Chapter 35

35.035 History History: 1979 c. 34; 1983 a. 189 s. 329 (27); 2015 a. 55.

35.04 35.04 Employees. The department shall employ such staff, under the classified service as are necessary to perform the duties imposed by this chapter.

LEGISLATIVE; CLASS 1 PRINTING

35.05 35.05 Printing in general, how ordered and executed.

35.05(1) (1) All printing for the legislature shall be in such form and printed in such manner and amount as may be determined by the joint rules of the legislature, or in the case of printing of a nature that is the concern of one house only, then as determined by that house except as provided for the Wisconsin statutes and the Laws of Wisconsin under s. 35.50 (2).

35.05(2) (2) 

35.05(2)(a) (a) When the senate or the assembly determines the form or amount of printing for its own use, such determination or such regulations as may be considered appropriate governing such printing, may be made by the rules of the house or by resolution or by the senate committee on organization for the senate or the assembly committee on organization for the assembly, subject to final decision by their respective houses.

35.05(2)(b) (b) When printing concerns both houses the form or amount of such printing may be determined by the joint rules or by joint resolution or by the joint committee on legislative organization, subject to any provisions of the joint rules or joint resolutions, except as provided for the Wisconsin statutes and the Laws of Wisconsin under s. 35.50 (2).

35.05(3) (3) All printing that has a customary form, number of copies, or other features shall continue to conform to such form or other requirements until changed by or under authority of statute, joint rule, or rule of either house, except as provided for the Wisconsin statutes and the Laws of Wisconsin under s. 35.50 (2).

35.05(4) (4) When legislative proposals, legislative publications or other printing is required for the legislature, including revision or correction bills for the legislative reference bureau, bills or reports for the joint legislative council or legislative proposals of members intended for introduction by them, such printing may be ordered by the chief clerk of either house or by other authorized persons during any session of the legislature or recess thereof, pursuant to such regulations as either house shall establish.

35.05(5) (5) 

35.05(5)(a) (a) Whenever either house requires any printing for its exclusive use and whenever any joint action of both houses is taken requiring any printing to be done, the chief clerk of the house where such action originates shall issue a printing requisition to the department, and the department shall procure the printing from the contract printer selected for the printing under article IV, section 25, of the constitution.

35.05(5)(b) (b) If there is no contract in force for class 1 public printing, the chief clerks shall deliver copy to the department which shall have it printed in accordance with the statutes.

35.05(5)(c) (c) Any member or officer of the legislature entitled to stationery or other personalized printing may elect to have the printing performed by a printer other than the contract printer under par. (a) if par. (a) is otherwise complied with, but no voucher for printing to be performed other than by the contract printer selected through the department of administration shall be approved unless the cost of the printing will be the same as, or less than, the cost of obtaining the printing from the contract printer.

35.05(5)(d) (d) Any member or officer of the legislature entitled to personalized printing may specify that his or her personalized printing shall be produced using paper with best-available recycled content.

35.05(5)(e) (e) The design of the letterhead and envelope for each member or officer of the legislature shall be approved as provided by the house in which the member or officer serves; provided, that for personalized printing nothing on the finished product may indicate the printer who performed the work.

35.05(6) (6) Any provision in the rules of the senate or the assembly or of the joint rules relating to printing shall continue in effect during any recess or adjournment of the legislature as though the legislature had continued in session and shall likewise continue in effect following the convening and during any other special or regular session until such provision is modified or repealed.

35.05 History History: 1977 c. 279; 1983 a. 192; 1991 a. 215; 1993 a. 52; 2007 a. 20; 2013 a. 20.

35.07 35.07 Proposed constitutional amendments. No later than the August 1 preceding a general election, the legislative reference bureau shall publish on the Internet in one or more electronic file formats each proposed constitutional amendment that was approved for the first time by the legislature preceding the election. Each such proposed constitutional amendment shall remain so published on the Internet until the conclusion of the general election.

35.07 History History: 2015 a. 55.

35.095 35.095 Acts.

35.095(1) (1) Definitions. In this section:

35.095(1)(a) (a) “Date of enactment” means the day on which a bill becomes an act through approval by the governor, passage over the governor’s veto or failure of the governor to act on it or the day on which a portion of a bill which has been vetoed in part is enacted over the governor’s partial veto.

35.095(1)(b) (b) “Date of publication” means the day after the date of enactment.

35.095(1)(c) (c) “Working day” means each day except Saturdays, Sundays, and federal and statewide legal holidays designated in s. 995.20.

