sr99(9)
(9)
Call of the house: A procedure for requiring the attendance of absent members.
sr99(10)
(10)
Certificate or citation: A formal legislative document of commendation, congratulations, or condolences.
sr99(11)
(11)
Chair: The position that the presiding officer fills.
sr99(12)
(12)
Chief clerk: The officer elected to perform and direct the clerical and personnel functions of one of the houses.
sr99(13)
(13)
Committee chairperson: The head of a committee.
sr99(14)
(14)
Committee executive action: The action of a committee on any proposal.
sr99(14m)
(14m)
Committee of conference: A committee of representatives to the assembly and of senators, appointed to resolve differences on a specific proposal.
sr99(15)
(15)
Committee of the whole: The membership of one house organized in committee for the discussion of a specific matter.
sr99(16)
(16)
Concurrence: The action by which one house agrees to a proposal or action of the other house [see also subs.
(3) and
(54)].
sr99(18)
(18)
Contested seat: A district in which 2 or more persons claim the right to represent the district.
sr99(20)
(20)
Current membership: The members of one of the houses, certified as elected in the last general election, omitting those who have subsequently resigned, have been removed, or have died.
sr99(22)
(22)
Dilatory: To delay.
sr99(23)
(23)
Division of the question: To break a question into 2 or more separate propositions.
sr99(24)
(24)
Elected membership: The members of one of the houses, certified as elected in the last general election, including those who have subsequently resigned, have been removed, or have died.
sr99(25)
(25)
Engrossed proposal: A proposal incorporating all adopted amendments and all approved technical corrections in the house of origin, whether or not it is reproduced as engrossed.
sr99(26)
(26)
Enrolled proposal: A proposal that was passed, or adopted, and concurred in, incorporating any amendments and corrections that were approved by both houses.
sr99(27)
(27)
Expunge: To remove material from the record and thus undo some senate action.
sr99(27m)
(27m)
Extraordinary session: The convening of the legislature by the assembly and senate committees on organization or by joint resolution of the legislature to accomplish the business specified in the action calling the session.
sr99(28)
(28)
Fiscal estimate: A memorandum pursuant to joint rules
41 to
50, explaining the impact of a bill on state or local finances.
sr99(29m)
(29m)
Floor of the senate: That portion of the senate chamber that is reserved for members, senate officers, and persons granted the privilege of the floor.
sr99(30)
(30)
Floor amendment: Any amendment offered for consideration at the 2nd reading stage, or for committee consideration, but not drafted by the legislative reference bureau.
sr99(31)
(31)
Germaneness: The relevance or appropriateness of amendments.
sr99(32)
(32)
Hearing: A committee meeting at which the public is invited to testify on a proposal or issue.
sr99(33)
(33)
History: A record of actions on a proposal.
sr99(33m)
(33m)
History file: The list of entries made by the chief clerk in the bulletin of proceedings, recording the actions of the legislature on a proposal.
sr99(34)
(34)
Incidental motions and requests: A group of motions and requests that generally relates to the proceedings, procedures, and subsidiary questions during debate, and that must be disposed of before proceeding to the main question under consideration. Incidental questions have lower precedence than privileged questions but higher precedence than subsidiary and main motions.
sr99(35)
(35)
Indefinite postponement: A motion to kill a proposal in its house of origin for a biennial session.
sr99(36)
(36)
Introduction: The formal presentation of a bill before one of the houses [see also sub.
(50m)].
sr99(37)
(37)
Joint convention, also called joint session: A joint meeting of the senate and the assembly.
sr99(38)
(38)
Joint hearing: A hearing held by a joint committee or by committees of both houses.
sr99(39)
(39)
Joint resolution: A proposal requiring adoption by both houses, to: a) express the opinion of the legislature; b) change the joint rules of the legislature; c) propose an amendment to the state constitution; or d) propose or ratify an amendment to the U.S. constitution.
sr99(40)
(40)
Joint rules: The common rules of proceedings adopted by both houses.
sr99(41)
(41)
Journal: The official publication of one of the houses.
sr99(42)
(42)
Leave: Permission to be absent from one of the houses.
sr99(43)
(43)
Legislative day: Any day on which the legislature is in session.
sr99(44)
(44)
Main motions and questions: The final affirmative question concerning a proposal during any stage of its consideration or a motion made or question raised when no other matter is before the house. Main questions have lower precedence than privileged, incidental, and subsidiary questions.
sr99(45)
(45)
Majority: One more than one-half.
sr99(46)
(46)
Manual: The publication containing the rules of a house, the joint rules, the session schedule, the state constitution, alphabetical indexes, and other materials relevant to a legislator's job.
sr99(47)
(47)
Member: A duly elected senator or representative to the assembly.
sr99(48)
(48)
Members present: Those members in attendance at a daily meeting of the senate.
sr99(48m)
(48m)
Measure: Another term for proposal.
sr99(49)
(49)
Motion: A proposed action requiring approval by a vote of a house.
sr99(50)
(50)
Nonconcurrence: The refusal of one house to agree to a proposal, amendment, or action of the other.
sr99(50m)
(50m)
Offer: The formal presentation of a joint resolution, resolution, substitute amendment, amendment, or motion before a house [see also sub.
