The Senate held a floor session on April 22, 2010 at the State Capitol to discuss the following items: Senate Bill 321 relating to operation of neighborhood electric vehicles; Senate Bill 484 relating to the BadgerCare Plus Basic Plan, Benchmark Plan benefits, and making an appropriation; Senate Bill 530 relating to regulating consumer small loans, limiting the areas in which a payday lender may operate, granting rule-making authority, and providing a penalty; Senate Joint Resolution 76 relating to commending Blake Geoffrion of the University of Wisconsin men's hockey team; Senate Joint Resolution 77 relating to commending student-athletes, coaches, and administrators at the University of Wisconsin-Madison; Senate Joint Resolution 78 relating to the retirement of John Stolzenberg, chief of research services, Legislative Council staff, following a long and distinguished career in nonpartisan service to the Wisconsin legislature; Assembly Joint Resolution 108 relating to commending the Wisconsin Army National Guard's 32nd Brigade, 1st Battalion, 128th Infantry, for receiving the Walter T. Kerwin Jr. Award; Assembly Joint Resolution 133 relating to the life and public service of Norman L. Myhra; Senate Bill 401 relating to requiring the Department of Natural Resources to issue one-day fishing licenses; Senate Bill 426 relating to the format and fees for obtaining copies of public records; Senate Bill 493 relating to appointment of an examiner for a person committed as a sexually violent person, and specification of the department responsible for providing an escort for a sexually violent person on supervised release (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Health Services); Senate Bill 567 relating to elimination of surplus retention limitations for residential care centers for children and youth, group homes, and child welfare agencies that provide rate-based services for the Department of Children and Families or a county department of human services or social services; determination of the rates charged by those providers; establishment of a performance-based contracting system for those providers; and requiring the exercise of rule-making authority; Senate Bill 569 relating to training for foster parents; Senate Bill 579 relating to designation of a corporation to receive funding for electronic health information exchange, creation of a corporation, and making an appropriation; Senate Bill 583 relating to the time period to petition to review an administrative decision; Senate Bill 593 relating to student achievement guarantee in education program contracts; Senate Bill 597 relating to a grant for a highway project in the town of Pound; Senate Bill 600 relating to making companies that hire illegal aliens ineligible for certain tax exemptions, governmental contracts, grants, and loans, granting rule-making authority, and providing penalties; Senate Bill 623 relating to processing certain applications for farmland preservation agreements; Senate Bill 627 relating to special distinguishing registration plate decals for certain vehicles owned by certain members of special groups associated with the armed services; Senate Bill 630 relating to reimbursement of counties and Indian tribes for unexpected or unusually high-cost placement of Indians in mental health treatment facilities and making an appropriation; Senate Bill 635 relating to duties of physicians and of the Medical Examining Board and requiring the exercise of rule-making authority; Senate Bill 644 relating to the duties of the Milwaukee Child Welfare Partnership Council; Senate Bill 647 relating to payments to hospitals for HIV-related services provided to Medical Assistance recipients; Senate Bill 655 relating to safety standards for movable soccer goals, granting rule-making authority, and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 657 relating to abuse and neglect of patients and residents; Senate Bill 658 relating to public financing of campaigns for the office of justice of the supreme court; Senate Bill 663 relating to requiring bittering agents in certain engine coolants and antifreeze and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 670 relating to disposal of decedent's property; Senate Bill 684 relating to agreements between political subdivisions to operate a nursing home or intermediate care facility; Senate Bill 687 relating to eligibility for grant funding under a maintenance program that applies to private sewage systems; Senate Bill 695 relating to targets for the allocation of federal tax credits by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority; Assembly Bill 288 relating to education and work experience requirements for registration as a professional engineer and examinations for professional engineering credentials; Assembly Bill 335 relating to the consumption of alcohol beverages in public places; Assembly Bill 494 relating to the methodology for filing campaign finance reports in electronic format; Assembly Bill 532 relating to directing the Department of Commerce to award grants to community development corporations to establish capital access programs, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, requiring the exercise of rule-making authority, and making an appropriation; Assembly Bill 544 relating to prohibiting the installation, sale, and distribution of wheel weights and other wheel balancing products that contain lead; Assembly Bill 701 relating to the Interstate Insurance Receivership Compact, investment guidelines for charitable gift annuity segregated accounts, Health Insurance Risk-Sharing Plan assessment participation, reciprocity for long-term care insurance policies, voting by fraternal members, the insurance security fund, modifications to motor vehicle insurance policy and umbrella and excess liability policy requirements, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, and granting rule-making authority; Assembly Bill 707 relating to self-service storage facility notices and procedures; Assembly Bill 725 relating to providing instruction in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, cardiocerebral resuscitation, and the use of an automated external defibrillator to high school pupils; Assembly Bill 733 relating to the deadlines, for applying for assistance and closing loans under the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program; Assembly Bill 878 relating to a grant for providing assistance to individuals to obtain and maintain health care benefits and making an appropriation.

The Wisconsin State Senate held a floor session on April 20, 2010 at the State Capitol to discuss the following items: Senate Bill 121 relating to requiring the Center on Education and Work at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to establish a career conversations program; Senate Bill 163 relating to requiring health insurance coverage of colorectal cancer screening and granting rule-making authority; Senate Bill 375 relating to the exchange of electronic records contained in the Consolidated Court Automation Program and in the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System between the director of state courts and the Department of Children and Families and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 383 relating to municipal court elections, judges, and procedure, and providing penalties; Senate Bill 400 relating to operation of all-terrain vehicles to remove snow; Senate Bill 409 relating to a postsecondary education tax credit for businesses; increasing annual limits on angel investment tax credits; awarding grants to the WiSys Technology Foundation, Inc.; business plan competitions and an emerging technology center in the University of Wisconsin System; rural outsourcing grants; requiring the Department of Commerce to award grants to a high-technology business development corporation and grants for converting manufacturing facilities; increasing funding for certain economic development programs; a pilot program providing microloans for the creation of new businesses; increasing funding for certain technical college training program grants; providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures; granting rule-making authority; and making appropriations; Senate Resolution 12 relating to supporting the Marinette Marine Corporation's littoral combat ship project;  Senate Bill 435; relating to the period for retention of certain election materials in state and local elections; Senate Bill 445 relating to labeling requirements for certain substances that may create a fire hazard when mixed with organic matter (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Commerce); Senate Bill 616 relating to energy conservation standards for the construction of certain buildings, energy and environmental design standards for state buildings, structures, and facilities, energy and environmental design standards for school district facilities and other local government buildings, leasing of state buildings, structures, and facilities, standards for the construction and use of graywater systems, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation; Senate Bill 624 relating to expanding the authority of political subdivisions to make residential energy efficiency improvement loans, and authorizing political subdivisions to make water efficiency improvement loans and impose special charges for the loans; Senate Bill 651 relating to loans to manufacturing businesses for energy improvements, job creation, retooling, or clean energy production; the administration of energy utility programs; providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures; requiring the exercise of emergency rule-making procedures; and making appropriations; Senate Bill 661 relating to general permits for certain wetland restoration activities and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 664 relating to financial assistance under the Clean Water Fund Program and the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program; Senate Bill 669 relating to willful misclassification of an employee as a nonemployee by a person engaged in the painting or drywall finishing of buildings or other structures with intent to evade the laws related to income tax withholding, worker's compensation, unemployment insurance, or employment discrimination and providing a penalty; Assembly Bill 333 relating to limiting disclosure of information gathered by news persons; Assembly Bill 561 relating to eliminating the notary requirement for assessor certification renewal (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Revenue); Assembly Bill 563 relating to eliminating obsolete provisions related to the use value assessment of agricultural land (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Revenue); Assembly Bill 564 relating to long-term name reservation by a limited liability company (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Financial Institutions); Assembly Bill 565 relating to changing the registered office or registered agent of a limited partnership or registered limited liability partnership (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Financial Institutions); Assembly Bill 566 relating to certain review, reporting, and out-of-date requirements regarding the Public Service Commission (suggested as remedial legislation by the Public Service Commission); Assembly Bill 600 relating to authority of the Public Service Commission regarding fuel costs of certain electric public utilities and granting rule-making authority; Assembly Bill 689 relating to Public Service Commission intervenor grants and making an appropriation; Assembly Bill 713 relating to mutual assistance between tribal and county or municipal law enforcement agencies; Assembly Bill 898 relating to trial job program and transitional jobs demonstration project and making an appropriation.

Continued coverage.

Continued coverage.

Continued coverage.

