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 Legislative and Congressional Districts

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.

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How a Resolution becomes a Bill and Becomes Law

When a resolution is received from an individual citizen, or from an organization, the legislative team which includes the legislator and their staff, review the resolution. If the legislator feels that he or she can support the resolution, the team gathers all the information they can about the subject. When all the supporting data is at hand, it is sent in to have a bill drafted up by the State Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB).

A bill is the form in which most legislation is introduced on the floor of the appropriate house. 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.

How a Bill becomes Law.

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A brief summary of the legislative steps in Wisconsin:

-A properly formatted bill is returned from the State Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) to the legislator, the governor, state agencies, or the chief clerks of either the Assembly or Senate.

-The bill 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. This timing is critical to push for popularity of the bill. This is the time to encourage all legislatures to sign on as a co-author by the members of the organization.

-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 National Guard related bills would go to the Veterans, Homeland Security, and Military Affairs, Small Business and Government Reform, Committee. If the bill involves money from the budget or future budget, the bill would also go to the Joint Committee on Finance. It could also go to other committees if the bill involves other areas of concern.

-Most bills that aren’t pushed by the organization 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. Here again the organization members need to contact their legislatures to support this legislation.

-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. Here again the organization members need to contact their legislatures to support this legislation. 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.

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How to contact your state legislative representative.

1. To know who your legislative representative is, look here:

Who is My Representative?

Fill in the information, and you will know. The results will show you who they are.

2. Read up on the people that are representing you. Try to find something in common, or a common interest when you write your letters. Note the proper spelling of their names, and the options you have in making contact – phone, email, postal mail, or personal visit. Note the committees they are on.

3. You are welcome to make contact at anytime you wish to thank your representative for the good work they are doing for the state. When the WNGEA has important legislation pending, you will be asked for your support. Depending on the urgency, you will be sent details on what is happening and what response is desired by the WNGEA.

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