Probably the most commonly used — and, in my opinion, abused — exemption in our state’s Open Meetings Law is the one that lets governmental bodies meet behind closed doors “whenever competitive or bargaining reasons require a closed session.” The exemption, 19.85(1)(e) in Wisconsin state statutes, is used by all manner of public bodies, from city councils to school boards.

Wisconsin’s municipal courts can have a significant and devastating impact on the lives of people who can’t afford to pay a citation due to poverty. Without critical legal protections, unpaid municipal citations can lead to warrants, arrests and incarceration. There is no right to counsel in Wisconsin’s municipal courts, meaning people unable to afford an attorney face court alone, compounding the cycle of poverty and punishment.

The Department of Government Efficiency’s crackdown on waste, fraud and abuse is off to a fast start, but as an engine of government savings, DOGE still has substantial untapped potential. That’s because it hasn’t yet addressed the fraud crippling one of the federal government’s largest programs: Medicare.

Attention across the nation is rightly focused on potential massive and drastic Medicaid cuts under consideration by Congress that would imperil health care for nearly 80 million of our most vulnerable neighbors — low-income families, expectant moms, children and senior citizens, as well as individuals with disabilities. Rural hospitals caring for communities in America’s heartland — which are already struggling — will be further devastated by th