35.095(2) (2) Numbering.

35.095(2)(a) (a) Each act of a session shall be numbered consecutively commencing with one. An act enacted by the governor’s approval shall be numbered by the governor at the time of approval. An act enacted either by passage over the governor’s veto or by the governor’s failure to act upon it within the time limit shall be numbered immediately by the chief clerk of the house of origin.

35.095(2)(b) (b) The person numbering an act under par. (a) shall note on it the date of enactment, shall immediately provide electronic notice to the legislative reference bureau of the act number and date of enactment, and shall deposit it in the secretary of state’s office no later than the next working day following its enactment.

35.095(3) (3) Publication.

35.095(3)(a) (a) The legislative reference bureau shall publish every act and every portion of an act that is enacted by the legislature over the governor’s partial veto on its date of publication on the Internet in one or more electronic file formats. The legislative reference bureau may electronically publish every act and every portion of an act that is enacted by the legislature over the governor’s partial veto on other electronic media in one or more electronic file formats, as the legislative reference bureau determines.

35.095(3)(c) (c) Copies of each act or portion of an act enacted by the legislature over the governor’s partial veto shall be available electronically on or before the date of publication of the act to subscribers under s. 35.87. At appropriate intervals, the officer designated under s. 35.87 shall certify to the secretary of state that each act or portion of an act was available electronically to subscribers on or before its date of publication.

35.095 History History: 1981 c. 372 ss. 5, 13; 1983 a. 36; 1983 a. 192 s. 304; 1991 a. 39; 2005 a. 155; 2013 a. 5, 20.

35.095 Cross-reference Cross Reference: See s. 889.01 for the acts as prima facie evidence.

35.095 Cross-reference Cross Reference: See s. 991.11 for effective dates of acts.

35.095 Annotation Article IV, Section 17 of the Wisconsin Constitution vests the legislature with the constitutional power to “provide by law” for publication. The legislature has set the requirements for publication. If a court can intervene and prohibit the publication of an act, the court determines what shall be law and not the legislature. If the court does that, it does not in terms legislate but it invades the constitutional power of the legislature to declare what shall become law. This a court may not do. Ozanne v. Fitzgerald, 2011 WI 43, 334 Wis. 2d 70, 798 N.W.2d 436, 11-0613.

35.15 35.15 Laws of Wisconsin.

35.15(1) (1) 

35.15(1)(a) (a) No later than the end of each session of the legislature, the legislative reference bureau shall prepare camera-ready copy for one or more volumes denominated “Laws of Wisconsin”, and identified by the year in which that session began.

35.15(1)(b) (b) The volume shall contain all acts enacted during such session, all important joint resolutions of the session, and an alphabetical index to the volume prepared by the legislative reference bureau.

35.15(1)(c) (c) The copy shall show the date of enactment of each act, the date of publication of each act and published joint resolution, the number of the proposal from which the act or joint resolution originated and the house in which it originated and shall be in the form prescribed by the joint rules. The copy shall omit the signature of the officers affixed to the enrolled act or joint resolution.

35.15(1)(d) (d) The department shall determine the number of copies to be printed.

35.15(1)(e) (e) After making the necessary comparison, the chief of the legislative reference bureau shall issue a certificate, to be filed in the office of the secretary of state as a public record, that he or she has compared the printed acts with the original acts on file in the office of the secretary of state, and that they appear to be correctly printed. Each volume of the Laws of Wisconsin shall contain a printed copy of such certificate.

35.15(2) (2) The legislative reference bureau shall publish the Laws of Wisconsin as expeditiously as possible in such number of volumes and at such times as the bureau determines to be appropriate. If acts are enacted or joint resolutions are adopted while a volume is in production, the bureau may elect to publish them as a pocket part to the bound volume.

35.15 History History: 1977 c. 29; 1979 c. 110 s. 60 (3); 1981 c. 372; 1991 a. 39; 2007 a. 20.

35.17 35.17 Correcting obvious errors in enrolling and publishing.

35.17(1) (1) In enrolling under s. 13.92 (1) (b) 3. and for publishing under ss. 35.095, 35.15, and 35.35 (1) (a), the legislative reference bureau shall correct minor clerical errors. No such correction shall be deemed an alteration of the enrolled copy.

35.17(2) (2) The legislative reference bureau shall correct obvious nonsubstantive errors when publishing the Wisconsin statutes under s. 35.18 (1) (a) and (b) and the administrative code under s. 35.93 (3).

