13.41(2)(a)4.
4. Within 14 days after the 25th vacancy occurred, appoint an interim successor from the list of potential interim successors submitted under
subd. 3.
13.41(2)(b)
(b) The person holding the highest position, ranked in the following order, that is not vacant, is the assembly leader for the majority party under
par. (a):
13.41(2)(c)
(c) The person holding the highest position, ranked in the following order, that is not vacant, is the assembly leader for a minority party under
par. (a):
13.41(2)(c)4.
4. The assembly caucus vice chairperson of the party.
13.41(2)(c)6.
6. The assembly caucus sergeant at arms of the party.
13.41(3)
(3) The senate and assembly political party leaders may not appoint an interim successor who is unwilling, unable, or ineligible under the constitution and the statutes to serve as a legislator.
13.41(4)
(4) Interim successors appointed under
sub. (1) or
(2) shall take the oath of office immediately upon appointment, but may not be required, as a prerequisite to the exercise of the powers or discharge of the duties of a legislator, to comply with any other provision of law relative to taking office.
13.41(5)
(5) The chief clerk of each house, or if he or she is unavailable, his or her deputy, shall notify the secretary of state of all vacancies that are filled by interim successors under this section.
13.41(6)
(6) An interim successor taking office under this section shall exercise the powers and discharge the duties of the office until the vacancy is filled under
s. 17.19. All votes taken by an interim successor shall be as valid as if taken by an elected legislator.
13.41 History
History: 2009 a. 363;
2011 a. 260.
13.42
13.42
Virtual meetings of the legislature and legislative committees. 13.42(1)(a)
(a) “Disaster" means a severe or prolonged, natural or human-caused, occurrence that threatens or negatively impacts life, health, property, infrastructure, the environment, the security of this state or a portion of this state, or critical systems, including computer, telecommunications, or agricultural systems.
13.42(1)(b)
(b) “Member" means a member of the legislature.
13.42(2)
(2) Either house of the legislature, under its rules or joint rules, may issue a notice that the house and its committees are prevented from physically meeting at the seat of government due to an emergency resulting from a disaster or the imminent threat of a disaster.
13.42(3)
(3) If a house issues a notice under
sub. (2), that house and any committee of that house may conduct a meeting and transact business through the use of any means of communication by which all of the following occur:
13.42(3)(a)
(a) The identity of each participating member may be verified, and the actions of each participating member may be authenticated, in a manner satisfactory to the presiding officer or committee chairperson.
13.42(3)(b)
(b) During the meeting, all participating members may simultaneously hear or read the comments of each member who is recognized by the presiding officer or committee chairperson.
13.42(3)(c)
(c) Any document that is used during the meeting by a member and that is accepted by the presiding officer or committee chairperson is immediately transmitted to each participating member.
13.42(3)(d)
(d) Except as provided in
sub. (8), within technological limits, the public may monitor the proceedings of the house or committee.
13.42(4)
(4) In order to hold a meeting of a joint committee in the manner provided under
sub. (3), each house of the legislature shall issue a notice of emergency under
sub. (2).
13.42(5)
(5) For purposes of
article IV, section 11, of the Wisconsin Constitution, a meeting held under
sub. (3) or
(10) shall be considered to have occurred at the seat of government and all actions taken during the meeting shall have the same legal effect as if the members were physically present at the seat of government.
13.42(6)
(6) For purposes of determining the presence of a quorum in proceedings or meetings held under this section, any participating member shall be considered present as if the member were physically present at the seat of government.
13.42(7)
(7) Except as provided in
sub. (8), a meeting held under
sub. (3) or
(10) shall be preceded by the same or substantially equivalent public notice as would be required if the members were physically present at the seat of government.
13.42(9)
(9) In presiding over a meeting of a house of the legislature described under
sub. (3) or
(10), the presiding officer shall interpret and apply all rules of proceeding of that house that presume the physical presence of members in the house's chambers at the seat of government, in such a manner as to accomplish the same purposes for which the rules were adopted.
13.42(10)
(10) Notwithstanding the requirement for a notice of emergency under
sub. (2), and pursuant to the session schedule under
s. 13.02 (3), the legislature may meet for up to one week per session by holding a meeting as described under
sub. (3) in order to practice meeting in that manner.
