Wisconsin is the only state in U.S. not recording state legislative proceedings
Wisconsin is currently the only state in the U.S. not recording audio or video of the state legislature’s proceedings, and Republicans are shutting down attempts to do so.
Wisconsin is currently the only state in the U.S. not recording audio or video of the state legislature’s proceedings, and Republicans are shutting down attempts to do so.
The Badger state has held several committee hearings this week, but Wisconsinites are unable to watch its elected officials discuss bills or conduct public hearings without WisconsinEye, the state’s public affairs network. Since 2008, WisconsinEye has offered free live coverage of the Wisconsin State Legislature, Supreme Court and executive branch, but the network shut down its operations last month amid funding issues.
Wisconsin’s 2026 budget, which was passed by the Republican-controlled legislature and signed by Gov. Tony Evers (D), earmarked $10 million to fund WisconsinEye. However, the network does not have access to the money until it matches $10 million in private donations. WisconsinEye CEO Jon Henkes said meetings with state officials are underway as the network requests for the removal of the match requirement and could take three months to process.
The offices of Evers, Senate Majority Leader Devin LeMahieu (R-Oostburg) and Senate President Mary Felzkowski (R-Tomahawk) did not respond to requests to comment on a timeline for funding WisconsinEye. Democratic lawmakers have introduced legislation for a state takeover of WisconsinEye, which Henkes said would be detrimental and oppose the network’s commitment to neutrality.
GOP cracks down on videos
In the meantime, Wisconsin residents are left without the video and audio coverage of the state Senate and Assembly, the latter of which will begin floor sessions next week for the first time without WisconsinEye’s audio and video coverage.
Multiple Democrats began livestreaming Committee meetings they are in to fill the gap. However, on Thursday, state Rep. Clinton Anderson (D-Beloit) released a statement saying he was told by Rep. Travis Tranel (R-Cuba City), the Republican chair of the Assembly Agriculture Committee, that he was no longer allowed to record.
Anderson also claimed the GOP is making this a standard in all committees, and all members of the public and lawmakers are barred from recording. In an Instagram video posted Thursday, Anderson questioned whether the move threatens the public’s First Amendment rights.
“With WisconsinEye being down, my office took it upon themselves to start livestreaming the meetings that I was at,” Anderson said. “Unfortunately, we were told by the chair that we are not allowed to record meetings anymore.”
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Luke Wolff, a spokesperson from Assembly Speaker Robin Vos’ (R-Rochester) office, told Heartland Signal that the GOP is “reaffirming the long-established rules of the Assembly” where legislators and their staff cannot record without permission. Wolff also said that members of the press are still able to record meetings.
“With WisconsinEye gone, we are simply reaffirming the long-established rules of the Assembly,” Wolff said. “Credentialed media are still allowed to attend and record committee meetings. Committee meetings remain as transparent as ever as we continue to follow to the long-standing practice of uploading the record of committee proceedings, all votes taken and all written testimony to the legislative website following the conclusion of the hearing.”
While members of the press are allowed to take video, no outlets or reporters that cover the Wisconsin Capitol have yet to publish full recordings. Most outlets likely do not have the capacity or equipment to attend and fully capture the audio and video of every committee hearing the same way WisconsinEye can.
WisPolitics reported Friday that a staffer for state Sen. Melissa Ratcliff (D-Cottage Grove) was told to stop recording as the senator testified in front of the Judiciary Committee on Thursday. This action contradicts Senate Rule 11 (7), which says “No persons other than members of the chief clerk’s staff, members of the staff of the sergeant at arms, members of a senator’s staff, and accredited correspondents of the news media may engage in any audio or video recording of the proceedings of the senate or any committee without permission of the committee on senate organization.”
In the Assembly, a similar rule prohibits all individuals in the visitors’ gallery from using recording devices of any kind. However, there have been no reports of members of the press being denied the ability to record.
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