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Wisconsin Legislative SpotlightMaintained 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. Links to more detailed information are highlighted in the text. |
The most recent legislative floorperiod ended on Thursday, September 24. The next floorperiod is scheduled to commence on October 20. The schedule of floorperiods for the 2009-2010 Legislative Session was established by 2009 Senate Joint Resolution 1.
The 2009-2010 Wisconsin Blue Book has been published. The Blue Book is available online and will be available for purchase from the Department of Administration’s Document Sales office as soon as a price is set.
As of October 12, this session 49 bills have been passed by the legislature and signed into law. The most recent, 2009 Wisconsin Act 49, signed on October 6, 2009, added a representative of the Wisconsin American GI Forum to the Council on Veterans Programs. The law will go into effect December 1.
Other recent enactments include 2009 Wisconsin Act 40, which relates to regulation of wind energy systems, and 2009 Wisconsin Act 41, which makes completion of kindergarten a mandatory requirement for entry into first grade.
A list of enacted legislation from the 2009 session can be viewed at: http://www.legis.wi.gov/2009/data/acts/.
2009 Assembly Bill 474, introduced on October 6, conforms Wisconsin Statutes to a federal law which allowed the carrying of concealed weapons by active and retired law enforcement officers.
2009 Assembly Bill 476, introduced on October 6, requires the Department of Commerce to study and report on ways to retain businesses at risk of relocating or expanding outside the state, and to encourage business locations and expansions inside Wisconsin.
2009 Assembly Bill 480, introduced on October 1, creates a civil cause of action for acts of violence motivated by gender. 2009 Assembly Bill 481, also introduced on October 1, creates a penalty enhancer for crimes based on the gender of a victim.
2009 Assembly Bill 482, introduced on October 6, exempts prescription drugs from the Unfair Sales Act (“minimum markup” law).
2009 Senate Bill 327, introduced on October 1, designates Wisconsin cheese as the Wisconsin state snack.
2009 Senate Bill 331, introduced on October 1, prohibits persons who have committed certain serious crimes from providing child care. 2009 Assembly Bill 479, introduced on October 6, is substantially similar to SB-331.
For times and locations of public hearings this week, see the Schedule of Committee Activities.
Both the Senate and the Assembly held committee hearings this week on bills (AB-395 and SB-263) to revise the eligibility criteria for receiving legal representation from the Public Defender’s Office. The LRB Library staff recommend these titles for more background on eligibility standards and legal aid services nationwide:
Compendium of Standards for Indigent Defense Systems. U.S. Department of Justice and the National Legal Aid & Defender Association, 2000.Documenting the Justice Gap in America: the Current Unmet Civil Legal Needs of Low-income Americans. 2nd ed. Legal Services Corporation, 2007.
Justice Denied: America's Continuing Neglect of Our Constitutional Right to Counsel: Report of the National Right to Counsel Committee. The Constitution Project (Georgetown Public Policy Institute) & National Legal Aid & Defender Association, 2009.
State-funded Indigent Defense Services, 1999. U.S. Department. of Justice, Office of Justice Programs, Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2001.
Send comments to LRB.Reference@legis.wisconsin.gov
Last revised: October 09, 2009