The Wisconsin State Senate held a floor session on April 15, 2010 at the State Capitol to discuss the following items: Senate Bill 399 relating to authorizing two or more cities, villages, towns, or counties, or a combination of such political subdivisions, to create a commission to issue conduit revenue bonds and exercise eminent domain authority and exempting from taxation interest on such bonds; Senate Joint Resolution 65 relating to lead poisoning hazards, lead abatement, and requesting a study; Senate Joint Resolution 66 relating to proclaiming May 5, 2010, as Undergraduate Research Day and commending University of Wisconsin System students, faculty, and staff; Senate Joint Resolution 68 relating to commending the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point men's basketball team; Senate Joint Resolution 69 relating to commending past and present members of the Friends of the Wisconsin Historical Society on its 60th anniversary; Assembly Joint Resolution 101 relating to commending Fond du Lac High School on its sesquicentennial; Assembly Joint Resolution 122 relating to declaring April as Forensic Month in Wisconsin; Senate Bill 172 relating to limiting a city's and village's use of direct annexation and authorizing limited town challenges to an annexation; Senate Bill 273 relating to creation of renewable resource credits by electric providers and granting rule-making authority; Senate Bill 304 relating to the veterans tuition reimbursement program; Senate Bill 314 relating to traditional neighborhood development ordinances, mixed-use zoning, and the state housing strategy plan; Senate Bill 342 relating to pupils attending a school district under the Open Enrollment Program who are habitually truant; Senate Bill 417 relating to the threshold for registration and reporting by groups and individuals seeking to influence referendum results; Senate Bill 434 relating to the sale of unpasteurized milk, buttermilk, butter, and cream; Senate Bill 437 relating to authorizing the state superintendent of public instruction to direct a school district to implement a new curriculum or instructional design, make personnel changes, or adopt accountability measures, and requiring the exercise of rule-making authority; Senate Bill 456 relating to special distinguishing registration plates supporting motorcycle safety and making appropriations; Senate Bill 502 relating to exempting wellness programs from unfair trade or marketing practices; Senate Bill 552 relating to consideration for the purpose of gambling; Senate Bill 578 relating to adding a member to the council on veterans programs; Senate Bill 581 relating to prohibiting social security numbers on instruments under the corporate registration system and on records under Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code; Senate Bill 585 relating to prohibiting discrimination against an employee who declines to attend an employer-sponsored meeting or to participate in any communication with the employer or with an agent, representative, or designee of the employer, the primary purpose of which is to communicate the opinion of the employer about religious or political matters; Senate Bill 586 relating to apprentice contracts, the appointment and composition of the Wisconsin Apprenticeship Council, requiring the exercise of rule-making authority, and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 587 relating to commercial real estate liens and recording a correction instrument and a lis pendens; Senate Bill 590 relating to petitions and management plans for the designation of managed forest land; transferrals of ownership of managed forest land; establishing stumpage values, filing cutting reports, and estimating withdrawal taxes under the managed forest land program; signatures and authentication requirements for orders under the forest croplands program; granting rule-making authority; making an appropriation; and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 601 relating to comprehensive planning; Senate Bill 609 relating to requiring informed consent before administration of psychotropic medication to a nursing home resident who has degenerative brain disorder;
Senate Bill 615 relating to exemption for interstate natural gas companies from certain requirements regarding real estate transactions and court actions, creation and powers of municipal electric companies, and exemption from certificate of public convenience and necessity for certain electric transmission line projects; Senate Bill 618 relating to raffles; Senate Bill 619 relating to Celebrate Children special distinguishing registration plates; Senate Bill 622 relating to the number of raffles permitted in a year; Senate Bill 625 relating to streamlined sales and use tax agreement changes; Senate Bill 656 relating to construction of a rural dental education outreach facility in Marshfield, granting bonding authority, and making an appropriation; Assembly Bill 260 relating to extraterritorial plat approval on basis of land's use; Assembly Bill 269 relating to causing injury to a law enforcement officer while resisting or obstructing an officer or while attempting to flee and providing a penalty; Assembly Bill 296 relating to children and their families who are involved in two or more systems of care and making an appropriation; Assembly Bill 371 relating to privileges under a Class A or Class B bear hunting license, and bear carcass tag and back tag requirements; Assembly Bill 417 relating to requirements for initial licensure as a veterinarian; Assembly Bill 552 relating to following snowplows and providing a penalty; Assembly Bill 588 relating to changes to the regulation of massage therapy and bodywork, creating the Massage Therapy and Bodywork Therapy Examining Board, and granting rule-making authority; Assembly Bill 599 relating to a speed limit for the operation of snowmobiles during the hours of darkness; Assembly Bill 633 relating to using county jail funds for costs related to providing educational and medical services to county jail inmates; Assembly Bill 650 relating to person under age 18 playing bingo; Assembly Bill 658 relating to qualifications of mortgage loan originators; Assembly Bill 720 relating to repealing, consolidating, renumbering, amending, and revising various provisions of the statutes for the purpose of correcting errors, supplying omissions, correcting and clarifying references, eliminating defects, anachronisms, conflicts, ambiguities, and obsolete provisions, reconciling conflicts, and repelling unintended repeals (Correction Bill).

Continued coverage.

Continued coverage.

Continued coverage.

The Wisconsin State Senate held a floor session on April 13, 2010 at the State Capitol to discuss the following items: Senate Bill 190 relating to renewals and extensions of business contracts; Senate Bill 227 relating to interim successors for legislators, meetings of the legislature and legislative committees, and temporary seat of government for the legislature. By Joint Legislative Council; Senate Joint Resolution 61 relating to prohibiting partial vetoes of parts of bill sections (first consideration); Senate Bill 25 relating to the use of race-based names, nicknames, logos, and mascots by school boards, requiring the exercise of rule-making authority, and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 276 relating to requiring governmental bodies of school districts and certain political subdivisions to post meeting notices and minutes on their Web sites;  Senate Bill 279 relating to financial assistance related to bioenergy feedstocks, biorefineries, and conversion to biomass energy; the definition of the term agricultural use for the purpose of determining the assessed value of a parcel of land; requiring a strategic bioenergy feedstock assessment; creation of a bioenergy council; the agricultural and forestry diversification programs; biofuels training assessment; a study of regulatory burdens relating to biofuel production facilities; marketing orders and agreements for bioenergy feedstocks; exempting personal renewable fuel production and use from the motor vehicle fuel tax, the petroleum inspection fee, and business tax registration requirements; an income and franchise tax credit for installing or retrofitting pumps that mix motor vehicle fuels from separate storage tanks; offering gasoline that is not blended with ethanol to motor fuel dealers; state renewable motor vehicle fuels sales goals; required sales of renewable motor vehicle fuels; use of petroleum-based transportation fuels by state vehicles; use of alternative fuels in flex fuel vehicles owned by the state; use of public alternative fuel refueling facilities; duties of the Office of Energy Independence; granting rule-making authority; requiring the exercise of rule-making authority; making appropriations; and providing penalties; Senate Bill 297 relating to the immobilization or removal, impoundment, and disposal of motor vehicles for multiple nonmoving traffic violations; Senate Bill 302 relating to powersports vehicle manufacturers, distributors, and dealers and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 323 relating to requiring newborn hearing screening; Senate Bill 338 relating to maximum amount of funeral and burial expenses under the funeral, burial, and cemetery expenses program; Senate Bill 341 relating to reckless bodily harm to a child and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 358 relating to creating new grounds for discipline of hearing instrument specialists, audiologists, and speech-language pathologists, changing licensing requirements for audiologists, and granting rule-making authority; Senate Bill 379 relating to notification of school closings and reopenings; Senate Bill 391 relating to expenditure of $30,000 from moneys appropriated to the Department of Natural Resources in payment of a claim against the state made by Stillmunkes, Inc.; Senate Bill 407 relating to eligibility for academic excellence higher education scholarships; Senate Bill 412 relating to changing certain administrative procedures under the tax incremental financing program; Senate Bill 423 relating to library boards of public libraries established in a first class city; Senate Bill 429 relating to establishing a presumption for employment-connected communicable diseases for fire fighters, emergency medical service providers, law enforcement officers, and certain correctional employees; Senate Bill 464 relating to temporary restraining orders and injunctions; Senate Bill 472 relating to adopting revised article 1 of the Uniform Commercial Code concerning general provisions; Senate Bill 477 relating to treatment of abandoned employee retirement accounts under a retirement system of a 1st class city; Senate Bill 480 relating to adopting revised Article 7 of the Uniform Commercial Code, concerning documents of title; Senate Bill 491 relating to requiring an aging and disability resource center to perform a financial screening for, provide information to, and assist individuals choosing to participate in the self-directed services option (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Health Services); Senate Bill 497 relating to creating a food animal veterinarian loan assistance program, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation; Senate Bill 505 relating to motor vehicle emission inspections and requiring the exercise of rule-making authority; Senate Bill 514 relating to additions to the 2009-11 Authorized State Building Program; Senate Bill 515 relating to authorization for final disposition of a decedent's remains; Senate Bill 520 relating to requiring municipalities to pay health insurance premiums for survivors of a fire fighter who dies, or has died, in the line of duty;  Senate Bill 523 relating to unfair labor practices in violation of collective bargaining rights; Senate Bill 524 relating to subpoenas and warrants requiring providers of electronic communications services or of remote computing services to provide customer information or disclose contents of wire or electronic communications; Senate Bill 528 relating to methods of voting by members of a cooperative; Senate Bill 529 relating to uniform power of attorney for finances and property;  Senate Bill 530 relating to regulating consumer small loans, limiting the areas in which a payday lender may operate, granting rule-making authority, and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 531 relating to annual or consecutive month permits for vehicles or combinations of vehicles transporting loads near the Wisconsin-Michigan border; Senate Bill 533 relating to an integrated crime alert network and making an appropriation; Senate Bill 536 relating to promoting the use of locally grown food in school meals and snacks and granting rule-making authority; Senate Bill 540 relating to political disbursements by corporations and cooperative associations and the scope of regulated activity under the campaign finance law; Senate Bill 541 relating to providing public notice of a sale of personal property or real estate on execution; Senate Bill 553 relating to assessment on critical access hospitals; payments to critical access hospitals under the Medical Assistance Program; creating a rural physician residency assistance program; the physician, dentist, and health care provider loan assistance programs; and making appropriations; Senate Bill 557 relating to notices concerning construction near or on lakes, streams, or wetlands that are given to applicants for building permits and other construction approvals, requiring the Department of Natural Resources to furnish informational brochures about wetlands laws, requiring the Department of Natural Resources to provide evaluations and statements about whether certain land contains wetlands, and making an appropriation; Senate Bill 562 relating to weight limitations for vehicles transporting raw forest products; Senate Bill 572 relating to suitability of annuity contracts and granting rule-making authority; Senate Bill 573 relating to public access to certain shared law enforcement records; Senate Bill 591 relating to termination of tenancy at death; Senate Bill 594 relating to requirements for residential facilities that provide or promote themselves as providing specialized care for persons who have Alzheimer's disease or related dementia and providing penalties; Senate Bill 598 relating to the procedure for school district consolidations; Senate Bill 605 relating to allowing required condominium disclosures to be made electronically;
Senate Bill 617 relating to creating a privilege for communications to veteran mentors; Senate Bill 631 relating to submission of biological specimens for deoxyribonucleic acid analysis; Senate Bill 678 relating to ratification of the agreement negotiated between the state of Wisconsin and the State Engineering Association for the 2007-09 biennium, covering employees in the professional engineering collective bargaining unit, and authorizing an expenditure of funds; Assembly Bill 227 relating to directing the Pharmacy Examining Board to create a program to monitor the dispensing of prescription drugs and requiring the exercise of rule-making authority; Assembly Bill 228 relating to awarding state procurements to certified disabled veteran-owned businesses, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, and requiring the exercise of rule-making authority; Assembly Bill 247 relating to granting high school diplomas to certain veterans with service-connected disabilities; Assembly Bill 496 relating to prohibiting electronic text messaging while driving and providing a penalty; Assembly Bill 503 relating to exposure to a minor and providing a penalty; Assembly Bill 514 relating to time limitations for commencing prosecution of crimes; Assembly Bill 529 relating to violations of the Wisconsin Uniform Securities Law and providing a penalty; Assembly Bill 560 relating to remedial statutory changes affecting the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission (suggested as remedial legislation by the Wisconsin Employment Relations Commission); Assembly Bill 567 relating to amending and revising under s. 10.53 various provisions of ss. 10.62 to 10.82 of the statutes for the purpose of correcting conflicts between the listings in ss. 10.62 to 10.82 and the substantive statutes to which those sections refer. (Correction Bill); Assembly Bill 659 relating to HIV testing, disclosure of HIV test results, and providing penalties; Assembly Bill 670 relating to requiring sellers of residential real property to disclose whether the property is subject to a shoreland zoning mitigation plan; Assembly Bill 709 relating to requiring access to toilet facilities in a retail establishment, immunity from civil liability related to use of the toilet facilities, and providing penalties; Assembly Bill 766 relating to designating and marking a portion of STH 50 in Kenosha County as the LeRoy and Lynn Copen Memorial Highway.