35.17(3) (3) On questions of orthography the current edition of Webster’s new international dictionary shall be taken as the standard.

35.17 History History: 1977 c. 29; 1981 c. 372; 2007 a. 20; 2013 a. 20.

STATUTES AND TOWN LAW FORMS;
CLASS 2 PRINTING

35.18 35.18 Wisconsin statutes.

35.18(1) (1) Publication.

35.18(1)(a) (a) Biennially the legislative reference bureau shall prepare and deliver to the department printer’s copy for the Wisconsin statutes, which shall contain all the general statutes in force, all important joint resolutions adopted since the last preceding general session, an alphabetical index, and such other matter as the bureau deems desirable and practicable. The department shall determine how many copies shall be printed.

35.18(1)(b) (b)

35.18(1)(b)1. 1. The legislative reference bureau shall electronically publish interim updated versions of the statutes included in the biennial Wisconsin statutes printed under par. (a) on the Internet in one or more electronic file formats. The legislative reference bureau may electronically publish the updated versions on other electronic media in one or more electronic file formats, as the legislative reference bureau determines.

35.18(1)(b)2. 2. The legislative reference bureau shall include in the updated versions of the statutes electronically published under subd. 1. all general statutes in force, except that the legislative reference bureau may omit tables and graphic images from publication in a particular electronic file format if the legislative reference bureau determines that the tables and graphic images are incompatible with that electronic file format. If the legislative reference bureau omits tables or graphic images from publication in a particular electronic file format, it shall insert a note following the affected statutory unit identifying the omission and providing a hypertext link providing electronic access to the table or graphic image. The legislative reference bureau shall at all times publish the statutes on the Internet in at least one electronic file format that allows for publication of all tables and graphic images contained in the statutes.

35.18(1)(b)3. 3. The legislative reference bureau shall include all of the following with each updated version of the statutes published under subd. 1.:

35.18(1)(b)3.a. a. The date of publication for the updated version.

35.18(1)(b)3.b. b. The edition of the biennial Wisconsin statutes that is being updated.

35.18(1)(b)3.c. c. The act number of the most recent legislative act included in the updated version.

35.18(1)(b)3.d. d. The date through which the updated version has been updated. The updated version shall include all legislative acts that were enacted, and all supreme court orders affecting statutes that were entered, on or before the date referenced in this subd. 3. d.

35.18(1)(b)3.e. e. A notice stating that the updated version of the statutes electronically published under this paragraph is certified under sub. (2) (b).

35.18(2) (2) Legislative reference bureau certification.

35.18(2)(a) (a) After making the necessary comparison, the chief of the legislative reference bureau shall sign and file in the office of the secretary of state as a public record a certificate certifying that the bureau has compared each section contained in the biennial Wisconsin statutes printed under sub. (1) (a) with the original section of the statutes, or with the original section contained in the enrolled act from which the section was derived, together with all amendments of such original section, if any, and that all the sections appear to be correctly printed. All copies of the biennial Wisconsin statutes printed under sub. (1) (a) shall contain a printed copy of such certificate.

35.18(2)(b) (b) After making the necessary comparison, the legislative reference bureau shall publish on the Internet, and with each electronic publication of the Wisconsin statutes under sub. (1) (b), a certification that the bureau has compared each section of the Wisconsin statutes published under sub. (1) (b) with the original section of the statutes, or with the original section contained in the enrolled act from which the section was derived, together with all amendments of such original section, if any, and that all the sections appear to be correctly published. The certification shall indicate any electronic file formats in which the statutes are published that do not contain all graphic images and tables due to incompatibility with the electronic file format.

35.18(3) (3) Numbers and titles of chapters and sections. All chapters and sections of Wisconsin statutes shall retain their present numbers and titles until changed by the legislative reference bureau or by statute. Each section shall be designated by a mixed, decimal number, the whole number corresponding to the chapter and the decimal to the section’s place in the chapter. The numbers and titles of chapters and sections shall be printed in boldface type. Each subsection shall be designated by a number, or by a number and a letter of the alphabet, enclosed in parentheses. Each paragraph shall be designated by a letter or letters enclosed in parentheses. Each subdivision shall be designated by a number or by a number and a letter. Each paragraph of a subdivision shall be designated by a letter or letters.

35.18(4) (4) Annotations. The legislative reference bureau shall prepare such annotations as will keep the volume known as “Wisconsin Annotations,” up to date, and include those annotations in the Wisconsin statutes published under sub. (1) (a) and (b).

