Maintained by the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB), this page provides an overview of recent and upcoming activities in the Wisconsin Legislature. The LRB revises its content weekly. Links to more detailed information are highlighted in the text.
The 2013-2014 legislative session began when the new legislature was sworn in on January 7, 2013. The schedule of floorperiods for the new session was established by Senate Joint Resolution 1.
Notification service. The legislature's Wisconsin Legislative Notification Service makes following the legislative process easier for interested citizens. Registered users can receive daily or weekly emails when specified legislative activity occurs. For example, users may choose to be notified about every action affecting a specific proposal, bills introduced by a particular legislator, activities of a specific committee, or introductions relating to a particular topic.
Internet Broadcast of Floor Debate. Citizens can listen to live floor debate in both houses using the Legislature's InSession service: Senate audio and Assembly audio. Broadcasts are live only. If one house or the other is not in session, there is no audio available. The Assembly offers live video as well, with links from the InSession page. The InSession pages also provide the day's calendar with links from the calendar to bills before the house and to roll call votes as they occur.
Legislative Documents. Search legislative documents from the current and past sessions, including introduced proposals, statutes, administrative code, clearinghouse rules, committee hearing records and more. For help navigating the site, go to the Legislative Reference Bureau's Research Services page.
Visit the LRB’s Q&A page and view a sampling of questions and answers about a wide variety of interesting topics.
The 2011-2012 Blue Book, the manual of state government and statistical information about Wisconsin, is now available online and is available for purchase from the Department of Administration, Document Sales Unit (search Document Sales Catalog for "Wisconsin Blue Book"), (608) 266-3358. The price is $10.30 with shipping and $7.30 without.
Throughout the session, the LRB issues publications related to current proposals and other recent issues of interest.
LRB on Twitter. Updates include information on new LRB publications, new acquisitions by the LRB Library, and general information about the legislature and the legislative session. Go to: http://twitter.com/WILRB.
LRB Podcasts. Listen to or download free audio files on the LRB Podcasts Web page, which contains policy information from experts in the field.
The Legislative Council's Publications Center provides overviews of topics of interest to the legislature as well as links to Council publications related to the topic.
The Legislative Audit Bureau conducts financial and program evaluation audits of state agencies. Recent audit reports are accessible online.
WisconsinEYE, a private, not-for-profit statewide public affairs network provides video coverage of Assembly and Senate floor sessions as well as select committee hearings. The proceedings they record are archived on their Web site.
The most recent floorperiod ended May 16. The next legislative floorperiod will begin on June 4 and end on June 28, unless the budget bill has not been passed by that date, in which case it will continue until the budget is complete.
On Tuesday, May 14, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibet, spoke to a joint session of the Legislature in the Assembly Chamber. A video of the speech is available at WisconsinEye (at 02:07:00). The legislature passed 2013 Senate Joint Resolution 32 to commend the Dalai Lama on his visit to Wisconsin from May 14 to 15. The Dalai Lama last addressed the Wisconsin Legislature in 1998.
Bills passed during the May 14 floor session include the following:
2013 Assembly Bill 85, which makes several changes to the Milwaukee County Board of Supervisors, was passed by both houses. Among the changes, the terms of supervisors would be reduced from 4 years to 2 years, and expenditures related to the board would be limited. The bill allows for a referendum to be held in Milwaukee County during the Spring 2014 elections, which if approved, would limit the salaries of county supervisors to the annual per capita income of Milwaukee County. The Senate approved the bill on May 14 by a vote of 19-14. The Assembly passed the bill on May 8, 60-38. The bill is awaiting enrollment and the governor has indicated that he will sign it.
2013 Assembly Bill 166 would exempt from taxation all military income received from the federal government by an individual who is on active duty in the U.S. armed forces and who dies in a combat zone or dies from injuries incurred in a combat zone. The bill was passed unanimously by both houses of the legislature on May 14. It has been enrolled and awaits the governor's signature.
2013 Senate Bill 32 would make changes related to age and speed restrictions when operating All-Terrain Vehicles (ATVs). The bill was approved by a voice vote on April 9 in the Senate and on May 14 in the Assembly.
2013 Senate Bill 62 would allow drivers to provide proof of insurance in an electronic format, such as a on a smart phone. The bill was passed by a voice vote in the Senate on April 17 and in the Assembly on May 14.