Continued coverage.

The Wisconsin State Assembly held a floor session on March 4, 2010 at the State Capitol to discuss the following items: Assembly Joint Resolution 14 relating to the life and public service of Frank H. Urban, M.D. By Representative Vukmir; cosponsored by Senator Sullivan; Assembly Joint Resolution 79 relating to honoring the life of Terry Wise; Assembly Joint Resolution 92 relating to recognizing the 20th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall and the symbolic end of the Cold War; Senate Bill 250 relating to accepting pupils under the full-time Open Enrollment Program; Senate Bill 286 relating to collection agencies; Senate Bill 291 relating to authorizing the designation of a tax incremental district as distressed and expanding the use of donor tax incremental districts; Senate Bill 399 relating to authorizing two or more cities, villages, towns, or counties, or a combination of such political subdivisions, to create a commission to issue conduit revenue bonds and exercise eminent domain authority and exempting from taxation interest on such bonds; Senate Bill 414 relating to school nurses and the administration of drugs to pupils; Senate Bill 452 relating to a sales and use tax exemption for food sold by child welfare facilities; Senate Bill 483 relating to prohibiting health insurance policies and self-insured health plans from excluding coverage for injuries based on the use of alcohol or controlled substances; Senate Bill 527 relating to the agricultural producer security program, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, and granting rule-making authority; Assembly Bill 139 relating to littering and providing a penalty; Assembly Bill 159 relating to the charge-back of refunded or rescinded taxes and of personal property taxes and sharing certain collected taxes; Assembly Bill 455 relating to the testing of portable scales used for the enforcement of vehicle weight limitations.

The Wisconsin State Senate held a floor session on March 2, 2010 at the State Capitol to discuss the following items: Senate Bill 44 relating to adjudications for involuntary commitment, appointment of a guardian of the person, and protective placement or protective services, background checks for the purchase of handguns, and requiring the exercise of rule-making authority; Senate Bill 418 relating to disclosure of information by health care providers and insurers and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 431 relating to the use of the terms college, university, state, and Wisconsin in the name of a school; the issuing, manufacture, or use of a false academic credential; the false use of a legitimate academic credential; making an appropriation; and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 458 relating to the local regulation of ticket selling and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 517 relating to the Interstate Compact for the Placement of Children; Assembly Bill 128 relating to authorizing a sheriff to depute certain security officers who are employed by the Department of Military Affairs; Assembly Bill 173 relating to the method by which the Department of Revenue makes certain calculations regarding tax incremental financing district number 4 in the village of Elmwood; Assembly Bill 213 relating to establishing and changing compensation for city and village elective offices; signing village contracts; bidding procedure for village public construction contracts; officer-of-the-peace status of village officers; publication by the city clerk of fund receipts and disbursements; village and 4th class city regulation of political signs; liability of counties and cities for mob damage; means of providing police and fire protection by cities and villages; holdover status of appointed city and village officers; use of the s. 32.05 procedure in villages for certain housing and urban renewal condemnation; and application of public contract bidder prequalification to 1st class cities; Assembly Bill 230 relating to electronic access by law enforcement agencies to photographs on motor vehicle operators licenses and identification cards; Assembly Bill 485 relating to required judicial findings and orders when a child is placed outside the home, termination of parental rights warnings, mandatory child abuse or neglect reporters, the confidentiality of social services records, changing from day care to child care the term used to describe care and supervision for children for less than 24 hours a day, and renumbering the definition of neglect; Assembly Bill 574 relating to lightweight utility vehicles and providing a penalty; Assembly Bill 579 relating to special distinguishing registration plates associated with Marquette University.

The Wisconsin State Senate held a floor session on February 25, 2010 at the State Capitol to discuss the following items: Senate Bill 484 relating to the BadgerCare Plus Basic Plan, Benchmark Plan benefits, and making an appropriation; Senate Bill 96 relating to diversions under a community integration program of Medical Assistance-eligible persons from imminent entry into nursing homes; Senate Bill 374 relating to creating a commercial driver license exception for law enforcement officers operating commercial motor vehicles; Senate Bill 457 relating to the placement of advertising signs in highway rights-of-way and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 463 relating to extending the expenditure period of Tax Incremental District Number 6 in the city of Sheboygan and requiring the Department of Revenue to certify the tax base of Tax Incremental Financing District Number 18 in the city of Waukesha; Senate Bill 467 relating to using an electronic signature on a criminal complaint; Senate Bill 471 relating to health care plans operated by cooperative associations; Senate Bill 473 relating to modifications to the Uniform Interstate Family Support Act; Senate Bill 478 relating to orders to commit state prison inmates to a mental health facility; Senate Bill 485 relating to displaying the empty weight on the side of certain motor vehicles (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Transportation); Senate Bill 486 relating to the liability release exception to the requirement that proof of financial responsibility be provided after a motor vehicle accident (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Transportation); Senate Bill 487 relating to motor vehicle occupational licenses issued by the Department of Transportation (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Transportation); Senate Bill 488 relating to policies and bonds issued by out-of-state insurers offered as proof of financial responsibility after a motor vehicle accident (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Transportation); Senate Bill 489 relating to the requirement that a nonresident provide proof of financial responsibility for the operation of a motor vehicle to reinstate a suspended operating privilege or vehicle registration (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Transportation); Senate Bill 490 relating to registration plates for vehicles leased to persons with a disability that limits the ability to walk (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Transportation; Senate Bill 492 relating to restoration to competency of a defendant (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Health Services); Senate Bill 507 relating to changing the fees collected by a register of deeds, the redaction of social security numbers from electronic documents, and changes to the land information program; Assembly Bill 261 relating to soliciting purchases of goods or services using unsolicited checks or money orders and providing a penalty; Assembly Bill 375 relating to a property tax exemption for certain nonprofit community theaters; Assembly Bill 471 relating to mortgage broker duties and agency relationships; Assembly Bill 562 relating to the master logger certification scholarship grant program (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Natural Resources); Assembly Bill 568 relating to revising various provisions of the statutes for the purpose of correcting errors, supplying omissions, and eliminating defects (Correction Bill); Assembly Bill 569 relating to revising various provisions of the statutes for the purpose of supplying omissions and eliminating defects (Correction Bill).

