Wis. officials to begin easing Capitol security

MADISON, Wis. (AP) — Wisconsin officials will be easing security at the Capitol, opening all eight ground-floor entrances and discontinuing screening with metal detectors.

Department of Administration Secretary Mike Huebsch (HIPSH’) said Thursday the new arrangements will go into effect June 27.

A number of security restrictions were put into place after thousands of protesters descended on the Capitol in February in opposition to Gov. Scott Walker’s bill stripping most public workers of collective-bargaining rights.

Most of the restrictions stayed in place even though the protests largely stopped in late March.

Huebsch’s announcement comes in the same week as two other prominent developments: The state Supreme Court cleared the way for the collective-bargaining restrictions to take effect, and the Assembly passed Walker’s budget bill with the Senate expected to follow suit Thursday.