 |
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. |
Another floorperiod commenced on June 9 and continues until June 30 or budget passage. The schedule of floorperiods for the 2009-2010 Legislative Session was established by 2009 Senate Joint Resolution 1.
After a marathon session on May 28 and 29, the Joint Committee on Finance completed work on the 2009-10 budget and passed it by a 12-4 vote. The budget passed by JCF, Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 to Assembly Bill 75, includes increased taxes on cigarettes, oil companies, and the state’s highest earners. It also cuts funding for local governments, schools, and state agencies. The state is facing a deficit of $6.6 billion through the next biennium.
The Legislative Fiscal Bureau’s comparative analysis of AB75-ASA1 and Governor Jim Doyle's original budget can be viewed here. Other budget-related publications can be viewed here. For more general information on how the state budget process works, LFB published an Informational Paper on the subject.
The budget must now pass both the Assembly and Senate and be signed by the governor. Lawmakers have said they hope to pass the budget before the new fiscal year starts July 1. After meeting all week in caucus, introducing and debating amendments, the Assembly met on Friday, June 12, to vote on the budget. The bill passed 50 to 48, and will now be taken up in the Senate. If the Senate amends the Assembly bill, a conference committee will be formed to iron out the differences.
On May 11, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau reported that it now believes that general fund tax revenues will be lower than January’s estimates by $408 million in 2008-09, $573 million in 2009-10, and $622 million in 2010-11. The three-year reduction is $1,603 million, or approximately -4.3%.
On May 21, the Doyle administration announced additional proposals for reductions in state spending to offset the projected shortfall:
The above proposals are expected to yield an additional $1.629 billion in savings.
On May 13, Assembly Speaker Mike Sheridan and Assembly Minority Leader Jeff Fitzgerald said that assembly legislative staff will be put on furlough for 16 days over the next two years to match the order by Governor Doyle for executive branch employees. Representatives Sheridan and Fitzgerald also announced they will each return 16 days of their legislative pay to the state treasury, as the governor previously said he would do.
Senate Bill 232, signed into law by Governor Doyle as 2009 Wisconsin Act 23 on June 11, relates to the payment of state school aid in June 2009. The bill passed both houses on June 11 and was immediately presented to the Governor. The passage of the bill allows state aid payments to utilize federal stimulus funds.
Senate Bill 29, signed into law by Governor Doyle as 2009 Wisconsin Act 22 on June 8, places liability on car drivers for opening motor vehicle doors into traffic lanes.
Senate Bill 20, signed into law by Governor Doyle as 2009 Wisconsin Act 20 on June 8, authorizes circuit courts to order a person who engages in discrimination in employment to pay compensatory and punitive damages and a surcharge.
On May 29, Governor Doyle signed Senate Bill 141 into law as 2009 Wisconsin Act 19. The law requires certain vehicles that transport children to and from a child care provider to have child safety alarms installed. The alarm system prompts the driver of a child care vehicle to inspect the vehicle for children before exiting. The law was written in response to incidents of children dying after being left alone in child care vehicles.
A list of enacted legislation from the 2009 session can be viewed at: www.legis.wi.gov/2009/data/acts.Senate Bill 107, introduced on March 11, imposes a number of requirements on manufacturers of consumer video display devices, consumer computers, and consumer printers. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 23-10 and was immediately messaged on June 9.
Senate Bill 158, introduced on April 8, requires a vehicle operator, when approaching an official stop sign at a railroad crossing, to stop the vehicle at least 15 feet but not more than 50 feet from the nearest rail. Current law requires the stop to be made at least ten feet but not more than 30 feet from the nearest rail. The bill passed in the Senate by a voice vote and was immediately messaged on June 9.
Senate Bill 167, introduced on April 14, lowers the minimum hunting age from 12 years of age to 10 years of age for persons who hunt under the hunting mentorship program established in the bill. The bill passed the Senate by a vote of 27-6 and was immediately messaged on June 9.
Senate Bill 231, introduced on June 5, requires persons required to register as sex offenders to provide certain updated information to the Department of Corrections.
Assembly Bill 306, introduced on June 8, eliminates the enrollment limit on virtual charter schools.
Assembly Bill 307, introduced on June 8, creates penalties and private actions for violations of restrictions on telephone solicitations.
A new, monthly publication is available from the Center on Wisconsin Strategy (COWS) (www.cows.org/). Wisconsin Job Watch provides a snapshot of Wisconsin's job picture and reports on key recession trends. To read the April 2009 issue, click here.
The LRB Library has created a list of items available through its online catalogue on a variety of subjects of current interest. The most recent addition to "Noteworthy Titles" is on "Historical Economic Forecasts."
The National Conference on State Legislatures has recently compiled a nationwide list of cuts proposed or enacted to help compensate for budget shortfalls: FY 2010 Actions & Proposals to Balance the Budget: Across the Board Budget Cuts & Other Cuts of Note. NCSL also produces annual updates to their report on state budgets and the 2009 report is now available in paper or electronic form through the library. An interactive map shows the current and estimated budget gaps across the U.S.
See the Schedule of Committee Activities to view the full monthly calendar and details on times and locations of committee meetings.
The Legislative Reference Bureau recently issued the following publications:
The LRB is on Twitter
You can now access updates from the LRB on Twitter, including information on new LRB publications, new acquisitions by the LRB Library, and general information about the legislature, and the current legislative session. To find the LRB on Twitter, go to: http://twitter.com/WILRB.LRB Podcasts
The LRB has also released a new Podcast about the online library catalog system (LRBCat) and one about Conflict in the Wisconsin Legislature.
Recent Publications by Other Legislative Service Agencies
Two Informational Bulletins were also issued by the LRB as companions to the 2007-2008 Wisconsin Blue Book: Informational Bulletin 07-1, “A Study Guide to the 2007-2008 Wisconsin Blue Book,” and Informational Bulletin 07-2, “Inside the 2007-2008 Wisconsin Blue Book.”
Send comments to LRB.Reference@legis.wisconsin.gov
Last revised: June 15, 2009