The State Senate held an floor session on February 23, 2010 at the State Capitol to discuss the following items: Senate Joint Resolution 60 relating to proclaiming that the ancient Macedonians were Hellenes and that the inhabitants of the northern province of Greece, Macedonia, are their Hellenic descendants; Senate Bill 114 relating to the use of pesticides by veterinarians and veterinary technicians; Senate Bill 222 relating to group deer hunting requirements and restrictions on placing, possessing, or transporting a firearm, bow, or crossbow in or on a vehicle; Senate Bill 227 relating to interim successors for legislators, meetings of the legislature and legislative committees, and temporary seat of government for the legislature; Senate Bill 287 relating to transferring ownership and jurisdiction of a municipality's highways to an American Indian tribe or agency of the United States government; Senate Bill 301 relating to the application of shoreland zoning ordinances to certain unincorporated areas; Senate Bill 389 relating to licensing sign language interpreters, creating an evidentiary privilege for communications with those interpreters, creating a Sign Language Interpreter Council, granting rule-making authority, and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 392 relating to registration of former military vehicles; Senate Bill 400 relating to operation of all-terrain vehicles to remove snow; Senate Bill 404 relating to registration of former military vehicles; Senate Bill 408 relating to the exception to the assessment of withdrawal taxes and fees against a landowner who transfers ownership of managed forest land for siting a public safety communications tower; Senate Bill 448 relating to a utility terrain vehicle pilot program and making an appropriation; Senate Bill 460 relating to prescriptions for antimicrobial drugs for treatment of chlamydial infections, gonorrhea, or trichomoniasis; Senate Bill 465 relating to the safe-ride grant program administered by the Department of Transportation; Senate Bill 475 relating to reimbursement of counties and Indian tribes for unexpected or unusually high-cost out-of-home care placements of Indian juveniles who have been adjudicated delinquent by tribal courts and making an appropriation; Senate Bill 484 relating to the BadgerCare Plus Basic Plan, Benchmark Plan benefits, and making an appropriation;  Senate Bill 504 relating to professional employer organizations; Senate Bill 506 relating to vehicle towing and storage liens; Senate Bill 513 relating to life settlements, granting rule-making authority, and providing a penalty; Assembly Bill 275 relating to the Physical Therapists Affiliated Credentialing Board; Assembly Bill 415 relating to designating and marking a portion of USH 12 in the city of Whitewater as the Stephen Ambrose Memorial Highway; Assembly Bill 570 relating to amending and revising various provisions of the statutes for the purpose of correcting errors and eliminating defects, anachronisms, conflicts, and ambiguities (Correction Bill). Assembly Bill 571 relating to renumbering, amending, and revising various provisions of the statutes for the purpose of correcting and clarifying references and reconciling conflicts (Correction Bill); Assembly Bill 572 relating to repealing, consolidating, renumbering, amending, and revising various provisions of the statutes for the purpose of correcting errors, supplying omissions, correcting and clarifying references, eliminating defects, anachronisms, conflicts, ambiguities, and obsolete provisions, reconciling conflicts, and repelling unintended repeals (Correction Bill); Assembly Bill 573 relating to repealing, consolidating, renumbering, amending, and revising various provisions of the statutes for the purpose of correcting errors, supplying omissions, correcting and clarifying references, eliminating defects, anachronisms, conflicts, ambiguities, and obsolete provisions, reconciling conflicts, and repelling unintended repeals (Correction Bill).

Continued coverage.

The Senate held a floor session on February 16, 2010 at the State Capitol to discuss the following items: Assembly Bill 411 relating to the prohibition against making, reproducing, or possessing a nude depiction of a person without the person's consent and the sex offender registry; Senate Bill 127. Relating to: notification to the state and certain public agencies regarding a medical malpractice claim and limits on liability; Senate Bill 268 relating to the location of facilities in which rendering, animal food processing, or grease processing is conducted; Senate Bill 293 relating to directing the governor to annually proclaim March 25 as Medal of Honor Day; Senate Bill 348 relating to declarations creating marina condominiums and technical corrections to the laws governing marina condominiums; Senate Bill 396 relating to fishing and trolling in boats with electric motors; Senate Bill 403 relating to authorizing the release of certain personal identifying information collected by the Department of Regulation and Licensing; Senate Bill 410 relating to designating and marking a portion of I 43 in the city of Milwaukee as the Jeannetta Simpson-Robinson Memorial Highway; Senate Bill 419 relating to requiring the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection to establish standards for products sold as honey, prohibiting the labeling as Wisconsin certified honey of a product that has not been determined to meet the standards, prohibiting the labeling as honey of a product that does not meet the standards, and requiring the exercise of rule-making authority; Senate Bill 427 relating to expanding the types of governmental units that may participate in a joint local governmental self-insured health insurance plan; Senate Bill 455 relating to the wholesale distribution of prescription drugs; Assembly Bill 57 relating to permitting a mother to breast-feed in any public or private location where she is otherwise authorized to be; Assembly Bill 186 relating to salvinorin A and providing a penalty; Assembly Bill 419 relating to rape shield provisions in civil proceedings, discovery and inspection of victims and witnesses, and victims rights; Assembly Bill 591 relating to authorizing certain optometrists to dispense contact lenses that deliver a therapeutic pharmaceutical agent.

The State Senate held a floor session on Tuesday, January 28, 2010 at the State Capitol to discuss the following agenda items:
Senate Proposals
Senate Bill 191 relating to podiatrist-patient privilege, immunity exemption for podiatrists providing emergency care at athletic events, allowing podiatrists to determine an illness or injury and complete forms for the purpose of granting assistance to needy veterans, allowing podiatrists to determine disability for the purpose of issuing certain hunting permits, cooperatives organized to provide sickness care, the Podiatrists Affiliated Credentialing Board, allowing podiatrists to certify driver school instructors’ physical fitness, allowing Medical Assistance recipients to freely choose among podiatrists, and giving equal weight to certifications of disability by podiatrists for insurance purposes; Senate Bill 146 relating to providing benefits and protections to tribal schools and tribal school pupils and staff similar to those provided to private schools and private school pupils and staff and making an appropriation; Senate Bill 263 relating to criteria for determining indigency for purposes of representation by the State Public Defender and requiring the exercise of rule-making authority; Senate Bill 303 relating to requesting a person who operates a vehicle that is involved in an accident that causes death or injury to submit to a test for intoxication; Senate Bill 362 relating to health insurance coverage of nervous and mental disorders, alcoholism, and other drug abuse problems; Senate Bill 383 elating to municipal court elections, judges, and procedure, and providing penalties; Senate Bill 415 relating to requiring carbon monoxide detectors in buildings containing one or two dwelling units; Senate Bill 440 relating to waiving certain federal bond limitations allocated to cities and counties and requiring the Department of Commerce to develop a system for reallocating the bond limitations to other state and local units of government; Senate Bill 498 relating to technical changes to 2009 Wisconsin Act 100.
Assembly Proposals
Assembly Bill 47 relating to prohibiting persons convicted of certain felonies from providing martial arts instruction to minors; Assembly Bill 236 relating to requiring that certain high school agriculture courses be counted as science credits; Assembly Bill 456 relating to self-authentication by electronic certification of certain Department of Transportation records; Assembly Bill 458 relating to providing instruction in human growth and development.

Continued coverage.

The State Senate held a floor session on Tuesday, January 26, 2010 at the State Capitol to discuss the following agenda items:
Senate Resolution 9: relating to calling on the Wisconsin congressional delegation to take action to grandfather preexisting highway weight limits upon the designation of USH 41 as part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower system of interstate and defense highways; Senate Joint Resolution 56: relating to proclaiming February 7 to 14, 2010, as Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week; Senate Bill 271: relating to prohibiting the manufacture and sale at wholesale of certain baby bottles and cups for children that contain bisphenol A, creating labeling requirements, making an appropriation, and providing penalties; Senate Bill 287: relating to transferring ownership and jurisdiction of a municipality’s highways to an American Indian tribe or agency of the United States government; Senate Bill 365: relating to the Uniform Unsworn Foreign Declarations Act and providing a penalty; Assembly Bill 165; relating to expanding the types of property that may be specially assessed by a neighborhood improvement district; Assembly Bill 198: relating to highway maps published by the Department of Transportation; Assembly Bill 248: relating to the possession and consumption of alcohol beverages on retail licensed premises in a park in a 1st class city; Assembly Bill 332: relating to authorizing the use of airguns and crossbows under certain hunting licenses;  Assembly Bill 348; relating to: the applicability of rules of the road to private roads located in manufactured and mobile home communities; Assembly Bill 362: relating to designating and marking the bridge on USH 41 across the Peshtigo River in the city of Peshtigo as the Steven Drees Memorial Bridge; Assembly Bill 382: relating to fishing licenses issued to disabled veterans.

Continued coverage.

