I’m pleased to report that the 2005/2006 Wisconsin Legislative Drafting Records are now available on the UW Law Library Web site. Records from previous sessions back to 1999/2000 are also available. The 2005/2006 records have …
Legislation & Regs
C-SPAN Video Archive of House and Senate Floor Proceedings
C-SPAN has created a video archive House and Senate floor proceedings. The new C-SPAN Congressional Chronicle is produced through a automated matching of the video recordings with the Congressional Record soon after the Record is …
Cell Phones Added to "Do Not Call" List?
From JS Online: The state Senate unanimously voted Tuesday to add cell phones to the state’s “do not call” list and raise the maximum fine for violating that law from $100 to $1,000.
The New Federal Rules of Civil Procedure
On December 1, 2007, a revised and restyled Federal Rules of Civil Procedure (F.R.C.P.) became effective. The Style Project, as it is called, rewrote the rules using “plain language” with the purpose of making them …
JS Online Weighs in on Proposal to Limit Access to Court Records
In an editorial yesterday, JS Online weighs in on another proposal to limit access to Wisconsin’s online court records. Companion proposals by Vos and Lassa would have state officials remove cases or charges involving a …
New Bill Would Give Police Instant Access to Drivers' License Photos
Wisconsin Attorney General Van Hollen is backing a bill that would offer electronic access by law enforcement agencies to photographs on motor vehicle operators licenses and identification cards. According to Proof and Hearsay: The bill …
WI Personnel Commission Abolished
The Wisconsin Personnel Commission is yet another agency abolished by the state budget. Others include the Revisor of Statutes Bureau and the Sentencing Commission. From their Web site: Pursuant to the provisions of the State …
Wisconsin Passed Nation's First Open Records Law in 1849
In response to my post last week about Wisconsin passing the nation’s first open records law in 1849, I received a request to post the full text of that law. So, I did a quick …
Historical Wisconsin Statutes in the News
Two news items involving historical Wisconsin statutes: A Capital Times writer authenticates Wikipedia claim that the nation’s first open records law was passed in Wisconsin shortly after it became a state. WI Revised Statutes, 1849 …
Staffing Changes as Statute & Admin Code Responsibilities are Transferred to LRB
Deputy Revisor of Statutes Bruce Hoesly dropped me a line today letting me know that he’ll be transferring over to the Legislative Reference Bureau. He’ll be in charge of statute and administrative code and register …