Representative Bob Donovan

06/08/2026

Kathy and I have some wonderful news to share.

As many of you know, our daughter Eileen is a Milwaukee police Lieutenant. Recently she received a call from Chief Norman telling her he would be promoting her to Captain very soon. On Thursday evening, that promotion was approved by the fire and police commission and it became official this morning during a ceremony at the police academy.

We are both so incredibly proud of Eileen. She has worked very hard over the last 18 years at the police department. She has gained the respect of her peers, the men and women she has supervised, and the community she has protected. She moved up the ladder the old-fashioned way, she earned it.

Congratulations, Captain Eileen Ross. We are all so proud of you. You’ve got grandparents, aunts, uncles and others smiling down on you from heaven. Including the one guy I know with the biggest smile, you’re great grandfather, Bob Donovan, who was another Milwaukee police officer.

Keep up the great work, Eileen. And above all, stay safe.

05/28/2026

An overwhelming amount of surveyed Wisconsinites support sending the surplus back to taxpayers. I supported the legislation to do just that.

Key investments in special education and providing property tax relief would have delivered results immediately to working families.

We don’t need a poll to confirm what we already knew. Families want help now. That’s why I called upon the Governor to call a special session to pass this legislation and do the right thing for our constituents.

05/21/2026

I’m shocked at the thought that this cop killer could walk free again.

Governor Evers must reject this dangerous precedent of allowing murders off the hook after the terror they put a community through.

I remember this case well and there is no need for us to revisit it.

Convicted cop killer Ted Oswald is seeking early release after serving 32 years for a deadly 1994 bank robbery and shootout that killed Waukesha Police Captain James Lutz. THE LATEST ⬇️

05/15/2026

On Wednesday the Assembly took up Special Session Bill 1 which would have eliminated tax on tips and overtime, given surplus payments to citizens of Wisconsin, property tax relief, and increased special education funding. This was all due to months of bipartisan negations and compromise by the legislative leadership and Governor Evers. Although the bill received substantial bipartisan support and was passed in the assembly, sadly, the bill failed to pass in the Senate.

05/08/2026

Today was the 36th Annual Wisconsin Law Enforcement Memorial Ceremony to honor fallen officers from across the state. This year's ceremony formally added the name of Milwaukee Police Department officer Kendall Corder, who died in the line of duty in June 2025, to the memorial. His addition brings the total number of names engraved on the memorial to 295. I'm grateful for law enforcement and everything they do for our community.

05/01/2026

Earlier this week I had the honor of joining Congressmen Steil, Grothman, and Tiffany, as well as other lawmakers at Reis Auto in Hales Corners for their press conference to introduce legislation to end emissions testing. I'm happy that congress has been working on this issue since I and my legislative colleagues sent them a letter last December requesting them to take action on this issue. Read more about their announcement here: https://www.wisn.com/article/wisconsin-republicans-propose-legislation-to-end-emissions-testing/71141193

04/22/2026

Dan Bice was a one of a kind reporter. I’m not sure his career and body of work can ever be matched. A tough reporter who was willing to go anywhere for the story. I’m praying for his family, friends, and colleagues who loved him. There will never be another like him.

Bice spent 33 years at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and was known for his "No Quarter" watchdog column covering politics.

03/25/2026

Rep. Francesca Hong has it All Wrong

Recently, my colleague and gubernatorial candidate, Representative Francesca Hong, introduced legislation, legalizing prostitution and providing a framework for a pr******te’s “bill of rights.” After reading the bill, I can’t help but recall a good piece of advice. “It’s better to keep your mouth closed and appear stupid than to open up and remove all doubt.”

As a Milwaukee Alderman for 20 years, I dealt extensively with the ravages of prostitution on our neighborhoods. When decent people drive through a neighborhood and see pr******tes, they don’t want to shop there; they don’t want to open a business there; they don’t want to buy a home there; they don’t even want to be there. They keep on driving.

I’ve received calls from irate citizens walking to church on Sunday approached by pr******tes. I once received a call from a disgusted father dropping off his eight year-old daughter at school only to have a pr******te stick her head in the front car window soliciting him with his daughter is in the backseat. I received calls from mothers who can’t let their kids out to play in the front yard because pr******tes and their John’s are engaging in sexual activity in parked cars. They can’t let their kids out in the backyard because of the used condoms and discarded needles. I could go on and on about prostitution and how it destroys the fabric of any neighborhood. It robs a decent citizen of their quality of life.

Milwaukee has more than its fair share of organizations that are supposed to be addressing this problem. Yet, in many cases, they seem to enable it. They provide food, water, and the occasional shower, but then it’s back to business as usual.

The victims are the decent, hard-working, law-abiding citizens who have to put up with this garbage. How about we try strict law-enforcement for a change; that certainly would be refreshing. As for Rep. Hong and her run for governor, heaven help us and deliver us from the growing number of politicians who fail up.

From the WI Dem’s leading gubernatorial candidate, Francesca Hong: legalize prostitution and create a hooker’s bill of rights. Bill number AB1193

03/17/2026

☘️☘️☘️

03/17/2026

Even in the midst of celebrating St. Patrick’s Day people still stop me about emission testing!

There is nothing green about keeping an outdated program around that has outlived its usefulness.