The Senate held a floor session on Thursday, January 21, 2010 at the State Capitol to discuss the following agenda items: Appointments for Adamski, Paul of Stevens Point, as a member of the College Savings Program Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2013; Basting, Thomas of Madison, as a member of the UW Hospitals and Clinics Authority and Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2014; Cates, Richard of Spring Green, as a member of the Board of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2015; Chwala, Thomas of Lake Mills, as a member of the Snowmobile Recreational Council, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012; Dummer, Michael of Holmen, as a member of the Board of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2015; Franklin, LaMarr of Milwaukee, as a member of the Medical Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012; Joseph, Maria of Madison, as a member of the Board of Nursing, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2013; Keintz, Richard of Madison, as a member of the Wisconsin Health and Educational Facilities Authority, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2016; Klimowicz, Jason of Madison, as a member of the Health Insurance Risk-Sharing Plan Authority, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2011;   Lowe, Gretchen of Madison, as a member of the Board of Nursing, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2013; Rice, William of Milwaukee, as a member of the Veterinary Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2013; Spencer, Robert R. of La Crosse, as a member of the Veterinary Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2013; Steimel, Richard of Dane, as a member of the Snowmobile Recreational Council, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012; Vasquez, Jose of Milwaukee, as a member of the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2016; Walker-Crawford, Jason of Stoughton, as a member of the Pharmacy Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2013; Wasserman, Sheldon of Milwaukee, as a member of the Medical Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2013; Westendorf, Melissa of South Milwaukee, as a member of the Psychology Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2013; Senate Joint Resolution 55 relating to declaring 2010 as the Year of John Muir; Senate Bill 116 relating to the method by which the Department of Revenue makes certain calculations regarding tax incremental financing district number 4 in the village of Elmwood; Senate Bill 267 relating to the definition of plumbing and classifying plumbers to do certain work; Senate Bill 409 relating to a postsecondary education tax credit for businesses; increasing annual limits on angel investment tax credits; awarding grants to the WiSys Technology Foundation, Inc.; business plan competitions and an emerging technology center in the University of Wisconsin System; rural outsourcing grants; requiring the Department of Commerce to award grants to a high-technology business development corporation and grants for converting manufacturing facilities; increasing funding for certain economic development programs; a pilot program providing microloans for the creation of new businesses; increasing funding for certain technical college training program grants; providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures; granting rule-making authority; and making appropriations; Senate Bill 413 relating to receivership for abatement of residential nuisances; Assembly Bill 2 relating to state procurement of contractual services; Assembly Bill 83 relating to issuing annual fishing licenses to certain resident disabled veterans; Assembly Bill 229 relating to the sale of home-canned food; Assembly Bill 364 relating to Council on Offender Reentry; Assembly Bill 418 relating to a county fair coordinator.

The Senate held a floor session on Tuesday, January 19, 2010 at the State Capitol to discuss the following agenda items: Degenhardt, Dennis, of West Bend, as a member of the Credit Union Review Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2014. (Report confirmation recommended by committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, Biotechnology, and Financial, Ayes 5, Noes 0); Eberle, Joseph, of Waukesha, as a member of the Examining Board of Architects, Landscape Architects, Professional Engineers, Designers and Land Surveyors, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2013. (Report confirmation recommended by committee on Economic Development, Ayes 7, Noes 0); Greenheck, Ann, of Lone Rock, as a member of the Wisconsin Technical College System Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2015. (Report confirmation recommended by committee on Small Business, Emergency Preparedness, Technical Colleges, and Consumer Protection, Ayes 5, Noes 0); Hanson, Stephanie, of Madison, as a member of the Professional Standards Council for Teachers, to serve for the term ending June 30, 2011. (Report confirmation recommended by committee on Education, Ayes 7, Noes 0); Lee, Mark, of Middleton, as a member of the Wisconsin Aerospace Authority, to serve for the term ending June 30, 2012. (Report confirmation recommended by committee on Economic Development, Ayes 7, Noes 0); Lins, Debra, of Sauk City, as a member of the Banking Review Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2014. (Report confirmation recommended by committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, Biotechnology, and Financial Institutions, Ayes 5, Noes 0); Main, Edward, of Madison, as a member of the Deferred Compensation Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012. (Report confirmation recommended by committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, Biotechnology, and Financial Institutions, Ayes 5, Noes 0); McCabe, Jeff, of Kaukauna, as a member of the Professional Standards Council for Teachers, to serve for the term ending June 30, 2012. (Report confirmation recommended by committee on Education, Ayes 7, Noes 0); Moessner, Jeffrey, of Eau Claire, as a member of the Council on Domestic Abuse, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2011. (Report confirmation recommended by committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing, Ayes 4, Noes 1); Nelson, John, of Middleton, as a member of the Deferred Compensation Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2013. (Report confirmation recommended by committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, Biotechnology, and Financial Institutions, Ayes 5, Noes 0); Potter, Edward, of Mt. Pleasant, as a member of the Real Estate Appraisers Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2012. (Report confirmation recommended by committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing, Ayes 5, Noes 0); Redhail, Gene, of Oneida, as a member of the Council on Domestic Abuse, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012. (Report confirmation recommended by committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing, Ayes 5, Noes 0); Sweeney, Gary "Joe", of Milwaukee, as a member of the Bradley Center Sports and Entertainment Corporation, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2016. (Report confirmation recommended by committee on Economic Development, Ayes 7, Noes 0); Tweed, Steven, of Monona, as a member of the Examining Board of Architects, Landscape Architects, Professional Engineers, Designers and Land Surveyors, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2013. (Report confirmation recommended by committee on Economic Development, Ayes 7, Noes 0); Wall, Edward, of Windsor, as Administrator of Wisconsin Emergency Management, to serve for the term ending at the pleasure of the Governor. (Report confirmation recommended by committee on Small Business, Emergency Preparedness, Technical Colleges, and Consumer Protection, Ayes 5, Noes 0); Assembly Joint Resolution 67 relating to commending MAG Giddings and Lewis on its sesquicentennial; Assembly Joint Resolution 83 relating to the life and public service of Tommy T. Tradewell;

Assembly Joint Resolution 84 relating to the life and public service of Velma Hamilton; Senate Bill 43 relating to the scope of regulated activity under the campaign finance Law; Senate Substitute Amendment 1 pending;Senate Bill 168 relating to supervision of barber or cosmetologist apprentices; Senate Bill 203 relating to claims for loss of society and companionship in medical malpractice cases; Senate Bill 274 relating to requiring landlords to change locks; Senate Bill 308 relating to a requirement that an employer permit an employee who is a volunteer fire fighter, emergency medical technician, first responder, or ambulance driver for a volunteer fire department or fire company, a public agency, or a nonprofit corporation to be late for or absent from work if the lateness or absence is due to the employee responding to an emergency that begins before the employee is required to report to work; Senate Bill 321 relating to operation of neighborhood electric vehicles; Senate Bill 325 relating to notification to a parent before chaperoning a sex offender; Senate Bill 332 relating to submitting custody study reports to the parties and offering custody study reports in accordance with the rules of evidence; Senate Bill 375 relating to the exchange of electronic records contained in the Consolidated Court Automation Program and in the Statewide Automated Child Welfare Information System between the director of state courts and the Department of Children and Families and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 424 relating to regulating certain sport shooting ranges; Assembly Bill 142 relating to requiring a license to engage in the practice of landscape architecture; Assembly Bill 177 relating to operating a motor vehicle while suspended, revoked, or disqualified; Assembly Bill 178 relating to motor vehicle operating privileges, seizures by courts or law enforcement officers of operator's licenses, and reinstatement of canceled identification cards; Assembly Bill 202 relating to bulk transfers of inventory; Assembly Bill 323 relating to information provided by a person required to register as a sex offender; Assembly Bill 376 relating to restitution for misappropriation from a cemetery of certain objects that relate to a veteran; Assembly Bill 411 relating to the prohibition against making, reproducing, or possessing a nude depiction of a person without the person's consent and the sex offender registry.

The Wisconsin State Senate floor session from November 5, 2009 at the State Capitol, during which the Special Session was adjourned until December 21, 2009, and the Extraordinary Session was immediately recessed pending action by the Assembly on Senate Bill 66, relating to operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant and providing a penalty.

Continued coverage of the Wisconsin State Senate Extraordinary Session on December 16, 2009, during which they voted on Senate Bill 66, relating to operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant and providing a penalty.

The Wisconsin State Senate floor session from November 5, 2009 at the State Capitol, during which the following items were addressed:

Senate Bill 241 relating to modifying the definition of all-terrain vehicle;

Senate Joint Resolution 54 relating to commending Mary and Ted Kellner on the occasion of their receiving the Warren P. Knowles Humanitarian Award; Assembly Joint Resolution 77 relating to Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month; Assembly Joint Resolution 85 relating to recognizing the work of Wisconsin's coroners and medical examiners;

Assembly Joint Resoultion 88 relating to the life and public service of Jay W. Johnson; Assembly Joint Resolution 89 relating to declaring October as Co-op Month; Assembly Joint Resolution 90 relating to the life and public service of Rev. P. Harvey Stower; Assembly Joint Resolution 91 relating to declaring October to be Adopt a Shelter Pet Month; Senate Bill 40 relating to public financing of campaigns for the office of justice of the supreme court, making appropriations, and providing penalties;

