Wisconsin Legislative Spotlight

The Week of November 21, 2011

The most recent regular session legislative floorperiod ended November 3, but the September 2011 Special Session continues. Governor Walker called the legislature into special session beginning on September 29 to consider legislation on a variety of topics, including economic development issues such as entrepreneurial and investment tax credits, tax incremental financing districts, and small business loan guarantees. The next scheduled regular session floorperiod begins January 17, 2012.

Recently Signed Into Law

As of November 18, 77 acts have been signed into law. You can find them here.

On Wednesday, November 16, the governor signed eleven bills into law, including:

2011 Act 67: SS-SB-3 relating to the film production services tax credit application fee.
2011 Act 68: SS-SB-23 relating to changes affecting various duties of the Department of Revenue.
2011 Act 69: SS-SB-14 relating to judgment interest rates. The interest rate on judgments for the recovery of money in certain civil actions is changed to an annual rate of 1% plus the prime rate in effect the day the judgment is entered. The rate was previously 12%.
2011 Act 70: SB-212 relating to various changes in the regulation of nursing homes.
2011 Act 71: AB-275 relating to various changes affecting the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands.
2011 Act 72: AB-212, prohibits throwing or expelling a bodily substance at a public safety worker.
2011 Act 73: AB-265 relating to the definition of a bicycle and bicycle rules of the road, as well as moped parking.
2011 Act 74: SB-109 relating to soft tissue injuries of law enforcement officers when resisting or obstructing arrest.
2011 Act 75: SB-116, changes the September primary from the 2nd Tuesday in September to the 2nd Tuesday in August and renames it the Partisan Primary.
2011 Act 76: SB-48, creates an individual income tax checkoff for the Special Olympics.
2011 Act 77: AB-179, authorizes creation of a multijurisdictional TIF district.

Stay Updated

The Legislature has RSS feeds for both recently introduced legislation and recent session activity. Our Facebook page also has links to recently introduced bills.

You can view a complete list of enrolled proposals awaiting action by the governor on the Wisconsin Legislature Web site.

Committee Activity

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

On November 15, the Joint Committee for the Review of Administrative Rules met to review recent decisions of the Government Accountability Board on recall petitions and student IDs used for voting. A video record of this meeting is available in the archives section of WisconsinEye.

The Joint Committee on Employment Relations met on November 17 to discuss the 2011-13 Compensation Plan, which includes employees formerly covered by collective bargaining agreements. A video of the meeting can be found at WisconsinEye. Materials used in the creation of the Compensation Plan, including the migration of public employee contracts, is available at the Office of State Employment Relations web site.

Billings to be sworn in Saturday

The La Crosse Tribune has reported that Jill Billings, the winner of the November 8 special election for the 95th Assembly District, will be sworn in on Saturday, November 19. The election results were certified by the Government Accountability Board on Wednesday, November 16.

2011-2012 Blue Book

The 2011-2012 Wisconsin Blue Book is now available online. It may be ordered from the Department of Administration, Document Sales Unit (search Document Sales Catalog for "Wisconsin Blue Book"), (608) 266-3358. The price is $10.30 with shipping and $7.30 without. State Legislators are provided with complimentary copies to give to their constituents. You may contact your state senator or representative to ask about receiving one.