Last month, as the current legislative session ground to a close, Wisconsin became the 39th state to pass a shield law for news reporters.

Auditors released a report Wednesday documenting state employees’ misuse of state credit cards on 131 charges totaling nearly $75,000, including a fox fur stole, pricey airline tickets to Europe and $16,686 in inappropriate purchases by a state worker who subsequently resigned.

News and notes: New tools for monitoring environmental data in Wisconsin; the governor’s campaign contributors favor keeping him in control of DNR; DOJ hosts free seminars on government sunshine; and tax revenue was down last year.

The offer by Rep. Bill Kramer (R-Waukesha) comes after a collaborative report on Gov. Jim Doyle’s failure to properly document his spending.

In response to reporting by the Center, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, and University of Wisconsin-Madison students, Republican lawmakers are asking for hearings on travel by state elected officials.

The state’s financial disclosure requirements rank 22nd in a Center for Public Integrity survey, partly because elected officials don’t need to report information about their spouses’ property.