Senate Bill 66 relating to operation of a motor vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 183 relating to the provision of support services information to employees who are affected by a business closing or mass layoff and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 184 relating to licenses and limited X-ray machine operator permits to engage in the practice of radiography, creating a radiography examining board; Senate Bill 204 relating to prohibiting discrimination in housing because of domestic abuse victim status and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 208 relating to regulation of persons who sell dogs or operate animal shelters or animal control facilities, granting rule-making authority, making an appropriation, and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 223 relating to composition of the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System; Senate Bill 236 relating to electronic filing of campaign finance reports; Senate Bill 244 relating to specific information signs on certain portions of STH 21; Senate Bill 259 relating to the homestead exemption and increases in the value of the exemption for various property that is exempt from execution; Senate Bill 290 relating to changes in the regulation of boxing contests, regulating mixed martial arts fighting contests, granting rule-making authority, making an appropriation, and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 292 relating to the exemption of State Historical Society books from state printing requirements; Senate Bill 331 relating to prohibiting a person who has been convicted or adjudicated delinquent for committing certain serious crimes or who is the subject of a pending criminal charge or delinquency petition for committing a serious crime from being licensed, certified, or contracted with to provide child care, from being employed or contracted as a caregiver of a child care provider, or from being permitted to reside at a premises where child care is provided and making an appropriation; Senate Bill 346 relating to required judicial findings and orders when a child is placed outside the home, termination of parental rights warnings, mandatory child abuse or neglect reporters, the confidentiality of social services records, changing from day care to child care the term used to describe care and supervision for children for less than 24 hours a day, and renumbering the definition of neglect; Senate Bill 349 relating to the employment of minors 12 years of age or older by nonprofit organizations in and around the homes of elderly persons and persons with disabilities to perform snow shoveling, lawn mowing, leaf raking, and other similar work usual to those homes; Senate Bill 370 relating to grants for improving academic achievement. By Committee on Education; Senate Bill 371 relating to authorizing the Department of Public Instruction, the University of Wisconsin System, the Technical College System, and the Wisconsin Association of Independent Colleges and Universities to study each other's education programs, requiring a written agreement concerning such studies, and requiring the establishment of a longitudinal data system of student data; Senate Bill 372 relating to using the results of standardized examinations to evaluate teachers and requiring the development of a teacher evaluation plan to be a mandatory subject of collective bargaining; Senate Bill 373 relating to establishing or contracting for the establishment of a charter school. By Committee on Education; Assembly Bill 138 relating to the appointment and term of service of the secretary of natural resources and vacancies on the Natural Resources Board; Assembly Bill 164 relating to notice of intent to remove a child from the home of a relative and review of decisions or orders involving the placement and care of a child placed in the home of a relative; Assembly Bill 174 relating to authorizing sharing of tax increments by certain environmental remediation tax incremental districts; Assembly Bill 209 relating to authorizing a county to provide assistance to a nonprofit organization that provides assistance to certain individuals; Assembly Bill 258 relating to the disposal of used automotive engine oil filters and oil absorbent materials and providing a penalty; Assembly Bill 273 relating to podiatrist-patient privilege, immunity exemption for podiatrists providing emergency care at athletic events, allowing podiatrists to determine an illness or injury and complete forms for the purpose of granting assistance to needy veterans, allowing podiatrists to determine disability for the purpose of issuing certain hunting permits, cooperatives organized to provide sickness care, the Podiatrists Affiliated Credentialing Board, allowing podiatrists to certify driver school instructors' physical fitness, allowing Medical Assistance recipients to freely choose among podiatrists, and giving equal weight to certifications of disability by podiatrists for insurance purposes; Assembly Bill 292 relating to recording and filing documents with the register of deeds; and Assembly Bill 297 relating to child abuse and neglect prevention grants.

Continued coverage of the Wisconsin State Floor Session held at the State Capitol on November 5, 2009.

The Wisconsin State Senate convened a floor session on October 27, 2009 at the State Capitol. The Senate took up the following agenda items: Senate Joint Resolution 45 relating to calling on the Wisconsin congressional delegation to take action to grandfather preexisting highway weight limits upon the designation of USH 41 as part of the Dwight D. Eisenhower system of interstate and defense highways;

Senate Joint Resolution 48 relating to the life and military service of Lance Corporal Dean Opicka; Senate Joint Resolution 50 relating to the life and military service of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy Dale Vrooman.

Continued coverage of the Wisconsin State Senate Floor Session on October 27, 2009 at the State Capitol, during which the following items were addressed: Senate Joint Resolution 51 relating to proclaiming October 2009 as Breast Cancer Awareness Month; Senate Joint Resolution 52 relating to the life and public service of Ernest Paul Sobotta; Senate Bill 93 relating to partially exempting an assessor from liability for trespassing, creating immunity from civil liability; Senate Bill 132 relating to expanding the life of a tax incremental district in the city of Racine; Senate Bill 147 relating to administration of grant funds under the county-tribal cooperative law enforcement program; Senate Bill 148 relating to liability for actions of tribal law enforcement officers when enforcing state laws; Senate Bill 203 relating to claims for loss of society and companionship in medical malpractice cases; Senate Bill 215 relating to a personal property tax exemption for snowmobile clubs; Senate Bill 242 relating to creating separate regulatory requirements for certain future service contracts; Senate Bill 251 relating to costs of transporting by ferry an arrested person; Senate Bill 262 relating to an exemption from recording for time-share licenses; Senate Bill 264 relating to trespass by operators of snowmobiles, ATVs, and other off-road vehicles; Senate Bill 300 relating to certain areas of land subject to managed forest land orders that were part of land under single ownership that exceeded 8,000 acres in size; Senate Bill 347 relating to requiring consultation with a child in determining and reviewing his or her permanency plan, etc.; Senate Bill 261 relating to monthly rates that are paid for foster care, etc.; Assembly Bill 8 relating to municipal quotas for retail intoxicating liquor licenses; Assembly Bill 153 relating to membership of the State Fair Park Board;Assembly Bill 172 relating to requiring instruction in public schools on the history of organized labor in America and collective bargaining process; Assembly Bill 281 relating to the restriction on the amount of phosphorus in certain cleaning agents.

The Wisconsin State Senate convened a floor session on October 20, 2009 at the State Capitol. The Senate took up the following agenda items: Senate Bill 107 relating to the sale, disposal, collection and recycling of electronic devices; Senate Joint Resolution 47 relating to the second anniversary of WisconsinEye's commencement of broadcast operations; Assembly Joint Resolution 72 relating to the life and public service of Edward Moore Kennedy; Assembly Joint Resolution 73 relating to the life of Francisco Rodriguez;Senate Bill 17 relating to special distinguishing registration plates for certain vehicles owned by members of the national guard; Senate Bill 41 relating to indoor environmental quality in public and private schools; Senate Bill 73 relating to the lifetime limit under the Health Insurance Risk-Sharing Plan; Senate Bill 74 relating to health insurance coverage denials for eligibility under the Health Insurance Risk-Sharing plan; Senate Bill 80 relating to the Volunteer Health Care Provider Program;Senate Bill 87 relating to increasing the maximum annual loan amount under the property tax deferral loan program by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority; Senate Bill 103 relating to restrictions on the operation of motor vehicles by persons using electronic text messaging devices.

The Wisconsin State Senate convened a floor session on October 20, 2009 at the State Capitol. The Senate took up the following agenda items: Senate Bill 121 relating to requiring the Center on Education and Work at the UW-Madison to establish a career conversations program; Senate Bill 154 relating to school safety plans and school bullying; Senate Bill 162 relating to requiring that personal flotation devices be worn by certain underage persons in certain boats; Senate Bill 163 relating to requiring health insurance coverage of colorectal cancer screening; Senate Bill 182 relating to statute of limitations for intentional torts; Senate Bill 191 relating to podiatrist-patient privilege; Senate Bill 198 relating to donating drugs; Senate Bill 224 relating to notice of proposed vacation of certain highways; Senate Bill 252 relating to the duty to stop at the scene of and report a motor vehicle accident; Senate Bill 253 relating to traffic control devices used by school safety patrols; Senate Bill 264 relating to trespass by operators of off-road vehicles; Senate Bill 266 relating to creating a Nonmotorized Recreation and Transportation Trails Council; Senate Bill 278 relating to U-turns on highways; Senate Bill 280 relating to personal liability of officers, directors and employees of child care providers; Senate Bill 284 relating to designating and marking USH 63 as the Gaylord Nelson Highway; Senate Bill 288 relating to Indian child welfare; Senate Bill 299 relating to public disclosure of certain information when child abuse or neglect results in death or serious injury or when a child in an out-of-home placement commits suicide or is sexually abused by a caregiver; Senate Bill 309 relating to ratification of the agreement negotiated between the state of Wisconsin and the Association of State Prosecutors for the 2007-09 biennium, covering employees in the assistant district attorneys collective bargaining unit; Senate Bill 310 relating to ratification of the agreement between the state of Wisconsin and the Professional Employees in Research, Statistics, and Analysis, for the 2007-09 biennium, covering employees in the professional research, statistics, and analysis collective bargaining unit; Senate Bill 311 relating to ratification of the agreement negotiated between the state of Wisconsin and the Teaching Assistants' Association for the 2007-09 biennium, covering employees in the program, project, and teaching assistants of the UW-Madison and UW-Extension collective bargaining unit.

The Wisconsin State Senate convened a floor session on September 22, 2009 at the State Capitol. The Senate confirmed numerous appointments and took up the following agenda items: Senate Joint Resolution 39 relating to continuity of government; Senate Bill 89 relating to requirements for pupils enrolled in five-year-old kindergarten; Senate Bill 190 relating to renewals and extensions of business contracts; Senate Bill 200 relating to products containing mercury; Senate Bill 226 relating to emergency management, succession of public offices, liability and licensure of emergency volunteers, disaster relief, ratification of the pest control compact, transportation and disposal of animal carcasses, the plant industry, computation of school days, variance for hospital requirements, public works mutual assistance, emergencies related to computer or telecommunication systems; Senate bill 227 relating to interim successors for legislators, meetings of the legislature and legislative committees, and temporary seat of government for the legislature; Senate Bill 229 relating to regional structural collapse teams; Senate Bill 241 relating to modifying the definition of all-terrain vehicle; Senate Bill 243 relating to hunting deer during the open bow hunting season; Senate Bill 257 relating to emergency assistance grants; Assembly Bill 8 relating to municipal quotas for retail intoxicating liquor licenses; Assembly Bill 33 relating to technical changes that affect the public debt amortization fund of a first class city; Assembly Bill 86 relating to authorizing hunting of certain game with crossbow by nonresidents who have attained the age of 65 years; Assembly Bill 132 relating to requirements that an employer grant an unpaid leave of absence to allow an employee to participate in an emergency service operation of the Civil Air Patrol and prohibiting discrimination in employment based on Civil Air Patrol membership; and Assembly Bill 308 relating to police escort and vehicle rights-of-way related to escorted vehicles.

