(The Center Square) – Wisconsin taxpayers will send $250,000 to WisconsinEye in monthly installments through the end of the year to keep the live-streaming network operational until a new legislative session begins.
The Joint Committee on Legislative Organization approve the $50,000-per-month funding for the network with a 9-1 vote this week.
“We view today’s vote as a strong statement of support by the legislative body as a whole – both houses and both parties – for unfettered citizen access to state government proceedings,” WisconsinEye president Jon Henkes said in a statement. “They’ve put action to their words that transparency is essential to our democracy, and we are extremely grateful.”
The network said that it will use the funding to provide campaign coverage heading into the Aug. 11 primary and Nov. 3 general election along with coverage of study committees.
Previous legislative attempts to fund the network’s operations stalled after the network was not able to raise the long-term funds necessary to receive $10 million in matching funds from the state to go toward an endowment that would fund WisconsinEye into the future.
“WisconsinEye remains hopeful that when the new legislature convenes in January 2027, both houses will come together in bipartisan fashion to accomplish what the Senate and Assembly attempted in the previous legislative session – a level of continuing, partial funding that helps to maintain WisconsinEye as a trusted and independent window into our State Capitol,” the network said in a statement.