13.42(11)
(11) This section does not limit the authority of either house of the legislature to use teleconferencing for purposes of holding a committee meeting at the seat of government.
13.42 History
History: 2009 a. 363.
LEGISLATIVE COMMITTEES
13.45
13.45
General provisions on legislative committees. 13.45(1)(1)
Term; eligibility; vacancies. 13.45(1)(a)(a) Unless otherwise provided by law, the terms of all legislator members of committees or other bodies established by statute on which there are legislator members appointed as are the members of standing committees in their respective houses, shall expire on the date specified in
s. 13.02 (1). Unless otherwise provided by rule or resolution, any special legislative committee and the memberships thereof shall expire upon the accomplishment of the purpose for which the committee was created or the termination of the legislative session biennium in which the committee was created.
13.45(1)(b)
(b) A legislator's membership, on any committee or other body established by statute to which the legislator was appointed by reason of being a member of the legislature, terminates when such person ceases to be a legislator.
13.45(1)(c)
(c) Legislator vacancies on committees or other bodies established by statute, including first appointments upon the creation of such committees or bodies, shall be filled as are original appointments at the commencement of the legislative session biennium.
13.45(2)
(2) Appointments reported. The chief clerk of each house shall file a duplicate of each report required by
s. 14.40 (4) with the director of the legislative council staff.
13.45(3)(a)(a) For any day for which the legislator does not file a claim under
s. 13.123 (1), any legislator appointed to serve on a legislative committee or a committee to which the legislator was appointed by either house or the officers thereof shall be reimbursed from the appropriations under
s. 20.765 (1) (a) or
(b) for actual and necessary expenses incurred as a member of the committee.
13.45(3)(b)
(b) Unless otherwise provided by law, any state officer or employee representing an agency as a member of a committee under this chapter shall be reimbursed by the agency for the actual and necessary expenses incurred by the officer or employee in the performance of duties as a committee member.
13.45(3)(c)
(c) Unless otherwise provided by law, any member of a committee under this chapter and not covered by
par. (a) or
(b) shall be reimbursed from the appropriation of the committee on which the member serves for the actual and necessary expenses incurred by the member in the performance of duties as a committee member.
13.45(4)
(4) Organization. Unless otherwise provided by law, and except as provided in
sub. (4m), every legislative committee or committee on which there are legislative members selected by either house or the officers thereof shall:
13.45(4)(a)
(a) Elect a chairperson, vice chairperson and secretary from among its members.
13.45(4)(b)
(b) Meet at such times, and at such locations within this state, as the chairperson with the consent of the members announces.
13.45(4)(d)
(d) Maintain a written record of its proceedings.
13.45(4)(e)
(e) On or before May 1 of each odd-numbered year, submit a written report of its findings, conclusions and recommendations to the governor and the chief clerk of each house of the legislature, for distribution to the legislature under
s. 13.172 (2).
13.45(4m)
(4m) Cochairpersons of joint legislative committees. Except as provided in
s. 13.81 (1), every joint standing, statutory, special or other joint committee shall be chaired jointly by a senator and a representative to the assembly appointed as are other members of the joint committee.
13.45(5)
(5) Rules of procedure; quorum. Unless otherwise provided by law, every legislative committee or committee on which there are legislative members selected by either house or the officers thereof may adopt such rules for the conduct of its business as are necessary, but a majority of the members appointed to a committee shall constitute a quorum to do business and a majority of such quorum may act in any matter within the jurisdiction of the committee.
13.45(6)
(6) Committee members may administer oaths. Any senator or representative to the assembly, while acting as a member of a legislative committee, may administer oaths to persons to be examined before such committee.
13.45(7)
(7) Cooperation of state agencies. The departments, officers and employees of Wisconsin state government, and the governing bodies of the political subdivisions of this state, shall assist legislative committees in the completion of their tasks. They shall provide legislative committees with ready access to any books, records or other information relating to such tasks. Upon request by legislative committees, and within the limits of existing appropriations, departments of state government shall supply such specialized staff assistance as a legislative committee may require.
13.46
13.46
Majority and minority parties. In any law or legislative rule:
13.46(1)
(1) “Majority leader" means the leader elected by the majority party in each house of the legislature.
13.46(2)
(2) “Majority party" means the political party in each house which has the most members.
13.46(3)
(3) “Minority leader" means the leader elected by the minority party in each house.
