Wisconsin Legislative Spotlight

The Week of October 3, 2011

The most recent legislative floorperiod ended on September 22. The next scheduled floorperiod begins on October 18, 2011. The governor convened a special session on September 29 to act on various economic measures described in Executive Order 45. The January special session was adjourned by both houses on September 27.

Recently Introduced Legislation

The Legislature has RSS feeds for both recently introduced legislation and recent session activity. Our Facebook page also has links to recently introduced bills. Bills recently introduced in the legislature include:

2011 Assembly Bill 270, designating and marking a bridge across the Menominee River in Marinette County as Veterans Memorial Bridge.
2011 Assembly Bill 268, proposing that special elections be ordered within 60 days after a legislative vacancy occurs.
2011 Assembly Bill 265, proposing various changes in operational regulations for bicyclists.
2011 Assembly Bill 264, relating to acceptance of certain political contributions by select elective state officials.
2011 Senate Bill 201, relating to an income and franchise tax credit for hiring unemployed individuals.
2011 Senate Bill 193, prohibiting a vote on bills during the first 21 days after introduction.
2011 Senate Bill 187, related to a state minimum wage and local living wage ordinances.
2011 Senate Bill 183, proposing to repeal provisions concerning the serving and sale of margarine.

Special Elections

On Friday, September 2, Governor Walker issued Executive Order 41, which orders a special election for Jennifer Shilling's 95th Assembly District seat on November 8. A primary will be held on October 11 if necessary.

On August 9, Chris Taylor was elected to the 48th Assembly District in a Special Election. The resulting partisan composition of the Assembly is 59 Republicans, 38 Democrats, 1 Independent, and 1 vacancy.

Recently Signed Into Law

As of September 30, 44 acts have been signed into law. You can find them here.

Committee Activity

Legislative committee activity is available on the Schedule of Committee Activities.

From the LRB Library

Today, margarine is often promoted as a healthy alternative to butter. However, at the beginning, the butter substitute known as oleomargarine was controversial and subject to many restrictions. On September 14, Senate Bill 183 was introduced repealing the restrictions from that era. The library recommends the following resources for further information on the history of the controversy.

"The 'Oleo Wars': Wisconsin's Fight Over the Demon Spread" / Gerry Strey, Wisconsin Magazine of History, v. 85, no. 1, Autumn 2001.

Developments in Wisconsin's Oleomargarine Legislation / Legislative Reference Bureau, Informational Bulletin 65-3 (revised edition July 1966). LRB/i/65-3 rev. (In library use only.) Explains the history and development of legislation as well as listing bills from 1881 to 1965.