Free Republic

MADISON, Wis. - Protests at the Wisconsin Capitol over public workers' collective bargaining rights cost more than $7.8 million for police, and damage to the Capitol will cost about $270,000 to repair, a state official said. Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch said during a news conference Friday that local law enforcement incurred $3.9 million in overtime costs from Feb. 14 to March 13. Another $3.5 million was spent on overtime for state agencies that helped cover security such as the Capitol Police, Wisconsin State Patrol, Department of Natural Resources and the Division of Criminal Investigation. Huebsch said that the...

Cindy Sheehan, the Northern California peace activist who rose to prominence for starting an encampment near President Bush‘s Texas ranch, will headline a week-long occupation of the State Capitol next week to protest proposed spending cuts and encourage lawmakers to extend tax hikes. Initially proposed by the California Teachers Association, the occupation has expanded to include protesters with the California Alliance for Retired Americans and the fringe Peace and Freedom political party as well as peace organizations Veterans for Peace and Peace of the Action, of which Sheehan is national director. Sheehan, speaking at a Thursday morning press conference at...

A bill that would allow guns in the Maine State House has been narrowly endorsed by a legislative committee, even as efforts continue to bolster security in the Capitol.

Wednesday, April 06, 2011 at 12:00 PM (ET) Washington, DC Wednesday, April 6th in Washington, DC to tell the Budget Committee to Cut Spending Now. They need to hear from you as they crunch numbers and grapple with this year’s budget. You’ve had to tighten your family budget in this struggling economy. They should have to tighten the national budget too. Michele Bachmann is a confirmed speaker. Bus arrangements being made for: New Jersey North Carolina Pennsylvania Maryland Virginia

<p>LANSING, Mich. (AP) — A few dozen protesters are staging a peaceful rally inside the Michigan Capitol and say they would like to stay when the building closes for the night.</p> <p>They are opposed to education funding cuts, taxes on pensions and legislation that would give emergency managers more power over financially distressed local governments and schools.</p>

Activists confirm plans to peacefully take CapitolBy Todd A. Heywood | 03.15.11 | 12:47 pm A group of Michigan activists has confirmed that it plans to stage a protest in the state Capitol building at 4 p.m. today. Lance Enderle, a former Democratic candidate for Michigan’s 8th Congressional district, confirmed moments ago that he is leading the protest. “We are planning to exercise our free speech rights in a non-violent way,” Enderle said. “We will take the Rotunda, and we are not leaving.” The Capitol building closes at 5:30 p.m. and officials have told Michigan Messenger that anyone remaining in...

Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), a former businessman and now a freshman senator, held a conference call Thursday afternoon with a small group of bloggers. For a freshman, he's entirely fluid on the issues and easily navigates between specifics and larger themes. I asked him about Wisconsin. Why did Gov. Scott Walker take so long to pull out the "fiscal" elements and pass the legislation without a quorum? Johnson first made clear that he and the governor believe this "is not about individual workers . . . but about rebalancing the equation" so that the taxpayers' interests are being protected. As...

Breaking on Fox News from Mike Tobin at the Wisconsin State Capitol in Madison. Protesters have trapped GOP lawmakers in their offices shutting down the vote at 11 AM and have threatened violence and are trying to enter their offices.

The capitol is being stormed, again.

Madison — Demonstrators crowded the Capitol in a wild scene after senators passed a budget-repair bill in a hastily called meeting Wednesday night that outraged protesters and Democratic legislators. Protesters yelled slogans and blew whistles as the Capitol took on the intensity and passion that marked the early days of the protests. Protesters demanded to be let inside, and in one scene at the southeastern entrance of the Capitol, scores of protesters pressed against the door as two-dozen police pushed them back. One protester got partly inside the door and was dragged in by the State Patrol. Outside, protesters chanted...

