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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 final scheduled floorperiod of the 2009-10 legislative session ended on May 26. The legislature is in an interim period for the remainder of the biennial session. The schedule for the current legislative session was established by 2009 Senate Joint Resolution 1. Senate and Assembly committees will meet during the interim to consider administrative rules and conduct informational hearings.
All state assembly seats and odd-numbered senate seats will be up for election this fall. For more information on registered candidates, please see the Government Accountability Board's Web site. The GAB will certify which candidates qualify for ballot placement by 5:00 p.m., Tuesday, July 20. You can also view a list of incumbents who will not be seeking reelection.
For information on upcoming hearings refer to the Schedule of Committee Activities.
On July 9, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau released a memo to all members of the legislature detailing the condition of the general fund budget for the 2009-11 and 2011-13 biennia.
According to the memo, the state could face a $2.5 billion structural deficit for the next session. The numbers are based on current fiscal commitments and do not account for future revenue or appropriation changes.
Bicycling is a popular summertime activity in Wisconsin. As Wisconsinites hop on their bikes to explore our many trails and take advantage of the warm weather for commuting to work, the LRB Library has put together a list of some of the publications about bicycles and bicycling in our collection. The list includes reports on the economic impact of bicycling in Wisconsin, the state legislative role in encouraging bicycling and walking, and reports on “Safe Routes to School” initiatives in several Wisconsin municipalities. This list, along with other useful lists of noteworthy publications in our library, can be found on the Library Services page of our Web site.
In the 2009 legislative session, 406 bills have been signed into law. Six bills have been vetoed in their entirety, and 5 bills were vetoed in part.
There were 978 assembly bills and 708 senate bills introduced during the 2009 session. Additionally, one senate bill was introduced during the June 2009 Special Session, and 2 assembly bills were introduced during the December 2009 Special Session. All introduced legislation can be found on the Legislature's Searchable Infobases site, or by using the "Request text and history of legislative proposals" function on the home page.
On May 27, the Legislative Council released a list of proposed study committees with the results of the balloting of the council. The committees are to report to the 2011 legislature.
For more information about Legislative Service Agency publications, see the left panel of the Spotlight index page.
Send comments to LRB.Reference@legis.wisconsin.gov
Last revised: November 13, 2012