MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Republican lawmakers are questioning the efforts of Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ administration to fix a Wisconsin agency’s lengthy delays in issuing professional licenses. The head of the Department of Safety and Professional Services told the Republican-controlled Legislature’s budget committee on Thursday that wait times have improved but the agency still needs more employees. The department cannot hire more staff without the Legislature’s permission, even though it has more than an estimated $47 million in surplus licensing fees. Evers is asking for 80 new positions within the agency in the current budget, but Republicans have rejected his staffing requests in the past two budget cycles.
