Wisconsin Legislative Spotlight

The Week of August 2, 2010

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. You can also view a list of incumbents who will not be seeking reelection.

Committee Activity

For information on upcoming hearings refer to the Schedule of Committee Activities.

Bill Statistics for 2009 Session

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.

Legislative Council Committees, 2010 Interim

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.

From the LRB Library

The Department of Health Services released the 10-year public health agenda Healthiest Wisconsin 2020: Everyone Living Better, Longer. This report can be viewed and downloaded in its entirety or individual sections.

The library also recommends the following resources available through LRBCat:

Healthiest Wisconsin 2010, 2002-2009. This was the first Healthiest Wisconsin report. The original document plus progress reports are available.

Increased State Financing of Governmental Public Health: a Proposal to the Public Health Council from the Ad Hoc Finance Committee, 2007.

Obesity, Nutrition, and Physical Activity in Wisconsin, 2008. The full report and executive summary are available.

Recent Publications

• The Legislative Reference Bureau published a Wisconsin Brief, "Candidates: Primary Election, September 14, 2010".
• The Legislative Council Staff recently published an information memorandum on Establishment of Group Homes and Similar Facilities in Residential Neighborhoods. It also released an information memorandum, Smoking Ban, which relates to 2009 Wisconsin Act 12, as amended by 2009 Wisconsin Act 276, and which took effect on July 5, 2010. The memorandum summarizes the legislation and provides answers to frequently asked questions.
• The Legislative Audit Bureau published a letter report on Use Value Assessment of Agricultural Land.
• The Legislative Fiscal Bureau has issued a publication on the 2009-11 and 2011-13 General Fund Budget and a Summary of Request for Release of Agency Supplements for Pay Plan and Fringe Benefit Costs, 2009-10.

For more information about Legislative Service Agency publications, see the left panel of the Spotlight index page.

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Send comments to LRB.Reference@legis.wisconsin.gov

Last revised: November 13, 2012