes in state and federal law over the years have created some confusion about which properties and expenditures qualify for the credit,” the lawmakers wrote. “This has led some worthwhile rehab projects to be canceled or postponed.”

Under Wisconsin’s historic rehabilitation tax credit, recipients can claim up to 20% of the qualified rehabilitation cost as long as those expenditures exceed $50,000 and are “at least the greater” of the property’s adjusted basis value or $5,000.

The bill would eliminate the adjusted basis value provision, only requiring that project costs exceed $50,000 for the purposes of the credit, the memo shows.

“A property’s adjusted basis value can be very large, pricing most projects beyond feasibility for many owners,” authors wrote, arguing their bill would bring “the law in line with earlier interpretations.”

It would also make a change to an existing per-parcel cap of $3.5 million in credits. Authors note the way the current statute is written suggests that no parcel can get more than this amount in cumulative credits ever, “regardless of the size or number of future rehabilitation projects” at the site. Under the bill, the cap would be applied to 10-year periods moving forward.

Meanwhile, the bill would also simplify the certification process for properties where the owner is only claiming the state-level tax credit, the memo notes. And it would allow owners to claim the full credit for the year in which the property is put into service, as opposed to the “default” federal process of spreading the credit out over a five-year period.

“This will allow the credit to have a bigger impact,” authors wrote.

The cosponsorship deadline is 5 p.m. Thursday.

See the bill text and see more on the program.

— Researchers at UW-Madison are developing new therapies and vaccines for cancer-causing viruses in hopes of improving treatment and prevention.

In a recent Q&A published by the university, Prof. Paul Lambert highlighted an ongoing clinical trial at UW-Madison focused on patients at risk of anal cancer caused by human papillomavirus, or HPV. This virus alone causes about 5% of all human cancers, but Lambert says most of those are preventable with vaccines.

The clinical trial is building on earlier research that found drugs that have been used to manage HIV can also kill HPV-positive cancer cells.

“Now, these drugs are being repurposed in a trial to help prevent cancer in high-risk patients. It’s a great example of how basic lab research can translate directly into patient care,” said Lambert, who heads up the university’s McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research and chairs the Department of Oncology in the UW School of Medicine and Public Health.

He’s leading a broader project studying “tumor viruses” that cause about 15% of all human cancers, including HPV as well as the Epstein-Barr virus, hepatitis B and C, and others.

“Our work seeks to understand how these viruses cause cancer and, just as importantly, how we can prevent or treat those cancers,” he said.

His team’s work on tumor viruses has also had “profound implications beyond virus-related cancers,” according to Lambert. He notes studies of HPV led to the discovery of tumor suppressing genes, while other research found how the virus evades the immune system, providing new insights for immunotherapy resistance.

See more here.

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— Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson says the federal government has cut $34 million to fund the reconstruction of the 6th Street corridor.

Former President Joe Biden visited Milwaukee in March 2024 to tout $36.6 million for the project that included wider sidewalks, bike lanes and green infrastructure.

A city spokesperson said Milwaukee had already spent some of the money on engineering costs.

The reconciliation bill the president signed into law on Friday cut other funding for the project.

“This project would have made a high-injury traffic corridor safer, created over 450 good-paying jobs, and created tens-of-millions of dollars in local economic impacts,” Johnson posted on X.

— Crop progress in Wisconsin is largely proceeding in-line with the five-year average, the USDA reports.

The latest report from the agency’s National Agricultural Statistics Service covers the week ending Sunday. It shows soybeans were 29% blooming, which is five days ahead of last year’s pace and one day ahead of the five-year average.

At the same time, 80% of winter wheat had begun coloring as of Sunday, which is two days behind last year but two days ahead of the average. And oats were 34% coloring — a measure of maturity — which is two days ahead of last year and one day ahead of the average.

Meanwhile, the second cutting of alfalfa hay was 54% complete — four days ahead of last year and two days ahead of the average. This year’s third cutting was getting started in some areas, the report shows.

See more in the report.

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