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Legislative Research Process

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How to Find Wisconsin Legislation and Regulations

Answer the questions below to guide you to the best sources for your information. Then use the Quick Links at the bottom to access the documents.

Are you looking for a bill, law, or regulation?

Bill (originally proposed text, may not be passed)

Check Sources for Wisconsin Legislative Actions.

Use the Bulletin of Proceedings Subject Index to find your bill if you do not know its number.

Once you have the bill number, look at the Legislative Proposals or Senate & Assembly Journals for the text.

Law (passed legislation)

Do you know the Act or Statute number?

  • Look it up using the Bulletin of Proceedings or the subject index in the back of your Laws or Statutes volume.

Do you need the original or current text of the law?

  • Consider whether you need the text of the law as it read when it was passed, or the way the law stands now.

Then, check Sources for Wisconsin Laws.

Regulation (rules that allow law to be carried out)

Regulations are developed by the agencies that oversee that area of government. They are typically much more detailed and specific than their corresponding legislation.

Check Sources for Wisconsin Regulations.

How much information about the law do you need?

Just the text
Legislative history (bill, amendments, voting, etc.)
Additional information (analysis, reports, etc.)

Sources for Wisconsin Laws

Laws of Wisconsin (original text of law)
Arranged in order of Act number. Use the subject index in the back of the volume or the Bulletin of Proceedings to determine the Act number if you do not already know it.
Source Coverage

Wisconsin Legislative Documents website

(Look under Full Menu > Archives > Law Archive > Acts)

 1848 to date (some years missing)
print - =GVP WI Z. 5: 2001 to date
Wisconsin Statutes (law currently in effect)
Use the subject index volume to determine the number of the statute, if not already known. Some editions are Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations. Annotations include a Legislative History, which will tell you when the original bill became law, if and when there were revisions to the law, and court cases that affected the law.
Source Coverage

Wisconsin Legislative Documents website

(Look under Full Menu > Archives > Law Archive > Statutes)

 1941 to date
print - GVP WI Z. 5/2: 2001 to date
Westlaw Campus Research 1989 to date

Sources for Wisconsin Legislative Actions

Bulletin of Proceedings
The Bulletin of Proceedings of the Wisconsin Legislature contains a subject index, which can be use to find your Act number. Once you know the number, the Bulletin will give a brief outline of all action taken on the proposal and will refer you to the corresponding page numbers in the Assembly Journal or Senate Journal for more information.
Source Coverage
print - GVP WI Z. 1: 2017 to date

Wisconsin Legislative Documents website

(Look under Full Menu > Archives > Session Archive > Menu & Histories)

 1981 to date
Senate & Assembly Journals
The Journals contain a record of all action taken by that house of the legislature, including roll call votes on legislation. Find the page number where action on your Act was recorded by checking the Bulletin of Proceedings.
Source Coverage
print - GVP WI Z. 1: 2017 to date

Wisconsin Legislative Documents website

Look under Full Menu > Archives > Session Archive > Journals

 1981 to date
Legislative Proposals
Access a list of all proposed bills and resolutions, with link to the text of the bill.
Source Coverage

Wisconsin Legislative Documents website

(Look under Full Menu > Archives > Session Archive > Proposals)

 1995 to date

Sources for Wisconsin Legislative Information

Committee Records
Unlike at the federal level, transcripts of what was said in hearings and debate are not kept. Committee records report how each member voted on a bill. Public hearing records list those who appeared for or against the bill. They may include letters or documents sent to the committee in support or opposition of the bill, but retention and collection of these documents is not complete.
Source Coverage

Committee Records (ROCPs) on Wisconsin Legislative Documents website

(Look under Full Menu > Archives > Session Archive > Menu & Histories)

 1981 to date

Public Hearing Records on Wisconsin Legislative Documents website

(Look under Full Menu > Archives > Session Archive > Public Hearing Records)

 1989 to date

print - Committee Reports

GVP WI

limited; see catalog for holdings
Joint Legislative Council
In 1947 the Joint Legislative Council was formed with the purpose of conducting in-depth study in order to write better legislation. If your bill was introduced by the Joint Legislative Council, you may find additional documents that will help you understand the bill and its subject.
Source Coverage

Wisconsin Legislative Documents website

Click on Full Menu and Options, then:
look under Archives > Legislative Council AND
Miscellaneous Documents > Legislative Council Documents

 varies; 2003 to date
print - GVP WI LEG 1977 to date, coverage varies
Drafting Files
Drafting files contain all all available records from the bill creation process. Some files are more thorough than others, but they may help to determine intent of the legislation.
Source Coverage

Wisconsin Legislative Documents website

(Look under Full Menu > Archives > Drafting Files Archive)

 1999 to date
Legislative Reference Bureau Reports
The Legislative Reference Bureau conducts research on legislative issues for the Wisconsin State Legislature.
Source Coverage
Legislative Reference Bureau Digital Collections website varies; 1950s to date
print - GVP WI LEG 2.3 1971 to date, coverage varies

Sources for Wisconsin Regulations

Wisconsin Administrative Code (current regulations)
Contains the regulations currently in effect. Arranged by state agency.
Source Coverage

Wisconsin Legislative Documents website

(Look under Administrative Rules)

 1956 to date
print - GVP WI A. 5: as of January 2015
Westlaw Campus Research default: current
Wisconsin Historical Regulations: 2002 to date
Wisconsin Administrative Register (proposed regulations)
Unlike the Federal Register, the state does not publish comments and discussion on proposed regulations.
Source Coverage

Wisconsin Legislative Documents website

(Look under Administrative Rules)

 1956 to date
print - REF GVP WI A. 5/4: 2014
Westlaw Campus Research: Wisconsin Proposed & Adopted Regulations past 2 years

Information for Other States

For statutes, court cases, and regulations for other states, use Westlaw Campus Research. Coverage will vary by jurisdiction.

Quick Links

Westlaw Video Tutorial