Spotlight, Capitol Dome

Wisconsin Legislative Spotlight

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 during legislative floorperiods and less often when the legislature is not in session. Links to more detailed information are highlighted in the text. Related links, including links to earlier issues of the Spotlight, are listed at the end of this feature.

The Week of May 2, 2005

2005-2006 Legislative Session

Senate Joint Resolution 1 establishes the 2005-2006 Session Schedule. The next floorperiod is scheduled to begin on May 3 and runs until May 12. View the Senate and Assembly Calendars for proposals scheduled for consideration.

State Budget

Budget Message

Governor Doyle delivered his budget message to a joint session of the legislature on February 8. The governor's budget was introduced as 2005 Assembly Bill 100 on February 9, and is available at the legislature's Web site.

Budget Hearings

The Joint Committee on Finance conducted a series of public hearings on the state budget around the state. The Committee also met for budget briefings to hear testimony from representatives of executive departments and agencies. Check the public hearing notices for details.

Streamlined Sales Tax

The Legislative Fiscal Bureau has prepared several publications on the state budget, including a memo on the proposal to amend Wisconsin's sales and use tax statutes to conform to the provisions of the multi-state Streamlined Sales and Use Tax Agreement.

Joint Committee on Finance Action

Senator Fitzgerald and Representative Kaufert, the co-chairs of the Joint Committee on Finance, announced that 22 nonfiscal policy items would be removed from the budget. The Joint Committee on Finance met in executive session on April 19, 20, and 26.

Current Issues

Voter ID

2005 Assembly Bill 63, a bill requiring voters to present specified forms of state identification before voting, passed the Senate on April 13, 21-12, and was delivered to Governor Doyle on April 26. Governor Doyle, who vetoed a similar bill during the 2003 session, has promised to veto this measure as well.

Minimum Wage

The Senate approved 2005 Senate Bill 147, requiring that any local minimum wage ordinance strictly conform to the state minimum wage. The bill passed, 19-14, on April 13 and was sent to the Assembly. The Assembly Committee on Labor recommended passage of 2005 Assembly Bill 49 after holding a public hearing on April 25. The Assembly Committee on Rules has added 2005 Assembly Bill 49 to the schedule for the Assembly session on May 3. Madison, Milwaukee, and La Crosse have adopted minimum wage ordinances. On April 21, a Dane County Circuit Court judge upheld Madison's ordinance, saying that the ordinance does not conflict with the spirit and purpose of the state living wage law.

Methamphetamine

2005 Senate Bill 78 and its companion bill, 2005 Assembly Bill 183, would classify pseudoephedrine hydrochloride, used as a primary ingredient in the production of methamphetamines, as a Schedule V controlled substance. Individuals would be required to present a photo ID at purchase. They would also be limited in their quantity and frequency of purchase. Both bills have been recommended for passage following public hearings.

Smoking Ban

2005 Assembly Bill 72, introduced on April 27, would expand the current ban on smoking to include all indoor and outdoor areas of all restaurants and taverns.

School Choice Bill

Four bills have been introduced thus far this session dealing with the Milwaukee Parental Choice private schools voucher program. Among them, 2005 Assembly Bill 3, which passed both houses of the legislature as amended, would raise the enrollment cap on Milwaukee’s school voucher program to 16,500 students in the coming school year. The 16,500 figure replaced the original bill’s cap, which was based on the number of school voucher students enrolled during the 2005 school year. The enrolled bill was delivered to Governor Doyle on April 27.

Legislative Hearings

The Weekly Hearings Schedule lists all scheduled hearings.

2005 Legislative Session information: A citizen's guide

The 2005-06 legislative session began on January 3, 2005. No bills carry over from one biennial session to the next. Bills that legislators want to reintroduce receive new bill numbers in the new session.

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. This service is designed to make it much easier for citizens to follow the activity of the legislature.

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.

2003-2004 Wisconsin Blue Book

The 2003-2004 Wisconsin Blue Book, the official almanac of Wisconsin State Government, is available both in print and on the Internet. The Blue Book, which is compiled by the Legislative Reference Bureau each odd-numbered year, contains nearly 1,000 pages of information about Wisconsin and its state government. Members of the Wisconsin Legislature are provided with a limited number of Blue Books for distribution to constituents. Copies of the Blue Book may also be purchased from the Department of Administration Document Sales Unit (608.264.9419 or 800.362.7253). The 2005-2006 Blue Book will be published in autumn 2005.

Legislative Reference Bureau’s PODCASTS

Listen to or download free audio files on the LRB Podcasts Web site, which contains legislative information from experts in the field.

Legislative Council Legislative Publications Center

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.

Legislative Audit Bureau Reports

The Legislative Audit Bureau conducts financial and program evaluation audits of state agencies, and audit reports as current as 2005 are accessible online.