Chapter 3:
COMMITTEE ACTIVITIES
jr21
Joint Rule 21.
Joint hearings of standing committees. The chairpersons of corresponding committees of both houses or committees having corresponding proposals referred to them shall arrange joint hearings of their committees to consider the proposals if, in their judgment, the business of the legislature and the convenience of the members and the public, who are interested in the proposals, will be promoted thereby. The proposals to be considered, the time and place of the hearings, who presides at the hearings, and any other matters convenient to the hearings may be agreed upon by the chairpersons. Joint hearings may also be arranged to consider a proposal introduced or offered in only one house which will require consideration in both houses. The joint hearings take the place of separate hearings and are final unless the house in which the proposal is pending orders a further hearing before its own committee.
jr22
Joint Rule 22.
Cochairpersons of joint committees. All standing or special joint committees shall have a senate and an assembly cochairperson. Unless otherwise provided by both cochairpersons, a meeting of a joint committee shall be chaired by the cochairperson from the house that referred the business then before the joint committee.
jr23
Joint Rule 23.
Joint committee on legislative organization. jr23(1)(1) There is created a joint committee on legislative organization consisting of the speaker of the assembly, the president of the senate, the majority and minority leader of each house, and the assistant majority and minority leader of each house.
jr23(2)
(2) The committee has the powers and responsibilities conferred upon it by statute or by the joint rules and may take appropriate action thereunder. The committee shall recommend to the houses any action it considers likely to more closely coordinate the work of the 2 houses or to save expenses or increase the efficiency of the legislature.
jr23(3)
(3) The committee shall adopt a policy for the preservation of historically significant electronic records of legislative business that are maintained by the chief clerks of the 2 houses.
jr23(4)
(4) The committee shall adopt a continuity of operations plan for the purpose of meeting at a temporary seat of government to conduct legislative business as provided under section
323.51 (1m) of the statutes.
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oint Rule 25.
Funeral delegation. A joint delegation consisting of members of the senate appointed by the president and of members of the assembly appointed by the speaker shall attend the funeral of any deceased member of the legislature.
jr27
Joint Rule 27.
Committee hearings open to public. Unless otherwise provided by law, every committee hearing, executive session, or other meeting is open to the public. If time permits, advance notice of every regularly scheduled committee hearing, executive session, or other meeting is published as provided in joint rule
75.
Chapter 4:
CLERICAL PROCEDURES
jr31
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oint Rule 31.
Record of committee proceedings. jr31(1)(1) The chairperson or acting chairperson of each committee of the legislature shall keep a record of the committee's proceedings containing the following information:
jr31(1)(a)
(a) The date, time, place, and subject of each hearing, and of each meeting of the committee.
jr31(1)(b)
(b) The attendance of committee members at each meeting.
jr31(1)(c)
(c) The name of each person appearing before the committee, with the name of the person or persons and the name of the group or organization on whose behalf the appearance is made.
jr31(1)(d)
(d) The vote of each member on all motions, proposals, amendments, appointments, or administrative rules acted upon.
jr31(2)
(2) The record shall be ready and approved before the expiration of 10 days after each committee meeting or at the next regular meeting of the committee, whichever is earlier.
jr31(3)
(3) Any member of a joint committee who is opposed to the committee's majority report may, at the time of the committee's final vote on the matter, notify the chairperson of his or her intent to file a minority report and may then file the report with the chairperson no later than the 2nd business day after the vote. For any joint committee or committee of conference the committee report, including any minority report, may be provided to the members as decided by the presiding officer for each house.
jr31(4)
(4) The committee shall file, in the jacket envelope of every proposal, appointment, or administrative rule reported by it, the original record of the committee's proceedings containing the information compiled under sub.
(1) for the proposal, appointment, or administrative rule.
jr32
Joint Rule 32.
Certification of passage of, or adoption of and concurrence in, proposals. jr32(1)(1) The chief clerk of each house shall supervise the entry of actions by that house in the history file for any proposal. The chief clerk of each house shall include the history entries in the jacket envelope before submitting the jacket to the chief clerk of the other house. The entries shall include the following:
jr32(1)(a)
(a) The number and relating clause of the proposal.
jr32(1)(b)
(b) The name of the member, members, or committee introducing or offering the proposal.
jr32(1)(c)
(c) If appropriate, the name of the individual or organization requesting the proposal.
jr32(1)(d)
(d) The dates of introduction, reference to committee, and all subsequent actions pertaining to the proposal, including any motion to end debate of the proposal.
jr32(1)(e)
(e) If appropriate, the date on which a fiscal estimate is received.
jr32(1)(f)
(f) The date of each public hearing.
jr32(1)(g)
(g) The date and resolution number of any request, approved by that house, for an opinion of the attorney general, and the date on which the opinion was received.
jr32(1)(h)
(h) The date of any clerical correction in the proposal as authorized by joint rule
56.
jr32(1)(i)
(i) The date and authorizing chief clerk for any reproduction of a proposal with all adopted amendments engrossed therein or of any major amendment thereto as authorized by joint rule
63.
jr32(1)(j)
(j) Any other appropriate information, as determined by the chief clerk.
jr32(3)
(3) Each house shall provide by rule the manner by which the passage by or adoption of and concurrence in that house of proposals are certified.
jr33
Joint Rule 33.
