April 20, 2012 – Gov. Scott Walker signed a number of bills this month – including ones related to agriculture, public safety, abortion, employment discrimination, abstinence education, and DNR permitting – concluding a 2011-12 legislative session that produced a total of 286 acts.

The Wisconsin Legislature maintains a list of all 286 acts with relating clauses on its website, as well as act memos written by the Legislative Council that explain the new laws. These resources can help lawyers and the public search new laws by subject area and effective date.

For instance, the Legislature passed major laws relating to attorney fees, trespasser liability, civil judgment interest rates, self-defense, early prison release, collective bargaining, tort reform, auto insurance, concealed carry, redistricting, and landlord-tenant law, to name a few.

Throughout the legislative session, the State Bar of Wisconsin reported on major legislation, including but not limited to legislation its board and sections supported or opposed. The following list includes articles covering legislation from 2011-12 that became law.

Attorney fees

• Gov. Walker signs bill regulating attorney fees, adopts castle doctrine and trespasser bills

• Attorney fees: Proposed bill seeks to cap reasonable attorney fees where available

Judgment interest

• Judgment interest: Bill reducing interest rates on court judgments awaits final signature

Healthcare

• Peer review statute: Health care providers get broader protections under revised law

• New state budget act increases medical record fees

Labor & employment

• Wisconsin Budget Repair Bill: Implications for public-sector employers

• Collective bargaining: The rules governing negotiations in a post-Act 10 environment

• Bill will eliminate compensatory and punitive damages under Wisconsin’s Fair Employment Act

Tort reform

• A New Era: Products Liability Law in Wisconsin

• Perspective on tort reform: Law makes it more difficult for injured parties to achieve justice

• Perspective on tort reform: Reforms improve Wisconsin's civil liability system

• Tort Reform: Judges now have less discretion in finding frivolousness, imposing sanctions

• Governor signs controversial tort reform bill into law

• State Senate passes omnibus tort reform bill, makes new law effective immediately

Criminal law

• The Pendulum Swings: No More Early Release

• Criminal sentencing provisions could change under Gov. Walker’s proposed budget bill

• Gov. Walker signs bill regulating attorney fees, adopts castle doctrine and trespasser bills

• Castle doctrine: Lawmakers considering law on self-defense in the home

Insurance

• Wisconsin’s New Automobile Insurance Law

• Auto insurance changes: New law rolls back coverage limits and prevents stacking

Telecommunications

• The Telecommunications Modernization Act of 2011: Wisconsin repaves the information superhighway

Children and family law

• Gov. Walker signs bill permitting power of parental rights, other child-related legislation

• 2011 Assembly Bill 30 creates a new power of attorney to allow parents to delegate parental authority to a third party 

• Mandatory reporting: Wisconsin makes changes to child abuse reporting laws

• Juvenile law: Crime sparks expanded access to juvenile records

Concealed carry

• Concealed carry: Could prohibiting weapons in the workplace lead to liability?

Property and landlord-tenant

• Trespasser liability: Wisconsin Legislature votes to codify existing law

• New law eases restrictions on residential landlords

• Landlord-tenant law: Rights, remedies, and changes under new Act 143

• Gov. Walker signs bill regulating attorney fees, adopts castle doctrine and trespasser bills

Government and municipalities

• Pothole liability: Proposed bill could create “discretionary” immunity for highway defects

• Changing the Rules on Rulemaking

Voting

• The new Voter ID Law: How it works

• Redistricting: Litigation common, current cycle unique in Wisconsin

• Federal court panel largely upholds Republican-drawn legislative redistricting maps

Prosecutor pay

• Assembly gives final passage to bill improving prosecutor compensation

• Bill to improve prosecutor compensation advances; public defender pay progression bill introduced

• Bipartisan bill aims to improve retention of prosecutors

Civil procedure

• Open access to courts or forum shopping? A look at Wisconsin Act 61

Evidence

• Proposed legislation allows hearsay evidence to overcome probable cause standard

• The Daubert Standard in Wisconsin: A Primer

State budget

• Gov. Walker signs state budget bill into law, issues vetoes

• State budget increases small claims limit, effective July 1

• Proposed state budget will reduce funding for indigent civil legal needs