| Primer
on the Wisconsin Legislative Process The Wisconsin State Legislature
The legislative branch consists of the bicameral (two-house) Wisconsin State Legislature.
The State Senate has 33 Senators and the State Assembly has 99 Representatives. Each of
the 33 Senate districts has approximately 150,000 Wisconsin residents residing in it.
Within each of the 33 Senate districts are 3 State Assembly districts (each with
approximately 50,000 Wisconsin residents residing in it).
Wisconsin is one of 49 states that has partisan elections, meaning candidates run as a
member of a political party. Overwhelmingly that party is either Democratic or Republican.
The 33 Senators are elected for 4-year terms from districts numbered 1 through 33. The
16 Senators who represent even-numbered districts are elected in the same years as
Presidential elections. The 17 Senators who represent odd-numbered districts are elected
in the same years as Gubernatorial elections. Thus, during any given election year
approximately half of the State Senate is up for re-election.
The 99 State Representatives are elected for 2-year terms.
How a Bill Becomes Law
A bill is the form in which most legislation is introduced. In short, for
a bill to become law it must be approved by both the State Assembly and the State Senate,
and then be signed by the Governor.
Bills may originate in the Assembly (AB) or in the Senate (SB) and are numbered
consecutively throughout a legislative session (starting with AB 1 and SB 1). In each
chamber the bill goes through approximately the same stages. In some cases the same bill
may be introduced in both chambers at the same time. Each will have a different bill
number. However, the same bill will eventually have to pass both chambers.
The following is a brief
summary of the legislative steps in Wisconsin:
-A bill is drafted by the State Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) at
the request of either a legislator, the governor, state agencies, or the chief clerks of
either the Assembly or Senate.
-The bill draft is then circulated among the legislators to give each a chance to sign
onto the bill as a co-author. There is always one lead author on a bill and any number of
co-authors.
-The bill is then introduced in one of the chambers (either the Assembly or the Senate)
and assigned to a committee. Committees are divided into areas of subject matter. For
example, many pharmacy and health care bills will go to the Health Committees.
-Most bills never see the light of day after being assigned to a committee and are
effectively "killed." Those bills that do proceed get a public hearing, are
debated, and usually go through a revision period where amendments are offered. Amendments
can either increase or decrease the areas and issues that the bill affects.
-If a bill is passed out of committee it is sent to the full chamber for a vote on its
approval. The leaders of the chamber then schedule the bill for debate and a vote. Again,
the bill is discussed, amendments can be offered, and the bill is eventually voted on.
-If a bill passes out of the full chamber it gets passed to the
second chamber (Assembly or Senate). There it will go through a process similar to the one
just mentioned.
-If the bill passes through the second
chamber there is a good chance that it will look different than the version passed by the
first chamber. If this occurs the bill could go to a conference committee composed of
members of each chamber. There they work out the differences. The bill is then returned to
each chamber for a vote on the revised bill. No further amendments can be offered at this
time.
-If the compromised bill
passes each chamber it is then sent to the Governor where he/she can either sign, veto the
entire bill, or sign and line-item veto portions of it. If signed, the bill becomes a law;
if vetoed, each chamber must approve the bill by two-thirds majority for it to become law. |