Book of enrolled bills. jr33(1)(1) The chief clerk of each house shall keep a book in which the chief clerk enters the date on which any enrolled bill, originating in that house, is presented to the governor for approval. The chief clerk's entry shall show the number of the bill, and shall be countersigned by an employee of the office of the governor.
jr33(2)
(2) The books shall similarly show the day of deposit in the office of the secretary of state of bills that become law without the signature of the governor, of bills passed notwithstanding the objections of the governor, and of resolutions required to be published.
jr34
Joint Rule 34.
Presentment of enrolled bills to governor. After an enrolled bill has been signed by the appropriate officer or officers certifying to its passage, it shall be presented, as provided in the session schedule or by other legislative rule, by the chief clerk of the house in which it originated to the governor for approval.
jr35
Joint Rule 35.
Assignment of enrolled joint resolution numbers. The chief clerk, in cooperation with the secretary of state, shall assign an enrolled joint resolution number to any joint resolution amending the constitution and may assign an enrolled joint resolution number to any other joint resolution if the joint resolution originated in the chief clerk's house.
Chapter 5:
FISCAL ESTIMATE PROCEDURE
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oint Rule 41.
When fiscal estimates required or permitted. jr41(1)(a)(a) All bills making an appropriation and any bill increasing or decreasing existing appropriations or state or general local government fiscal liability or revenues shall carry a fiscal estimate.
jr41(1)(b)(b) An executive budget bill introduced under section
16.47 (1) of the statutes is exempt from the fiscal estimate requirement under par.
(a) but may, if it contains a provision affecting a public retirement system or providing a tax exemption, be analyzed as to that provision by the appropriate joint survey committee.
jr41(1)(c)(c) For purposes of par.
(a), a bill increasing or decreasing the liability or revenues of the unemployment reserve fund is considered to increase or decrease state fiscal liability or revenues.
jr41(2)(a)(a) Fiscal estimates are required on original bills only and not on substitute amendments or amendments.
jr41(2)(b)
(b) A bill containing a penalty provision is exempt from the fiscal estimate requirement if the bill contains no other provisions requiring a fiscal estimate under sub.
(1) (a).
jr41(3)(a)(a) The joint committee on finance by the approval of a majority of its members, or either cochairperson of the committee, may transmit electronically a request for the legislative fiscal bureau, or through the department of administration for an appropriate state agency, to prepare a supplemental fiscal estimate on any bill or on a bill as affected by any proposed amendment or proposed substitute amendment if the committee or cochairperson believes that the fiscal estimate on the bill, or on the bill as affected by the proposed amendment, would be substantially different from the fiscal estimate on the original bill. A supplemental fiscal estimate prepared under this paragraph shall be transmitted electronically to the legislative reference bureau for reproduction and insertion in the bill jacket envelope.
jr41(3)(b)
(b) Upon a request of a bill's primary author, transmitted electronically unless directed otherwise by the presiding officer, the presiding officer of either house may transmit electronically a request through the department of administration for an appropriate state agency to prepare a supplemental fiscal estimate on any bill, or on a bill as affected by any proposed amendment or proposed substitute amendment, if the presiding officer believes that the fiscal estimate on the bill, or on the bill as affected by the proposed amendment, would be substantially different from the fiscal estimate on the original bill. Unless otherwise determined by the house in which the bill may be placed on the calendar, failure to receive a supplemental fiscal estimate requested under this paragraph on a bill that already has one or more original fiscal estimates does not delay consideration of the bill. A supplemental fiscal estimate prepared under this paragraph shall be transmitted electronically to the legislative reference bureau for reproduction and insertion in the bill jacket envelope.
jr41(3)(c)
(c) The department of administration may transmit electronically a supplemental fiscal estimate to the legislative reference bureau for reproduction and insertion in the bill jacket envelope if the department disagrees with a fiscal estimate prepared by a state agency.