13.46(4)
(4) “Minority party" means the political party in each house which has the 2nd most members.
13.46(5)
(5) “Two major political parties" means the majority party and the minority party in each house.
13.46 History
History: 1977 c. 325;
1983 a. 189.
13.47
13.47
Legislative state supported programs study and advisory committee. There is created a joint legislative state supported programs study and advisory committee, consisting of 5 senators and 6 representatives to the assembly, appointed as are the members of standing committees in their respective houses. The 2 major political parties shall be represented in the membership from each house. One legislator from each house shall be a member of the building commission created in
s. 13.48 (2) (a).
13.47(1)
(1) Meetings. The committee shall meet when the legislature is not in actual session.
13.47(2)
(2) Duties of the committee. The committee, in groups or individually as assigned by the cochairpersons with the consent of the committee, shall visit all institutions and office buildings owned or leased by the state and the capitol building and inspect the grounds and the buildings thereon. Each member shall participate in the groups to which he or she is assigned, but if the appointed member of the building commission is unable to participate in a specific visit he or she shall appoint an alternate member, selected from his or her house of the legislature, to participate in his or her place. It shall thoroughly inspect the state buildings or grounds and shall have free access to any part of such state buildings or the surrounding grounds and all persons therein in order to make such examination as it sees fit of the conditions found.
13.47(3)
(3) Visits to institutions receiving state funds. The committee, in groups or individually as assigned by the cochairpersons with the consent of the committee, may visit any institution, program or organization in this state in which the state directly or indirectly has provided financial support. Upon request of the committee, any such institution, program or organization shall allow the committee to examine its records.
13.48
13.48
Long-range public building program. 13.48(1)
(1)
Policy. The legislature finds and determines that it is necessary to improve the adequacy of the public building facilities that are required by the various state agencies including the educational institutions, for the proper performance of their duties and functions, and that it is in the interest of economy, efficiency and the public welfare that such improvement be accomplished by means of a long-range public building program, with funds to be provided by successive legislatures. The long-range program shall include the necessary lands, new buildings, and all facilities and equipment required and also the remodeling, reconstruction, maintenance and reequipping of existing buildings and facilities, as determined by the building commission.
13.48(1m)(a)(a) In this subsection, “historic property" means any building, structure or site which is any of the following:
13.48(1m)(a)1.
1. Listed on, or has been nominated by the state historical society for listing on, the national register of historic places in Wisconsin or the state register of historic places.
13.48(1m)(a)2.
2. Included in a district which is listed on, or has been nominated by the state historical society for listing on, the national register of historic places in Wisconsin or the state register of historic places, and has been determined by the state historical society to contribute to the historic significance of the district.
13.48(1m)(a)3.
3. Included on a list of properties which have been determined by the state historical society to be eligible for listing on the national register of historic places in Wisconsin or the state register of historic places.
13.48(1m)(b)
(b) The long-range public building program shall recognize the importance of historic properties and shall include a program of preservation and restoration of those historic properties under the control of the state as provided in
s. 44.41, including criteria for determining which historic properties should be preserved and restored.
13.48(1m)(c)
(c) The long-range public building program shall require the biennial review of each historic property under the control of the state to determine the current uses of the property and state agency compliance with the requirements of the long-range program.
13.48(1m)(d)
(d) The building commission shall allocate, from that portion of the state building program funding which is available to all state agencies, an amount of funds deemed necessary by the building commission for the preservation, restoration and maintenance of historic properties under the control of the state.
13.48(2)
(2) Building commission; powers and duties. 13.48(2)(a)(a) There is created a building commission consisting of the governor, who shall serve as chairperson, and 3 senators and 3 representatives to the assembly appointed as are the members of standing committees in their respective houses. The 2 major political parties shall be represented in the membership from each house. One legislator from each house shall be a member of the state supported programs study and advisory committee created by
s. 13.47. One citizen member shall be appointed by the governor to serve at the governor's pleasure. The secretary, head of the engineering function, and ranking architect of the department of administration shall be nonvoting advisory members. The building commission shall bear a title beginning with the words “State of Wisconsin". The members shall be liable only for misconduct. Nonlegislator members of the building commission shall be reimbursed for actual and necessary expenses, incurred as members of the building commission, from the appropriation under
s. 20.505.
