Continuity of senate rules Rule 92
Special or extraordinary sessions Rule 93
Publishing of senate rules Rule 94
Chapter 11: Miscellaneous
Copies for senate Rule 95
Governor's veto message Rule 95m
Space assignments Rule 97
Use of committee rooms and legislative staff for
certain meetings Rule 97m
Citations on behalf of the senate; joint citations Rule 98
S E N A T E R U L E S
As last affected by 2021 Senate Resolution 8
(Adopted June 9, 2021)
Chapter 1:
OFFICERS - ELECTION AND DUTIES
sr1
Senate Rule 1.
President; president pro tempore. sr1(1)(1)
The senate shall elect, by roll call vote, one of its members to serve as president and one to serve as president pro tempore. The president and president pro tempore shall serve for the biennial session unless separated by death, resignation, or removal by the adoption of a resolution by a majority of the current membership.
sr1(2)
(2) The president is the senate's presiding officer and shall authenticate by personal signature all of the acts, orders, and proceedings of the senate.
sr1m
Senate Rule 1m.
Presiding officer and committee on senate organization. sr1m(1)(1)
The presiding officer shall, in general, represent and stand for the senate, declaring its will, and in all things obeying its commands.
sr1m(2)
(2) Every officer of the senate is subordinate to the committee on senate organization and, in all that relates to the discharge of that officer's duties, is under the supervision of the committee on senate organization.
sr1m(3)
(3) For staffing and budget purposes related to the operation of all senate offices, all senators are subordinate to the committee on senate organization.
sr2
Senate Rule 2.
Substitute president. sr2(1)(1)
When the president is absent or unable to preside over the senate sitting in session, the president pro tempore may preside and assume all of the duties enumerated under rule
4. The substitution does not extend beyond adjournment and ends upon the president's return or the election of a new president.
sr2(2)
(2) When the president and president pro tempore are absent or unable to preside, the senate shall elect, by roll call vote, one of its members to temporarily perform all of the duties enumerated under rule
4 until the president or president pro tempore returns and is able to preside.
sr2(3)
(3) The presiding officer may call any member to the chair to temporarily perform all of the duties enumerated under rule
4, but the substitution does not extend beyond an adjournment or the return of the president.
sr3
Senate Rule 3.
Duties of president pro tempore and majority leader. When the president is separated by death, resignation, or removal from office, or is otherwise unable to serve, all of the powers and duties of the president not enumerated in rule
4 devolve upon the president pro tempore until a president is elected. When both the president and president pro tempore are separated by death, resignation, or removal from office, or are otherwise unable to serve, all of the powers and duties of the president not enumerated under rule
4 devolve upon the majority leader until a president is elected.
sr3m
Senate Rule 3m.
Voting by presiding officer. A senator may not be excused from voting on a question by reason of occupying the chair.
sr4
Senate Rule 4.
Duties of president and presiding officer. The presiding officer shall:
sr4(1)
(1) Open the daily session, at the time to which adjournment is taken, by taking the chair and calling the members to order.
sr4(2)
(2) Announce the business before the senate in the order in which it is to be acted upon.
sr4(3)
(3) Receive and submit, in the proper manner, all motions and propositions presented by the members.
sr4(4)
(4) Put to vote all questions that are regularly moved, or that necessarily arise in the course of proceedings, and announce the result.
sr4(5)
(5) Restrain the members while engaged in debate, within the rules of order.
sr4(6)
(6) Enforce on all occasions the observance of order and decorum in the senate chamber.
sr4(7)
(7) Inform the senate when necessary, or when referred to for that purpose, on any point of order or procedure.
sr4(8)
(8) Receive messages and other communications from other branches of the government, and announce them to the senate.
sr5
Senate Rule 5.
Chief clerk. sr5(1)(1)
At the commencement of each biennial session, the senate shall elect, by roll call vote, a chief clerk of the senate. The chief clerk shall hold office for the full 2-year term of the legislature and until a successor is elected and qualified on the day of convening of the next legislature as established under section
13.02 (1) of the statutes unless separated by death, resignation, or removal by the vote of a majority of the actual present membership of the senate.
sr5(2)
(2) The chief clerk shall:
sr5(2)(a)
(a) Superintend the recording of the journals of the proceedings and determine the placement and order of the proceedings in the journals.
sr5(2)(b)
(b) Supervise the engrossing and enrolling of senate proposals by the legislative reference bureau.
sr5(2)(c)
(c) Prepare and publish its daily journal after the adjournment of each daily session, and, if so directed by the president or as necessary, on any day on which the senate does not meet.
sr5(2)(d)
(d) Ensure that records or papers belonging to the legislature are not removed from the custody of the chief clerk's office except as required in the regular course of business.