35.18 History History: 1971 c. 211; 1981 c. 314; 1987 a. 27; 1991 a. 316; 2003 a. 323; 2007 a. 20; 2013 a. 20 ss. 575h to 575L, 575n.

35.18 Cross-reference Cross Reference: See s. 889.01 for the statutes as prima facie evidence.

35.19 35.19 Pamphlet laws. Editions of parts of the statutes in pamphlet form may be produced for official use and for public sale. The department shall charge the cost of pamphlet laws produced for such use or sale to the requisitioning state agencies.

35.19 History History: 1973 c. 333; 1979 c. 34.

35.20 35.20 Wisconsin Town Law Forms. With each edition of the biennial Wisconsin statutes printed under s. 35.18 (1) (a), under the supervision of the legislative reference bureau, an edition will be printed as directed by the department for distribution by the department to all town clerks, of a volume to be designated “Wisconsin Town Law Forms” containing suitable forms for use in the administration of laws relating to: common schools; the county board; the powers, duties and liabilities of towns, town officers and the assessment of taxes; highways, bridges and drainage districts; and such other forms as the legislative reference bureau determines desirable and practicable.

35.20 History History: 2007 a. 20; 2013 a. 20.

BLUE BOOK AND REPRINTS; CLASS 2 PRINTING

35.24 35.24 Blue Book.

35.24(1) (1) The legislative reference bureau shall compile, index, prepare and deliver to the department biennially copy for a book to be denominated “Wisconsin Blue Book” and identified by the biennium of its intended use.

35.24(1)(a) (a) The Blue Book shall contain the biographies and pictures of state officers, senators and representatives to the assembly and officers of each house, information pertaining to the organization of Wisconsin state government, and statistical and other information of the same general character as that heretofore published, but so selected and condensed as will limit the number of pages to 1,000 or less. In making such selection the legislative reference bureau is directed to consult freely with the state superintendent of public instruction and the director of the historical society, and insofar as possible, make the book useful for civics classes in schools.

35.24(1)(b) (b) The department shall deliver camera-ready copy to the contract printer, to be printed and delivered as soon as practicable after the spring election of the odd-numbered year.

35.24(2) (2) The Blue Book shall be case-bound in hard covers and shall have a blue spine.

35.24(3) (3) Reprints of the feature article shall be bound in paper covers and shall be in such quantity as is authorized for each specific reprint by the joint committee on legislative organization. The cost of reprints shall be paid from the appropriation under s. 20.765 (1) (d).

35.24 History History: 1971 c. 82, 211; 1973 c. 90; 1975 c. 39 s. 732 (1); 1975 c. 200, 205; 1977 c. 29, 418; 1979 c. 34, 221; 1981 c. 20, 260; 1989 a. 31; 1995 a. 27; 1997 a. 27; 2003 a. 33; 2005 a. 25.

OFFICIAL REPORTS; CLASS 3 PRINTING

35.26 35.26 Official reports.

35.26(1) (1) Every report submitted under s. 15.04 (1) (d) shall set forth all receipts and disbursements in full and in detail. At the same time at which a report is submitted under s. 15.04 (1) (d), it shall be presented by its author to the department as printer’s copy. No report shall contain any advertising matter nor any copying of the session laws or statutes of this state, except minor extracts explanatory of and incorporated in the text.

35.26(2) (2) Before filing any report its author shall carefully edit the same and strike therefrom all journals and minutes of proceedings and all correspondence, petitions, orders and other documents or writings whose substance can be briefly stated, consolidate, so far as practicable, statistical tables and strike out all matter which is not important information concerning public affairs.

35.26(3) (3) Sufficient copies of official reports shall be supplied by the publishing state agencies to the department for distribution in accordance with s. 35.84.

35.26(4) (4) The costs of reports authorized by ss. 35.26 to 35.28 shall be charged to the requisitioning agency.

35.26 History History: 1971 c. 42; 1977 c. 196 s. 131; 1979 c. 34; 1983 a. 36.

35.265 35.265 State budget, copies. The governor may issue not to exceed 1,000 copies of the state budget report and as many copies of the budget report in brief as the governor determines to be necessary. The cost of these reports shall be charged to the department. After making the required distribution of the state budget report to the executive and legislative agencies and members of the legislature, the remaining copies may be sold to individuals at a price which does not exceed the costs per copy of printing, postage and handling. Revenues collected by the department under this section shall be deposited in the general fund.