jr41(3)(d)
(d) In addition to the original estimates prepared by state agencies, the department of administration shall, if appropriate, transmit electronically to the legislative reference bureau, for review by the requester under joint rule
48 and for reproduction and insertion in the bill jacket envelope, a consolidated fiscal estimate summarizing all original fiscal estimates prepared by state agencies relating to a specific bill.
jr41(3)(e)
(e) Any state agency may transmit electronically to the department of administration for transmission electronically to the legislative reference bureau for review by the primary author of an introduced bill under joint rule
48 and for reproduction and insertion in the bill jacket envelope an updated fiscal estimate supplementing the original estimate on any bill if the agency has available better or more current information.
jr41(3)(f)
(f) The legislative fiscal bureau or the department of administration shall, if it receives an electronic request under joint rule
48 (3), prepare a supplemental fiscal estimate. If a supplemental fiscal estimate is requested electronically the fiscal bureau or the department shall transmit electronically the prepared supplemental fiscal estimate to the legislative reference bureau for reproduction and insertion in the bill jacket envelope.
jr41(3)(g)
(g) A state agency shall transmit electronically any fiscal estimate requested electronically under joint rule
48 (2) to the department of administration for transmission electronically to the legislative reference bureau for review by the primary author under joint rule
48 and for reproduction and insertion in the bill jacket envelope.
jr41(3)(h)
(h) Any state agency may rewrite its original fiscal estimate as provided under joint rule
48 (4).
jr41(3)(i)
(i) The department of administration may correct any fiscal estimate prepared by a state agency as provided under joint rule
46 (5).
jr42
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oint Rule 42.
General procedures. jr42(1)(a)(a) Fiscal estimates shall be prepared by all state agencies receiving the appropriation, collecting the revenue, administering the program, or having information concerning the subject matter of the bill. Bills containing provisions for both appropriations and revenues or either appropriations or revenues for more than one state agency shall receive estimates from each such agency.
jr42(1)(b)
(b) In addition, the department of administration shall, when appropriate, prepare a consolidated fiscal estimate as required under joint rule
41 (3) (d).
jr42(1)(c)
(c) For bills with a fiscal impact on general local government, the department of administration shall obtain the requisite information from all appropriate state agencies.
jr42(2)
(2) The name of the state agency preparing the estimate, and the date, shall be reproduced at the end of the estimate. The estimate shall also include the name and telephone number of a responsible official of the agency.
jr42(3)
(3) Each state agency shall prepare the fiscal estimate within 5 working days from the date on which it receives the bill, but the department of administration, on a limited basis only and upon an agency's request received before the end of the 5-day period and applicable to only one fiscal estimate, may extend the period for the specified fiscal estimate to not more than 10 working days if the bill necessitates extended research. Whenever the extension is granted, the department of administration shall immediately notify the legislative reference bureau.
jr42(4)
(4) The state agencies are requested to use the bills, substitute amendments, and amendments transmitted to them for official purposes only. In particular, no state agency may copy, or otherwise disseminate information regarding, any bill, substitute amendment, or amendment to it by “LRB" number, indicating that the bill, substitute amendment, or amendment transmitted has not been offered or introduced in the legislature.
jr43
Joint Rule 43.
Reliable dollar estimate. The estimate shall be factual in nature, and shall provide as reliable a dollar estimate as possible. The fiscal estimate shall contain a statement setting forth the assumptions used in arriving at the dollar estimate. Identification of technical or policy problems in the bill may not be included in the estimate but shall be transmitted electronically and separately in a technical memorandum.
jr44
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oint Rule 44.
Bill jackets to display “FE." jr44(1)(1) The jackets of all bills carrying a fiscal estimate shall have the initials “FE" displayed on them.
jr44(2)(a)(a) The legislative reference bureau shall make a preliminary determination of whether the bill requires a fiscal estimate. Except as otherwise provided in joint rule
54 (2m), the legislative reference bureau shall indicate that a bill requires a fiscal estimate by displaying “FE" prominently on the jacket.
jr44(2)(b)
(b) A jacket on which the “FE" symbol has been defaced may not be accepted for introduction unless the deletion of the “FE" symbol has been initialed by the chief or the deputy chief of the legislative reference bureau.
jr45
Joint Rule 45.
Duties of legislative reference bureau. jr45(1)(1) After a proposed bill has been drafted the legislative reference bureau shall inform the requester that a fiscal estimate is required when it submits the draft to the requester. If authorized by the requester, the bureau shall promptly transmit electronically the proposed bill to the department of administration for preparation of a fiscal estimate. The requester may introduce the bill without the fiscal estimate, but when such a bill is introduced the legislative reference bureau shall promptly transmit electronically a copy of the bill to the department of administration for preparation of a fiscal estimate. The legislative reference bureau shall keep a record of the date on which each bill is thus transmitted electronically and its number.