sr5(3)
(3) The chief clerk is responsible for all official acts of the employees assigned to that office, and may designate one of those employees as assistant chief clerk, who has general supervision under the direction of the chief clerk and in the temporary absence of the chief clerk has all of the powers and duties of the chief clerk. The assistant chief clerk shall take the oath of office as provided under joint rule
81 (1) (a). If the chief clerk is separated by death, resignation, or removal from office, the assistant chief clerk may exercise all of the powers and shall carry out all of the duties of the chief clerk until a chief clerk is elected.
sr5(4)(a)(a) When the president, president pro tempore, majority leader, and assistant majority leader are absent or unable to preside over the senate sitting in session and the senate does not elect a substitute president under rule
2 (2), the chief clerk shall perform all of the duties enumerated under rule
4.
sr5(4)(b)(b) In order to comply with joint rule
13 and
section 10 of
article IV of the constitution, the chief clerk may perform all of the duties enumerated under rule
4, except that no business may be transacted in any session convened under this paragraph without the consent of the senate majority leader and the senate minority leader.
sr6
Senate Rule 6.
Sergeant at arms. sr6(1)(1)
At the commencement of each biennial session, the senate shall elect, by roll call vote, a sergeant at arms of the senate. The sergeant at arms shall hold office for the full 2-year term of the legislature and until a successor is elected and qualified on the day of convening of the next legislature as established under section
13.02 (1) of the statutes unless separated by death, resignation, or removal by the vote of a majority of the actual present membership of the senate.
sr6(2)
(2) The sergeant at arms shall:
sr6(2)(a)
(a) Carry out all orders of the senate or its presiding officer.
sr6(2)(b)
(b) Perform all the duties that may be assigned to the sergeant connected with the maintenance of decorum and good order in the chamber.
sr6(2)(c)
(c) Supervise the coming and going of all persons to and from the chamber.
sr6(2)(d)(d) Enforce the provisions of rule
11 relating to lobbyists and lobbying.
sr6(2)(e)
(e) Provide for the prompt delivery of messages from or within the senate.
sr6(2)(f)
(f) Ensure that the chamber is open for the use of the members as directed by the presiding officer or from one hour preceding each daily session until one hour after that day's adjournment.
sr6(2)(g)
(g) Perform all other services pertaining to the office of sergeant at arms.
sr6(2)(h)(h) Enforce the provisions of rule
13m relating to conduct of individuals in the gallery.
sr6(3)
(3) The sergeant at arms is under the supervision of the chief clerk and the compensation of the sergeant at arms shall be determined by the chief clerk.
Chapter 2:
ORDER AND DECORUM
sr7
Senate Rule 7.
Presiding officer to preserve order. The presiding officer shall preserve order and decorum.
sr8
Senate Rule 8.
Conduct while sitting in session. sr8(1)(1)
Members, officers, and employees shall wear appropriate attire while the senate is sitting in session. Appropriate attire for men includes the wearing of a coat. Appropriate attire for men and women does not include denim jeans.
sr8(2)
(2) While the presiding officer is addressing the senate, or submitting a question, a member may not cross the floor or leave the senate. While a member is speaking, a member may not walk between the speaking member and the presiding officer.
sr8(3)
(3) A member or other person may not visit or remain by the clerk's table while the ayes and noes are being called. A member may not leave his or her seat or be disturbed by any other person while the ayes and noes are being called.
sr8(4)
(4) A member or other person may not, within the senate chamber, read newspapers, periodicals, magazines, books, or similar materials, unless the publication is relevant to the debate on the senate floor; consume food, beverages, or tobacco products; or take photographs or make any video recording.
sr8(5)
(5) A member or other person may not, within the senate chamber, display a chart, sign, or other visual aid or promote a private business by prominently displaying a branded product or logo.
sr11
Senate Rule 11.
Who may be admitted to the floor; recording proceedings; listing of visitors. sr11(1)(1)
Persons of the following classes, and no others, shall be admitted to that portion of the floor of the senate where the members sit in session: the governor, the lieutenant governor, members of the legislature, members of the staff of the sergeant at arms, technical staff designated by the chief clerk, and designated members of the chief clerk's staff.
sr11(2)
(2) Persons of the following classes, and no others, shall be admitted to that portion of the floor of the senate designated as the staff lobby while the senate is sitting in session: state officers, employees of either house of the legislature, of legislative committees, and of legislative service agencies while engaged in the performance of their duties, members of congress, justices of the supreme court, and former members of the legislature.
sr11(3)(3) However, none of those persons in subs.
(1) and
(2) who are registered as lobbyists or engaged in defeating or promoting any pending legislation have the privilege of the floor of the senate.
sr11(4)
(4) A former senator or other person who is directly or indirectly interested in defeating or promoting any pending legislation, whether registered as a lobbyist or not, does not have the privilege of the floor of the senate at any time.
sr11(5)
(5) All accredited correspondents of the news media, who confine themselves to their professional duties, have the privilege of the floor of the senate, except that while the senate is sitting in session the privilege extends only to the press lobby.
sr11(6)(6) Persons who are not specified in subs.
(1) to
(5) may be invited on the floor of the senate by the committee on senate organization.
