Notes from the West Wing

By State Representative Garey Bies

The Legislative Process

            The new legislative session is set to begin in less than a month so I thought for this edition of Notes from the West Wing I would provide a bit of a primer on the Legislative Process.

            The legislative process begins with an idea for a new law or a change to an existing law.  For me, these ideas often stem from input I receive from my correspondence and conversations with constituents.  Once the idea is in hand, it is time to put this idea into actual legal language, a bill.  Here in the Wisconsin Legislature, we have the Legislative Reference Bureau that has several attorneys whose responsibilities are to draft the bills for legislators.

            Once the bill is in written legal form, the draft is usually shared with other legislators to see if they have interest in signing their name to the bill as a co-author.  This can actually be very important as the greater number of legislators that have attached their name to a proposal immediately gives the bill momentum as it works its way through the legislative process.

            The next step for a proposal is to be formally introduced to the legislature.  This is where the bill is assigned a number, such as “Assembly Bill 1” or “Senate Bill 1” depending on whether the proposal was introduced to the Assembly or Senate by a Representative or Senator.  For purposes here, let’s follow the process of a bill introduced into the Assembly.

            Following introduction, the bill is “referred,” or sent to an Assembly committee for review.  As you might assume, a bill is sent to a committee depending on the issue addressed in the bill.  For example, the legislation concerning the Great Lakes Compact was sent to the Natural Resources Committee.  My legislation on the Propane Safety Act was sent to the Assembly Committee on Energy and Utilities.

            Now, in my opinion, the period where the committee is reviewing a bill is the most important part of the legislative process.  It is during the committee review period where everyone, you, me and others can provide comments and suggestions on a bill as to whether it is a good idea or not or how the bill should be modified to improve it.  During my time as a Committee Chairperson, I really valued the input from citizens as it gives an opportunity for legislators to receive direct input from those the bill will affect.  It is this input that is often the cause of the sometimes drastic changes a bill can undergo between introduction and final passage.

            While committees play a central role in facilitating a bill’s progress, they also serve as the point along the legislative process where bills are blocked from moving further.  Though many bills successfully move through the Committee review stage, a much greater number do not.  If the idea behind a bill does not have enough support it typically “dies” in committee.  It is one of the roles of the committee: to prevent bills with insufficient support from continuing in the legislative process.

            Once the Assembly committee finishes its review of the bill, it either approves the bill or not.  If the committee votes to support the bill, the bill is available for scheduling for consideration by the full Assembly on the “Floor.”  Or, if the bill has a significant impact on state finances it goes instead to the Joint Finance Committee where it receives another round of committee review before approval and availability for scheduling for floor action.

            When the bill receives floor action, the legislators have one last opportunity to modify the bill with amendments.  If the Assembly votes to approve the bill, the process then starts all over again in the Senate!  Once the bill successfully navigates both houses, it is then sent to the Governor for his approval or veto.  Only with his approval does the bill, the original idea, in its final form, become law.

            The legislative process is not a simple one and only in very rare cases is the process quick.  With so many bills introduced each session it is important for the legislature to take its time to review them.  It is also why I so appreciate hearing from residents their views on bills that interest them.  Your input helps me better represent your views here in the legislature.  My door is always open and I look forward to hearing from you this session.  I can be reached by e-mail at Rep.Bies@legis.wisconsin.gov or by telephone, toll-free at 1-888-482-0001.  You can also visit my website at http://www.legis.state.wi.us/assembly/asm01/news/.