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Wisconsin Legislative History: Legislation Not Enacted

Process for Researching and Compiling a Wisconsin Legislative History

Legislation That Has Not Been Enacted

Occasionally, one may need to find the history of legislation of a bill that was not enacted.

If the bill or resolution is known, go directly to the drafting records and search by the legislative session and bill or resolution number.

If the bill or resolution is not known, but the subject is known:

  • Begin by looking at the Bulletin of the Proceedings of the Wisconsin Legislature (KFW 2406)

  • Search the Index to Senate and Assembly Bills, Joint Resolutions, Resolutions and Petitions.  (This needs to be done on a Session-by-Session basis.)  The index leads to Assembly Bills, Senate Bills, or Joint Resolutions

  • Once the subject has been identified, consult the corresponding Bulletin of Proceedings.  This is a listing of the bills or resolutions in numerical order, giving the history of the action, including final disposition.

  • Look at the corresponding drafting records, either online (1999-) or on microfiche (first floor of the library).  Records for legislation not enacted are filed by date under the bill or resolution number, after the acts for each legislative session.

About the Resources On This Page

Resources discussed on this page include the following:

 

Bulletin of the Proceedings for the Wisconsin Legislature, and
Index to Senate and Assembly Bills, Joint Resolutions, Resolutions and Petitions

Call Number: KFW 2406
The Assembly Journals and Senate Journals includes an Index to Senate and Assembly Bills, Joint Resolutions, Resolutions and Petitions, the text of Bills and Joint Resolutions, and the Bulletin of Proceedings or the Journal of Proceedings. This material is located on the first floor of the Eckstein Law Library.

 

Drafting Records

Call Number: KFW2821.5 .B5 W57
1999 through current are available from the State Legislature Web Site
1927 through 1997 are available on Microfiche (Marquette Eckstein Law Library, First Floor, KFW 2821.5.B5 W57)
1999 through 2006 are also available on CD ROM (Marquette Law Library, First Floor, KFW 2821.5.B5 W57)
1999 through 2008 are also available from the University of Wisconsin Law Library Web Site

Drafting records are produced during the development of legislation.  All of the documents that are generated during the bill drafting process are considered to be drafting records.  As such, they can be very helpful when trying to glean the intent of the collective legislature.

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