2013 Senate Bill 116 would make changes to the Uniform Commercial Code as a result of federal legislation, relating to fund transfers. It passed on a voice vote in both houses on May 14.
2013 Assembly Bill 106 would impose restrictions on a municipal utility's release of "customer information," which the bill defines as any information received from customers which serves to identify customers individually by usage or account status. It was passed on a voice vote in the Assembly on May 7, and in the Senate on May 14.
2013 Assembly Bill 58 would expand the definition of "bank services" as related to bank service corporations. The Assembly passed it on a voice vote on April 9, and the Senate did the same on May 14.
2013 Assembly Bill 61 would allow a retailer, such as a bar, to bring a civil action against an underage person who falsely represents his or her age to be at least 21. If the retailer prevails, the court would be required to award it $1,000 as well as the costs of bringing the action. Assembly Amendment 1 would require the retailer to first report the violation to law enforcement. The Assembly passed the proposal on a voice vote on May 14.
2013 Assembly Bill 77 would require the Dwelling Code Council to prepare a report containing its review of, and recommendations pertaining to, the Uniform Dwelling Code once every six years. It was passed on voice vote May 14.
2013 Assembly Bill 81 would create specific trade practice requirements for certain exterior work on residential property. It was passed on a voice vote May 14.
2013 Assembly Bill 179 would restrict board members or employees of Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC) from participating in a contract in which they have a private pecuniary interest. It would also restrict WEDC from contracting with an entity in which an employee has a controlling interest. It was passed by a vote of 80-15 on May 14.
2013 Assembly Bill 180 would specify that a conviction for a 7th, 8th, or 9th OWI violation requires a bifurcated sentence and that the confinement portion of the sentence may not be less than three years, or for a 10th violation, four years. It would also require that any person who causes injury to another person by OWI generally be imprisoned for not less than 30 days nor more than one year. The bill passed on a vote of 95-1 on May 14
2013 Senate Bill 66 would increase from $400,000 to $750,000 the maximum payment that the Department of Financial Institutions can make to a public depositor for losses from a single financial institution. It was passed on a voice vote May 14.
2013 Senate Bill 151 would allow the refinancing of WHEDA mortgages. It was passed a voice vote May 14.
Late this week the governor signed three bills into law, including 2013 Assembly Bill 15, related to work-share programs; 2013 Senate Bill 55 related to state reimbursement for the relocation of facilities owned by joint local water authorities; and 2013 Senate Bill 67, related to the registration exemption of amphibious motor vehicles. The governor has signed 13 acts into law since the beginning of the 2013 session.
On Thursday, May 16, the Secretary of the Department of Administration sent a letter (link via WisPolitics.org) to the Joint Finance Committee detailing the governor's changes to the budget proposal for funding the UW System. The changes are the result of a finding by the Legislative Audit Bureau that the UW System has a balance of approximately $1 billion at the end of the 2011-12 fiscal year. This includes $414 million generated by tuition payments. The letter proposes a freeze on tuition and reinstatement of the requirement to lapse funds. It would also require the UW System to fund economic development initiatives through its program revenue block grant. The net result of the cuts would be a $94 million increase for the state's general fund balance.
The Joint Finance Committee is currently working in executive session on motions to approve budget provisions and prepare its own substitute amendment to AB-40. It is scheduled to meet on Tuesday and Thursday. Budget papers for those days can be found at the Legislative Fiscal Bureau's web page.
2013 Assembly Bill 40 is the biennial budget bill. It has been referred to the Joint Committee on Finance, Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions, and Joint Survey Committee on Retirement Systems.
The Legislative Reference Bureau has released Executive Budget Support Documentation compiling helpful companion publications to the budget. It has also released the Budget Index Report: Guide to the 2013-2014 Governor’s Executive Budget Bill.
The Department of Administration State Budget Office Web page also documents the executive budget process, and the Legislative Fiscal Bureau has published an "Overview of State Agency Major Request Items."
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau has issued its Summary of Governor’s 2013 Budget Recommendations publication and many other supporting budget documents and papers.
The Legislature has RSS feeds for recent session activity. You can view all introduced proposals on our legislative documents database. The LRB's new Capitol Headlines Daily page offers links to news stories related to the Legislature. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more information.
Several public hearings will be held by legislative committees this week. For information on upcoming committee meetings, see the Schedule of Committee Activities.
The Library recommends the following resources related to DNA collection:
For more information about Legislative Service Agency publications, see the left panel of the Spotlight index page.
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