Continued coverage of the Wisconsin State Senate floor session, convened on September 22, 2009 at the State Capitol.

The Wisconsin State Senate convened a floor session on September 15, 2009 at the State Capitol. The Senate confirmed numerous appointments and took up the following agenda items: Senate Joint Resolution 43 relating to the life and public service of Linda Farley; Assembly Joint Resolution 61 relating to the life and pubic service of Ralph Houghton; Senate Joint Resolution 11 relating to veto power of county executive over appropriations; Senate Bill 38 relating to issuing annual vehicle admission receipts for motor buses for entry to state parks and other vehicle admission areas under the jurisdiction of the Department of Natural Resources; Senate Bill 57 relating to composition of the board of directors of the Wisconsin Aerospace Authority; Senate Bill 160 relating to increasing the amount of the homestead exemption; Senate Bill 170 relating to making June 19, Juneteenth Day, a legal holiday; Senate Bill 185 relating to regulation of wind energy systems; Senate Bill 195 relating to adding a member to the council on veterans programs; and Senate Bill 218 relating to penalties and private actions for violations of restrictions on telephone solicitations.

The Wisconsin State Senate met June 26, 2009 to work Assembly Bill 75, relating to the state budget. They also considered a few other pieces of legislation.

The Wisconsin State Senate met briefly to convene and adjourn a special session to consider Senate Bill 1, relating to the hospital assessment. Senate President Fred Risser, D-Madison, also called to order and immediately recessed a regular session.

The Wisconsin State Senate met briefly to convene and adjourn a special session called for by Gov. Jim Doyle to consider the hospital assessment. Senate President Fred Risser, D-Madison, also appointed members to a committee of conference on Assembly Bill 75, relating to the state budget.

The Wisconsin State Senate convened a floor session on June 17, 2009 to debate and vote on the state budget bill, AB 75.

Continued.

The Wisconsin State Senate convened a floor session on June 9, 2009 to consider various legislation. The Senate took up a number resolutions including: Senate Joint Resolution 35, relating to encouraging the purchase and use of American goods and services with federal economic renewal grants; Senate Joint Resolution 38, relating to the life and public service of John D. "Jack" Steinhilber; Assembly Joint Resolution 27, relating to proclaiming June 6, 2009, as Proper Drug Disposal Day; Assembly Joint Resolution 37, relating to proclaiming the Wisconsin Centennial of Flight; Assembly Joint Resolution 52, relating to commending the public service of Elizabeth Burmaster; and Assembly Joint Resolution 53, relating to the life and public service of former Congressman Reverend Robert J. Cornell. They then considered a number of bills including: Senate Bill 67, relating to preparation time as a mandatory subject of collective bargaining; Senate Bill 107, relating to the sale, disposal, collection, and recycling of electronic devices, granting rule-making authority, making an appropriation, and providing penalties; Senate Bill 157, relating to driver education instruction; Senate Bill 158, relating to vehicle stops at railroad crossings; Senate Bill 167, relating to the minimum age for hunting and for possessing a firearm, restrictions on hunting and on possessing a firearm while hunting, establishing a hunting mentorship program, and granting rule-making authority; Senate Bill 188, relating to the use of golf carts in Governor Tommy G. Thompson Centennial State Park and Peshtigo River State Forest and granting rule-making authority; Senate Bill 193, relating to raffle licenses; Senate Bill 216, relating to professional employer organizations and professional employer groups; Assembly Bill 122, relating to appellate time limits and procedure; Assembly Bill 123, relating to appellate procedure regarding commitments of persons found not guilty by reason of mental disease or defect and commitments of sexually violent persons; and Assembly Bill 124, relating to appellate procedure.

Immediately following the regular session the Senate held an extraordinary session to take up Senate Bill 232, relating to the payment of state school aid in June 2009.

The State Senate met for a floor session on Wednesday, May 13, 2009 from the Senate Chambers. In part one, following approval of several appointments, the Senate met on the following: Senate Bill 51, relating to judicial discretion in certain John Doe proceedings and the provision of attorney representation of state employees at John Doe proceedings; Senate Bill 181, relating to prohibiting smoking in indoor areas, in sports arenas, in public conveyances, and at certain outdoor locations and providing a penalty.

The State Senate met for a floor session on Wednesday, May 13, 2009 from the Senate Chambers. In part two, the Senate voted on Senate Bill 181, relating to prohibiting smoking in indoor areas, in sports arenas, in public conveyances, and at certain outdoor locations and providing a penalty. Following the vote the Senate considered the following: Assembly Joint Resolution 9, relating to proclaiming May 15, 16, and 17, 2009, Syttende Mai Weekend; Assembly Joint Resolution 23, relating to declaring May as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Awareness Month; Assembly Joint Resolution 41, relating to declaring June as Scoliosis Awareness Month; Assembly Joint Resolution 48, relating to Proclaiming May 2, 2009, as Pediatric Stroke Awareness Day; Assembly Joint Resolution 50, relating to the public service of Allen J. Buechel; Senate Bill 14, relating to the definition of sexual intercourse for the crime of incest; Senate Bill 31, relating to the Uniform Prudent Management of Institutional Funds Act, as approved by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws; Senate Bill 39, relating to cash value of life insurance regarding eligibility for the veterans assistance program; Senate Bill 75, relating to the designation of Korean War Armistice Day; Senate Bill 76, relating to the designation of Vietnam Veterans Day; Senate Bill 112, relating to the possession of green skins of fur-bearing animals, the tagging of traps, and the sale, purchase, bartering, and trade of wild animals and their carcasses; Senate Bill 123, relating to regulating the transportation of aquatic plants and aquatic animals, the administration of federal funds for the control and eradication of noxious weeds, the placement of vehicles, seaplanes, watercraft, and other objects in navigable waters, the regulation of noxious weeds by municipalities, the disposal of invasive species, providing an exemption from rule-making procedures, requiring the exercise of rule-making authority, and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 137, relating to the definitions of motor bicycle and moped. The Senate also met in extraordinary session on Senate Bill 189, relating to eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits and payment of extended benefits; excluding recovery and reinvestment act moneys from the calculation of expenditure restraint payments; eligibility for participation in the programs of a community action agency; financial assistance under the Clean Water Fund Program and the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program; the confidentiality of pupil records provided to the Department of Public Instruction; financial assistance for criminal justice programs; authorizing political subdivisions to make residential energy efficiency improvement loans and impose special charges for the loans; definition of low-income household under energy and weatherization assistance programs; eligibility and notice changes for state continuation of coverage for health insurance; changes to enterprise zone jobs credits; providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures; granting rule-making authority; and making an appropriation.

The Wisconsin State Senate met for a floor session on April 28, 2009. In part one, the Senate met on the following: Assembly Joint Resolution 38; Senate Joint Resolution 33; Assembly Joint Resolution 45; Senate Joint Resolution 34.

The Wisconsin State Senate met for a floor session on April 28, 2009. In part two, the Senate met on the following: Assembly Joint Resolution 42, relating to recognizing April 8 as Wellness Day in Wisconsin; Assembly Joint Resolution 43, relating to proclaiming April 22, 2009, as Undergraduate Research Day and commending University of Wisconsin System students, faculty, and staff; Assembly Joint Resolution 44, relating to declaring May 3 to May 9, 2009, to be Vasculitis Awareness Week; Assembly Joint Resolution 46, relating to declaring May 2009 as Drug Court Month; Assembly Joint Resolution 47, relating to the life and public service of John L. Merkt; Senate Bill 20, relating to authorizing the circuit court to order a person who engages in discrimination in employment to pay compensatory and punitive damages and a surcharge and making an appropriation; Senate Bill 29, relating to passing parked motor vehicles and opening motor vehicle doors on highways and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 46, relating to arbitration and fair-share agreements during collective bargaining negotiations under the Municipal Employment Relations Act; Senate Bill 91, relating to the use of cellular telephones and other devices while operating certain motor vehicles transporting children and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 97, relating to authorizing temporary permits to practice dentistry or dental hygiene without compensation; Senate Bill 126, relating to changes to and extension of the Environmental Results Program, extension of the Environmental Improvement Program and the length of a compliance schedule under that program, and reporting requirements for certain environmental programs; Senate Bill 141, relating to requiring certain vehicles that transport children to and from a child care provider to have child safety alarms installed, granting rule-making authority, extending the time limit for emergency rule procedures, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 161, relating to administration of certain public assistance programs in Milwaukee County, removing county civil service protections from certain employees, required provisions in certain collective bargaining agreements under the Municipal Employment Relations Act, and making an appropriation.

The Wisconsin State Senate met for a floor session on Thursday, April 23, 2009. In part one the Senate considered numerous appointments and took up the following: Senate Bill 12, relating to the operation of motorboats, other than personal watercraft, at slow-no-wake speed within a given distance of the shoreline of a lake; Senate Bill 37, relating to payment of judgments in traffic courts and municipal courts by installments and the suspension of operating privileges; Senate Joint Resolution 24, relating to proclaiming May as American Stroke Month; Senate Joint Resolution 25, relating to the commemoration of The Progressive magazine's 100th anniversary; Senate Joint Resolution 28, relating to proclaiming April 22, 2009, as Undergraduate Research Day and commending University of Wisconsin System students, faculty, and staff; Assembly Joint Resolution 28, relating to commemorating the 20th anniversary of the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway; Assembly Joint Resolution 34, relating to the life and public service of James A. McCann; Assembly Joint Resolution 35, relating to commending the Gundersen Lutheran Health System on being recognized as the first medical facility in the nation to achieve a top rating from the National Quality Measures for Breast Centers.

