As reported by Center Square:

This past weekend could be the last time people in Wisconsin could have to spring forward.

A pair of Republicans at the statehouse in Madison are proposing an end to Daylight Saving Time.

Rep. Nate Gustafson, R-Fox Crossing, and state Sen. Rachel Cabral-Guevara, R-Appleton, this week introduced legislation that “eliminates” the idea.

“Research shows the disruption caused by Daylight Saving Times transition can lead to increased risks, workplace injuries, and traffic accidents, as well as negative impacts on mental health and productivity,” the two wrote in their sponsorship memo.

Currently only Arizona and Hawaii don’t have Daylight Saving Time, but more than a dozen other states are considering it.

The National Conference of State Legislatures last year said 20 states have passed laws legislation or resolutions that would end their Daylight Saving Time if Congress ever allows it.

Gustafson and Cabral-Guevara told Wisconsin lawmakers Congress generally doesn’t allow for time change changes, but Wisconsin would be a good candidate.

“Federal law generally preempts states from deviating from standard time or eliminating daylight saving time, but federal law allows a state that lies entirely in one time zone, such as Wisconsin, to observe standard time instead of Daylight Savings Time as long as the observation is throughout the entire state,” the two added as a note from the Legislative Reference Bureau.

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As reported by Center Square: 

The Shapiro administration’s handling of a sexual misconduct complaint against a cabinet member, and one reporter’s request to know more about the investigation behind it, may cost taxpayers a lot of money.

In a court transcript obtained by The Center Square, an attorney representing the Office of the Governor says the state deleted internal emails sent and received over an eight-day period by a deputy aide in its Legislative Affairs Office who reported the inappropriate behavior.

“That, frankly, should not be surprising that an account of a departed employee would be disposed of in accordance with the records retention schedules,” says Thomas Howell, the administration’s attorney, during a Feb. 12 hearing in Commonwealth Court. “Those retention schedules are public, and they establish that, you know, your general emails are deleted as soon as they’re no longer necessary.”

Thomas Breth, an attorney for Broad + Liberty, said during the hearing that emails from former employees are kept between three and eight years. The ones in question date back only two years.

The Center Square spoke with one of the attorneys representing the reporter who requested the communications. They said that the “stunning” admission has now generated a request for sanctions against the administration for violating state laws dictating records retention.

The ongoing dispute dates back to late 2023 when the news organization filed a public records request for the emails, along with other internal documents, that were sent between March 2, 2023, and March 10, 2023 – crucially, the last week the aide worked after filing the complaint and resigning.

The complaint alleged Mike Vereb, Shapiro’s former secretary of Legislative Affairs, retaliated against the staffer after reporting his inappropriate comments in February of that same year. Vereb resigned six months later, just weeks before a $295,000 taxpayer-funded settlement became public.

An attorney involved in the proceedings told The Center Square that if sanctions against the administration are imposed, it will have to cover Broad + Liberty’s court fees.

When asked about the issue during a news conference on Tuesday, Gov. Josh Shapiro said he hadn’t read Broad + Liberty’s reporting about it.

“I didn’t read the story and I’m confident my administration follows all document retention policies,” he said.

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As reported by The Center Square: 

The Illinois Pollution Control Board is considering a proposal to ban most new non-electric vehicle sales in the state by 2035.

Environmental groups have proposed adopting some of California’s vehicle emissions standards, which include phasing out the sale of new gasoline and diesel-powered vehicles and a complete ban on the sale of most new non-electric vehicles in 2035.

National Federation of Independent Business Illinois State Director Noah Finley said small businesses in Illinois overwhelmingly oppose the proposed requirements.

“We did a survey of our small business member earlier this year, and 99% of them oppose the adoption of these new mandates. They’re concerned that it could really have a detrimental impact on their small businesses,” Finley told The Center Square.

The mandates would also impose new testing and emissions standards on new heavy-duty trucks.

Finley said businesses would be forced to operate more large trucks and hire more drivers.

“Employers are already having a hard time finding these drivers. This is going to drive up the cost of transporting goods, and we’re all going to pay more at our local store,” Finley said.

Finley explained that raising the cost of transportation would impact just about every small business.

“That is going to raise costs for them. They’re going to have to pass it on to their customers. That’s bad for the small business, it’s bad for their employees, and it’s bad for their communities at large,” Finley said.

Finley said the regulations would put Main Street businesses in Illinois at a disadvantage compared to those in neighboring states.

“Many of our members have indicated they would consider just moving their business across state lines to avoid these mandates,” Finley said.

More than a dozen people expressed support for the proposed requirements this week with public comments submitted to the Illinois Pollution Control Board via electronic filing.

Activist groups in favor of the stricter vehicle emissions standards include the Sierra Club Illinois Chapter, the Chicago Environmental Justice Network and the Environmental Defense Fund.

A similar proposal failed to advance in 2023.

Evidence presented to the IPCB Tuesday included a study contracted by The Clean Freight Coalition with Roland Berger to examine the added costs to the freight industry and utilities if commercial vehicles reach 100% electrification.

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