A standoff persists between Democratic Attorney General Josh Kaul and Republican members of the Joint Finance committee. Kaul said last week he would not join a multi-state settlement with OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma for its role in the nation's deadly opioid epidemic. He says he'll continue to pursue Wisconsin's case against the company, which is now filing for bankruptcy.
Under the lame-duck laws the Republican-controlled Legislature passed last year, Kaul has to get permission from the GOP-controlled Joint Finance committee to settle lawsuits. He recently asked members to sign confidentiality agreements to discuss cases, but they refused. Now the two sides are at an impasse.
In this week's Capitol Notes conversation, JR Ross of wispolitics.com tells WUWM's Marti Mikkelson that hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuit settlement money could be at stake. And, the OxyContin settlement is at the center of the gridlock.