The Wisconsin State Senate met for a floor session on Thursday, April 23, 2009. In part 2, the Senate took up the following: Senate Bill 27, relating to requiring health insurance coverage of hearing aids and cochlear implants for persons under 18 years of age; Senate Bill 49, relating to changing the procedures for filling vacant civil service positions in the city of Milwaukee; Senate Bill 94, relating to the licensing and regulation of thermal system insulation mechanics; creating a thermal system insulation council; requiring the employment of a state inspector; establishing standards for installing and maintaining thermal system insulation; requiring the exercise of rule-making authority; making an appropriation; and providing a penalty; Assembly Bill 43, relating to designating portions of the Totogatic River as a wild river.

The Wisconsin State Senate met on Tuesday, March 24, for a floor session. The Senate confirmed numerous appointments and took up the following agenda items: Senate Joint Resolution 17, relating to proclaiming March of every year as Irish-American Heritage Month; Senate Joint Resolution 19, relating to declaring April 2009 Donate Life Month; Senate Joint Resolution 20, relating to proclaiming the Week of the Young Child; Assembly Joint Resolution 1, relating to proclaiming Niagara Escarpment year and month; Assembly Joint Resolution 5, relating to the life and public service of Jerome J. Kleczka; Assembly Joint Resolution 7, relating to the life and public service of Judge Ted E. Wedemeyer, Jr.; Assembly Joint Resolution 18, relating to the life and public service of Rebecca Young; Assembly Joint Resolution 21, relating to celebrating March 1, 2009, as St. David's Day; Senate Bill 4, relating to the regulation of traveling sales crews, requiring the exercise of rule-making authority, and providing penalties;. Senate Bill 5, relating to restrictions on the use and sale of fertilizer containing phosphorus and other turf fertilizer and providing a penalty; Senate Bill 48, relating to catch and release bass and muskellunge fishing; Senate Bill 51, relating to judicial discretion in certain John Doe proceedings and the provision of attorney representation of state employees at John Doe proceedings; Assembly Bill 3, relating to restrictions on the use and sale of fertilizer containing phosphorus and other turf fertilizer and providing a penalty; Assembly Bill 4; Senate Joint Resolution 21; and Senate Joint Resolution 22.

The Wisconsin State Senate met for a floor session on Tuesday, February 24, 2009. In part one, the Senate met for a few minutes before recessing to join the Assembly for the State of Tribes. Running time: 5min.

The Wisconsin State Senate met for a floor session on Tuesday, February 24, 2009. In part two, the Senate met for the following appointments: Alden, Ginger, of Wausau, as a member of the Wisconsin Judicial Commission, to serve for the term ending August 1, 2011; Berkos, Daniel, of Mauston, as a member of the Public Defender Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2011; Chang, Maytong, of Milwaukee, as a member of the Council on Domestic Abuse, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2011; Hamberger, L. Kevin, of Franklin, as a member of the Council on Domestic Abuse, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2011; Haney, James M., of Plover, as a member of the Wisconsin Judicial Commission, to serve for the term ending August 1, 2011; Herber, Cynthia, of Glendale, as a member of the Wisconsin Judicial Commission, to serve for the term ending August 1, 2011; Hoffmann, Micquel, of Hartford, as a member of the Real Estate Appraisers Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2012; Hogan, John, of Hazelhurst, as a member of the Public Defender Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2011; Langdon, James, of DeForest, as a member of the Prison Industries Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2011; Miller, Michael, of West Bend, as a member of the Wisconsin Judicial Commission, to serve for the term ending August 1, 2011; Rodriguez, Mariana, of Milwaukee, as a member of the Council on Domestic Abuse, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2011; Schmidt, Justine, of Milwaukee, as a member of the Council on Domestic Abuse, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2011; Wettersten, Nancy, of Madison, as a member of the Public Defender Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2011; Wilkie, Gerald, of Eau Claire, as a member on the Council on Domestic Abuse, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012. The also met to consider the following agenda items: Senate Joint Resolution 6, relating to opposing a federal mandate requiring the suspension or revocation of driver's licenses in all circumstances in which a person has been convicted of a drug or other controlled substances violation and exercising the state's option to opt out of this federal mandate; Senate Joint Resolution 12, relating to recognizing and supporting national Minority Cancer Awareness Week; Senate Joint Resolution 13, relating to the Professional Ambulance Association of Wisconsin; Senate Bill 6, relating to designating a portion of the Brunsweiler River as a wild river; and Senate Bill 12, relating to the operation of motorboats, other than personal watercraft, at slow-no-wake speed within a given distance of the shoreline of a lake. Running time: 22min.

The Wisconsin State Senate met for a floor session on Tuesday, February 24, 2009. In part three, they considered the following agenda items: Senate Bill 16, relating to permitting a mother to breast-feed in any public or private location where she is otherwise authorized to be; Senate Bill 36, relating to motor vehicle operating privilege suspensions for controlled substance violations; Senate Bill 37, relating to payment of judgments in traffic courts and municipal courts by installments and the suspension of operating privileges; and Assembly Joint Resolution 1, relating to proclaiming Niagara Escarpment year and month. Running time: 26min.

The Wisconsin State Senate met for an extraordinary session on February 18, 2009. In part one, the Senate met briefly before standing informal and took no action. Running time: 10min.

In part two of the Wisconsin State Senate extraordinary session on February 18, 2009, the Senate met on the following items: SR3, SR4, and SB62. Running time: 1hr 22min.

The Wisconsin State Senate met on Tuesday, February 10, 2009, on the following items. Appointment confirmations: Boehmer, Tim, of Neenah, as a member of the Pharmacy Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012; Bohacek, Linda, of Eau Claire, as a member of the Dentistry Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012; Cantu, Kathleen, of Madison, as a member of the Cemetery Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012; Gottfredsen, Eugene, of Beloit, as a member of the Barbering and Cosmetology Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012; Kailas, Sujatha, of Fond du Lac, as a member of the Medical Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012; Leach, Kathi, of Junction City, as a member of the Optometry Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012; LeGrand, Roger, of La Crosse, as a member of the Tax Appeals Commission, to serve for the term ending March 1, 2009; Leinenkugel, Richard, of Menomonee Falls, as Secretary of the Department of Commerce, to serve for the term ending at the pleasure of the Governor; McAdams, Thomas, of Greendale, as a member of the Tax Appeals Commission, to serve for the term ending March 1, 2013; Misra, Suresh, of Milwaukee, as a member of the Medical Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2011; Nass, Steven, of Lake Mills, as a member of the Athletic Trainers Affiliated Credentialing Board to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012; Osborn, Sandra, of Verona, as a member of the Medical Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012; Patterson, Jeffrey, of Madison, as a member of the Barbering and Cosmetology Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012; Porter, E. Glen, of New Berlin, as a member of the Cemetery Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012; Renwick, Suzette, of La Crosse, as a member of the Pharmacy Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012; Rose, Teresa, of Hazelhurst, as a member of the Psychology Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012; Ruiz, Laura, of Milwaukee, as a member of the Barbering and Cosmetology Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2011; Shropshire, Mark, of Appleton, as a member of the Physical Therapists Affiliated Credentialing Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012; Simpson, Luann, of Racine, as a member of the Health Insurance Risk-Sharing Plan Authority, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2011; Sweeney, Timothy, of Green Lake, as a member of the Auctioneer Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2012; Thornton, Patricia, of Grand View, as a member of the Funeral Directors Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012; Twait, Howard, of Wisconsin Rapids, as a member of the Barbering and Cosmetology Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012; Weix, Lou Ann, of Green Bay, as a member on the Board of Nursing, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2012.

After breaking for recess, the Senate met on the following agenda items: Leinenkugel, Richard, of Menomonee Falls, as Secretary of the Department of Commerce, to serve for the term ending at the pleasure of the Governor; Senate Joint Resolution 8, relating to modifying the session schedule for the 2009-10 biennial session period and extending the deadline for the governor's budget message; Senate Bill 1, relating to a state minimum wage, permitting the enactment of local living wage ordinances, and granting rule-making authority; Senate Bill 2, relating to the filing of a wage claim or the bringing of a wage claim action by a collective bargaining representative on behalf of an employee and the priority of a wage claim lien over a prior lien of a commercial lending institution and over the rights of a purchaser of any property of the employer; Senate Bill 7, relating to the filing of certain forms related to tax incremental financing district number ten in the city of Chippewa Falls.

The Wisconsin State Senate met for a floor session on Wednesday, January 28, 2009, on the following: Finder-Stone, Patricia, of De Pere, as a member of the Board on Aging and Long Term Care to serve for the term ending May 1, 2013; Lease, Mary, of Oregon, as a member of the Nursing Home Administrator Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2011; SR2, relating to the senate rules; SJR2, relating to commending Jim Miller on his retirement as president of the Wisconsin Policy Research Institute; SJR3, relating to Proclaiming Data Privacy Day. SRJ4, relating to recognizing February 2009 as American Heart Month and February 6, 2009, as Wear Red For Women Day; SJR5, relating to commending the heroic efforts of US Airways pilot Jeff Skiles in the Hudson River crash of flight 1549; SB15 (AB5), relating to payment of Wisconsin supplemental and extended unemployment insurance benefits in this state.

The inauguration of the 2009 State Senate took place on January 5, 2009 from the Senate Chamber at the State Capitol in Madison.