West Virginia's two Democratic senators blamed House Speaker John Boehner on Thursday after their hopes of having the remains of World War I veteran Frank Buckles honored in the Capitol Rotunda were dashed, at least for now. Excerpt due to AP

State officials said Thursday that damage to the marble inside and out the State Capitol would cost an estimated $7.5 million. Cari Anne Renlund, chief legal counsel for the state Department of Administration, said in Dane County court that estimates of damage to marble includes $6 million to repair damaged marble inside the Capitol, $1 million for damage outside and $500,000 for costs to supervise the damage. Much of the damage apparently has come from tape used to put up signs and placards at the Capitol.

Madison -- Administration Secretary Michael Huebsch estimated Wednesday that law enforcement costs to provide security at the State Capitol through February would likely total $4 million to $5 million.

Fox Nation has learned exclusively from a highly placed source within Wisconsin state politics that the fourteen AWOL Democrats are experiencing "dissension in the ranks." State Sen. Julie Lassa (D) is pregnant and "extremely unhappy" about being on the run. State Sen. Jon Erpenbach (D) has been hit particularly hard by his paycheck being withheld.

Police keep protesters from entering CapitolBy Clay Barbour and Dee. J. Hall, Capital Newspapers Posted: Monday, February 28, 2011 11:33 pm Capitol Police kept more than 1,000 protestors at bay Monday, locking down the statehouse and allowing only a few dozen inside to meet with lawmakers. Officials with the Department of Administration said they closed the Capitol to help with the cleaning of the building and could not open the doors to the public because some protestors inside the rotunda refused to limit their activities to the ground floor. The decision seemed to run counter to Capitol tradition and the...

Some protesters plan peaceful resistance when Capitol is closed todayBy Ron Seely / Wisconsin State Journal Posted: Sunday, February 27, 2011 7:15 am MADISON - With police planning to clear the state Capitol of protesters Sunday, some demonstrators Saturday night were preparing to peacefully resist removal from the building. Capitol Police announced early Saturday that they intend to close down the Capitol at 4 p.m. Sunday. But little information was provided about exactly how the huge building will be cleared of thousands of protesters, some of whom have been sleeping on the marble floors since Feb. 15. And there were...

MADISON, Wisc. -- Sen. Scott Fitzgerald, the GOP's leader in the upper house, said today that access to parts of the Capitol will be closed off to the public starting 6 p.m. A little background. The occupation of the capitol is, in some ways, a fluke. Citizens are allowed to stay overnight in the Capitol if there is a hearing going on and people are giving testimony. Democrats have had a quasi-official hearing going since the start of this impasse, which has allowed hundreds of people to sleep in the Capitol every night. But since the start of this week,...

Pro-union website blocked in Wisconsin state CapitolBy the CNN Wire Staff February 22, 2011 2:08 p.m. EST Madison, Wisconsin (CNN) -- A left-leaning website that union supporters used to rally protesters in Wisconsin was partially blocked as demonstrators gathered in the state Capitol over a controversial budget bill. The website, defendwisconsin.org, could not be accessed on Monday and into Tuesday morning in the Capitol building, where crowds assembled over proposed legislation that would increase the costs of benefits to public employees and curb their collective-bargaining rights. Wisconsin Democratic Party press secretary Graeme Zielinski blamed Gov. Scott Walker and Republican lawmakers...

Use of Capitol building as homeless shelter raises concernsBy Stacy Forster of the Journal Sentinel May 29, 2009 Madison - State Capitol police respond to dozens of incidents each month involving homeless people who spend their days in the landmark building. Capitol police say the building is secure and the incidents involving the homeless aren't that different from those involving the thousands of people who work in and visit the building each day. But some lawmakers believe the state should do a better job of helping those who seek shelter in the Capitol, rather than just housing them during the...

Welcome to the State Capitol Tour Reservations Desk. We are pleased to make arrangements for your tour of our beautiful Capitol. Follow the steps below to reserve a date and time with us. If there are fewer than 10 people in your tour group, no reservation is necessary. On weekends and on holidays we are only able to accomodate up to 130 people per hour. For questions or comments regarding on-line Capitol tour reservations, please contact us by email at Capitol Tours or by telephone at (608)266-0382. Enjoy your tour! Guided tours of the Capitol building are first offered to...