Legal Research News and Information with an Emphasis on Wisconsin
Last week I posted on the Wisconsin Legislature’s new beta site for searching documents. Bruce Hoesly, at the Legislative Reference Bureau, informs me that they are very interested in getting feedback on the system, including some new changes that debuted yesterday. To facilitate this, notice that there is now a Feedback link in the top …
University of Wisconsin Law School has organized a forum on the legal and political issues raised by the Governor’s Budget Repair Bill. All are welcome. The forum seeks to provide insights into the dramatic developments that have followed the introduction of the Governor’s Budget Repair Bill from an historical, legal and political perspective The forum …
The Wisconsin Legislature has recently released a new beta site for searching documents. Currently available are statutes, administrative code, and new proposal info pages with enhanced bill history. I’m very impressed with the new site and agree with Bev Butula’s assessment that it is much more sleek and user friendly than the current one. In …
Interested in keeping tabs on proposed legislation or regulations in your area of law? The State of Wisconsin offers free services for monitoring both legislation and administrative regulations. Legislation: The Wisconsin Legislative Notification System allows anyone the opportunity to follow legislation by receiving daily or weekly emails for specific legislative activities. You can choose items …
The State Bar of Wisconsin has compiled a handy list of legislative leadership and committee appointments for both the Senate and Assembly. A full list of 2011-12 Senate and Assembly members is available from the Wheeler Report.
City or county ordinances used to be very difficult to find, but more and more local governments are putting their laws online making access much easier. The Wisconsin State Law Library has compiled a very complete list of links for Wisconsin Ordinances and Codes. For other states, see the Local Laws entry in Zimmerman’s Research …
2009 Wisconsin Act 220, which prohibits electronic text messaging and electronic mail messaging while driving, takes effect Dec 1, 2010. Specifically, the Act creates s. 346.89(3), which states: “No person may drive, as defined in s. 343.305(1)(b), any motor vehicle while composing or sending an electronic text message or an electronic mail message.” Violators are …
Starting in January 2011, Wisconsin legislative proposals (bills, amendments, and resolutions) will display a graphic code called a “matrix code” that contains a URL, or hyperlink. From the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau: With an Internet-connected cell phone, you can scan the matrix code to display an associated Web page. If the proposal has been introduced, …
The State Bar reports that the Wisconsin Department of Justice website now offers access to information about Wisconsin Public Records Law. The site includes: Attorney General Opinions on Public Records Issues Sample Public Records Documents Other Public Records Resources
The Wisconsin Department of Justice has recently posted updated guides to open meetings and public records compliance. In addition, Attorney General Van Hollen will be hosting free seminars to promote public awareness of and compliance with the state’s open meetings and public records law. The seminars will be held in Madison (September 20th), Milwaukee (September …