(36)].
sr99(51)
(51)
Opinion of the attorney general: A formal reply by the attorney general to a specific question.
sr99(52)
(52)
Pair: A written agreement between 2 members on opposite sides of a question not to vote on that question while one or both are absent with leave, which permits the absent member to influence the outcome of a vote.
sr99(53)
(53)
Parliamentary inquiry: A request for an explanation of a legislative rule or proceeding.
sr99(53m)
(53m)
Partisan caucus: A conference convened by 2 or more members of a political party to discuss business related to the organization or agenda of that party within the legislature or to discuss any matter pending in or proposed for introduction in the legislature. To facilitate bipartisan cooperation, the members who convened the conference may permit members of another political party to attend.
sr99(54)
(54)
Passage: Final approval in the first house of a bill introduced in that house if referring to action of one house and final approval of both houses of a bill introduced in either house if referring to action of both houses [see also subs.
(3) and
(16)].
sr99(55)
(55)
Petition: A request that one of the houses take a particular course of action.
sr99(56)
(56)
Point of order: A request that the presiding officer rule on some matter of parliamentary procedure.
sr99(57)
(57)
Precedent: A previous ruling, decision, or action used to interpret legislative rules.
sr99(57d)
(57d)
President: A member of the senate, elected by the membership to preside over the senate and carry out the duties as described in the senate rules, the joint rules, and the statutes.
sr99(57m)
(57m)
President pro tempore: A member of the senate, elected by the membership to carry out the duties of the president in his or her absence until the return of the president or until a president is elected.
sr99(57p)
(57p)
Presiding officer: The person presiding over the senate or assembly in daily session [see also subs.
(11),
(57d), and
(57m)].
sr99(59)
(59)
Privileged motions and requests: A group of motions and requests relating to basic questions concerning the meetings, organization, rules, rights, and duties of the senate or assembly and its members and having the highest precedence for consideration. Privileged motions and requests take precedence over incidental, subsidiary, and main questions.
sr99(60)
(60)
Proposal: A resolution, joint resolution, or bill put before a house for consideration.
sr99(61)
(61)
Question: A statement before one of the houses for decision.
sr99(62)
(62)
Quorum: A majority of the current senate membership, unless otherwise required by the state constitution.
sr99(63)
(63)
Recess: A temporary suspension of business during a roll call day.
sr99(64)
(64)
Reconsideration: A motion to nullify a decision and again consider and vote on the question involved.
sr99(65)
(65)
Regular order of business: The regular sequence of deliberations on any legislative day.
sr99(66)
(66)
Regular session: The biennial session of the legislature established by the constitution and by section
13.02 of the statutes. The Wisconsin legislature convenes in the capitol on the first Monday of January in each odd-numbered year at 2 p.m. to take the oath of office, to select officers, and to organize itself for the conduct of its business, but if the first Monday falls on January 1 or 2, the legislature organizes on January 3. Daily meetings begin in January of each year and continue throughout the biennial session until the final adjournment of the biennial session.
sr99(67)
(67)
Rejection: An action for the adverse and final disposition of: a) a resolution or joint resolution for the biennial session of the legislature; b) an amendment or substitute amendment with regard to one specific document; c) the application of a motion to the current situation; and d) the report of a committee.
sr99(68)
(68)
Remain informal: A temporary suspension of proceedings in one of the houses.
sr99(69)
(69)
Request: A proposed action that does not require a vote because: a) unanimous consent has been asked for; or 1g) the presiding officer has the authority to take or order the requested action.
sr99(70)
(70)
Rescind: An action by which one of the houses nullifies an action on a proposal so as to enable the house to again consider a proposal from a given stage. When a motion to rescind prevails, the house resumes its consideration of a proposal at the stage indicated in the motion.
sr99(71)
(71)
Resolution: A proposal: expressing the opinion of one of the houses; changing the rules of one of the houses; or confirming a nomination for appointment.
sr99(73)
(73)
Roll call day: A legislative day on which a roll call is taken.
sr99(74)
(74)
Roll call vote: A vote on which each member voting is recorded by name.
sr99(75)
(75)
Rules of procedure: The legislative rules that govern the conduct of legislative business.
sr99(76)
(76)
Ruling: The presiding officer's decision on a point of order.
sr99(77)
(77)
Senate chamber: The entire area south of the northern-most doors of the senate, including the floor, staff lobby, parlor, press lobby, visitor's galleries, and hallways, but excluding the offices of the senate officers.
sr99(78)
(78)
Sergeant at arms: The officer elected by the members to perform and direct the police and custodial functions of one of the houses.
sr99(79)
(79)
Sine die adjournment: The final adjournment of a biennial or special session.
sr99(84)
(84)
Special session: The convening of the legislature by the governor to accomplish a special purpose for which convened.
sr99(85)
(85)
Stage: One of the formal steps in the legislative process.
sr99(86)
(86)
Standing committee: A permanent legislative committee.
sr99(87)
(87)
Subsidiary motions: A group of motions that change, or delay or accelerate the consideration of, a proposal before a house. Subsidiary motions have lower precedence than privileged and incidental questions, but higher precedence than main motions.
sr99(88)
(88)
Substitute amendment: An amendment that, if accepted, takes the place of the original proposal. The term more accurately describes a “substitute bill" or “substitute resolution."
sr99(90)
(90)
Suspension of the rules: A motion requiring the support of two-thirds of the members present and by which a special action on a specific proposal is accomplished despite the existence of a rule blocking the action. Any suspension of the rules is temporary.
sr99(92)
(92)
Unanimous consent: A request for a specific purpose; if an objection is not heard, it is assumed that the request has the consent of the entire body.
sr99(93)
(93)
Veto: The action by which a bill or a part thereof is rejected by the governor.
sr99(94)
(94)
Voice vote: A vote taken by asking the members in favor of a question to say “aye" simultaneously and then the members opposed to likewise say “no."
Alphabetical Index
Revised by Legislative Reference Bureau
June 2021
