Frequently Asked Questions

To look up unfamiliar terms, please use our glossary.

  1. Who are my legislators?

    Use the form on our home page to find the names of your state legislators by entering your street address or municipality. You can also use a map of legislative districts in the state.
  2. How do I contact my legislators?

    The easiest way is to just find your legislators to locate email, phone, and address information.

    You can also use our Senator and Representatives listings to find a legislator or a staff member.

  3. How do I search for a bill, joint resolution or resolution by number? by sponsor? by subject? by keyword?

    By number
    Use the proposal forms on the front page.
    By sponsor
    Go to the author index. You can search by author name using the search box.
    By subject
    Go to the subject index to legislative proposals. You can search by subject using the search box. There is also a subject index to acts.
    By keyword
    You can search the full text of every bill introduced in the legislature during the current session in our Legislative document website. Put the subject you wish to search in the white box in the lower left corner of the screen.
  4. How can I find information on a bill?

    You can type a name like “AB1” or “SB5”, or a subject like “mining” into the “Find a Proposal” box on the home page. Or, to jump directly if you know the session and other information, you can use the “Go to Proposal” form.

    Information about a proposal is displayed on the information page for it. This page displays a link to the text of a bill, a list of related documents such as amendments, plus the complete legislative history. It also has an RSS feed available if you wish to follow updates.

    You may wish to contact the author or the chair of the committee to which the item was referred for more information.

  5. What are the statutes? How can I find a statute?

    Please see our documents help page for more information like this.

    There, you can learn about what the statutes are and how to find a particular statute.

  6. Where can I find a list of standing committees and their members?

    Committee information pages are available and linked in the top menu.

    This information is also available in print in the Bulletin of Proceedings.

  7. When does the legislature convene? Adjourn? (When is the legislature in session?)

    The Wisconsin Legislature operates in a biennial (two year) session that lasts from early January of the odd numbered year to early January of the odd numbered year two years later. The session is referred to by the odd-numbered year, for example, acts from the 2001-2002 legislative session are called 2001 Wisconsin Acts.

    During the session, business is conducted during scheduled floorperiods. For information about the dates of floorperiods for the current session, see the information section on the home page.

  8. How can I find information about public hearings?

    Notice of public hearings is given in the Weekly Schedule of Committee Activities.

  9. How can I find out how a legislator voted on a bill?

    All votes are linked from each bill's page. Simply locate the bill using our search and then click on the vote result you want to see more details for.

  10. How can I get copies of bills/acts/statutes/administrative code?

    Most documents on our site are available in PDF format. To view or print them you need a PDF reader.

    Printed copies of bills and acts are available from the Legislative Reference Bureau, Suite 200, One East Main, Madison, WI 53703, telephone (608) 266-0341. Many public libraries in Wisconsin have the printed volumes of the Wisconsin Statutes. To request a printed copy by email: LRB.reference@legis.wisconsin.gov

  11. How current is the information on this site?

    New bills, resolutions and amendments are added within 30 minutes of publication. Bill status and histories are updated overnight. Other documents are updated as information changes, or following the schedule of a print publication.

  12. How does a bill become a law? (What is the legislative process in Wisconsin?)

    See "I want to Follow the Process" for a short explanation, or How a Bill Becomes a Law or The Legislative Process in Wisconsin for a more complete discussion.

  13. What is the composition of the legislature?

    The main Senate and Assembly pages list the composition of the legislature as well as the leadership of each house.

  14. Where is the State Capitol Building located? Which entrances are open to the public?

    The State Capitol Building is located in the center of downtown Madison, on the Capitol Square. Building hours are 8:00am-6:00pm, Monday-Friday and 8:00am-4:00pm Saturday and Sunday.

    Tour and observation deck information is available from the State Capitol home page, run by the Department of Administration.

  15. How can I contact a state agency?

    Go to the Wisconsin state government portal or directly to their list of state agencies.
  16. How can I find the history or intent of a state statute? Act? Bill?

    See the Legislative Reference Bureau’s "Guide to Legislative History Research" or contact the LRB for assistance.
  17. How do I find information on lobbyists?

    Information on lobbyists, the organizations that are lobbying, and the rules that must be followed are available from the State Ethics Board lobbying information site.