At Issue
Laws in the Making: Recently Passed Legislation
Recently passed legislation is a feature of the At Issue column in
response to your requests for more information on new laws. Summaries of
1997 Acts 61 - 83 appeared in the May
1998 Wisconsin Lawyer ; and summaries of 1997 Acts 84 - 136
appeared in the June
1998 issue. Due to the volume of legislation passed during the
regular and special sessions, legislative summaries appear in multiple
issues.
To subscribe to the slip laws (acts), send your order with payment
to: Department of Administration, Document Sales, P.O. Box 7840,
Madison, WI 53707-7840. The subscription period is from January 1997
through December 1998. The mailed subscription price is $70 plus
applicable sales tax. Save mailing costs by picking up your subscription
for $20 plus tax. Pick up orders at Legislative Documents, 1 E. Main
St., Madison, Wis. Mastercard or Visa orders may be placed by calling
(800) 362-7253.
To receive a free, single copy of the entire act, please contact
Legislative Documents, 1 E. Main St., Madison, WI 53702, (608) 266-2400.
Or you can access the acts by using the links below. *
Editor's Note: To view Wisconsin
statutes and acts referenced in this article you must have and/or
install Adobe Acrobat
Reader on your computer.
* - Publication date statutory note
Changing how human organs are procured
Publication date*: July 13, 1998
Relating to: Changing requirements for hospitals, organ
procurement organizations, coroners, and medical examiners with respect
to the potential donation of anatomical gifts and procurement and use of
body parts by an organ procurement organization.
Effective date: This act takes effect on Sept. 1, 1998.
Authorizing and regulating the use of electronic signatures
Publication date*: July 14, 1998
Relating to: Authorizing the use of electronic signatures
and creating a committee to study the use and regulation of electronic
signatures in this state, requests for proposals for electric generating
capacity and requiring the exercise of rule-making authority.
Effective dates: This act takes effect on the day after
publication, except as follows:
(1) The treatment of sections 16.855 (23), 20.575 (1) (g), 137.01 (4)
(a) and 990.01 (38) and subchapter II of chapter 137 of the statutes,
the renumbering of chapter 137 of the statutes and the creation of
chapter 137 (title) of the statutes take effect on the first day of the
twelfth month beginning after publication.
Measures affecting the state civil service
Publication date*: July 4, 1998
Relating to: Various measures affecting the state civil
service.
Effective date: The treatment of sections 230.15 (1) and
(2m), 230.21 (1), 230.22 (3), 230.25 (5), 230.26 (2), 230.27 (2),
230.275 and 230.44 (1) (dm) of the statutes takes effect on the first
day of the second month beginning after publication.
Regulating adoption assistance
Publication date*: July 14, 1998
Relating to: Adoption assistance, granting rule-making
authority and making an appropriation.
Effective dates; general: This act takes effect on the day
after publication, except as follows:
(1m) The treatment of sections 46.10 (14) (cm) 1. and 2. and 48.975
(2) and (3m) of the statutes, the renumbering and amendment of section
48.975 (3) (a), (4) and (5) of the statutes, the creation of section
48.975 (3) (a)3. and 4., (4) (b), (bm), (c) and (d) and (5) (a), (b),
(c), (d), (dm) and (e) of the statutes and section 9322 (1) of this act
take effect on Jan. 1, 1999.
Establishing commercial real estate broker's commission liens
Publication date*: July 14, 1998 (corrected)
Relating to: Establishing a commercial real estate broker's
commission lien.
Effective date: This act takes effect on the first day of
the fourth month beginning after publication.
Establishing a periodic study of public schools and a low-interest
loan to build adult day care facilities
Publication date*: July 14, 1998
Relating to: A periodic study of the public schools, a
low-interest loan for construction of an adult day care services
facility, and making an appropriation.
Effective date: This act takes effect on the day after
publication, except as follows:
(1) The repeal and recreation of section 20.143 (1) (c) of the
statutes takes effect on July 1, 1999.
Disciplining physicians and verifying their compliance with
continuing education requirements
Publication date*: July 14, 1998
Relating to: Verifying compliance of physicians with
continuing education requirements, allegations of misconduct involving
persons with medical credentials, issuance of administrative warnings by
the medical examining board, disciplinary actions by the medical
examining board, requiring clerks of circuit court to notify the medical
examining board about findings of negligence by physicians, granting
rule-making authority and providing a penalty.
Exempting elder housing from age or family status discrimination
prohibitions
Publication date*: July 14, 1998
Relating to: The exemption for housing for older persons
from the law prohibiting discrimination in housing based on age or
family status.
Allowing grants to friends groups for developing certain DNR-owned
properties
Publication date*: July 14, 1998
Relating to: Grants to friends groups for property
development on certain properties owned by the department of natural
resources.
Applying late filing fees to sales and use tax returns
Publication date*: July 14, 1998
Relating to: Sales tax and use tax late filing fees.
Establishing deadlines for delivering property tax rolls
Publication date*: July 14, 1998
Relating to: Deadlines for delivering property tax
rolls.
Regulating investment advisors
Publication date*: July 8, 1998
Relating to: The regulation of investment advisors and
investment advisor representatives, the registration of securities,
transfers of trust business within bank holding company systems, and
granting rule-making authority.
Regulating how a tenant's property is stored and disposed after
eviction
Publication date*: July 14, 1998
Relating to: The storage and disposition of a tenant's
property upon eviction and persons required to be licensed as public
warehouse keepers.
Providing credit establishment and credit repair assistance to
Wisconsin works participants
Publication date*: July 14, 1998
Relating to: The delegation of authority by first class city
school districts over funds held in trust for certain pension plans and
credit assistance for Wisconsin works participants.
Childrens' testimony at trial
Publication date*: July 15, 1998
Relating to: The testimony at trial of child witnesses in
certain cases.
Definition of sponsor for facilities financed by WHEDA
Publication date*: July 15, 1998
Relating to: Expanding the definition of sponsor for
developing residential facilities that are eligible for financing by the
Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority.
Costs of seized or confiscated fish and game
Publication date*:July 15, 1998
Relating to: Distribution and processing costs of seized or
confiscated fish and game.
Fishing licenses for disabled veterans
Publication date*:July 15, 1998
Relating to: Fishing licenses for disabled veterans
Initial applicability: This act first applies to fishing
licenses applied for on the effective date of this subsection.
Prohibiting browsing of taxpayer information
Publication date*:July 15, 1998
Relating to: Prohibiting browsing of taxpayer information
and providing a penalty.
Regulating grain dealers and warehouse keepers
Publication date*:July 15, 1998
Relating to: Regulation of grain dealers and grain warehouse
keepers.
Speed restriction violations in school zones
Publication date*: July 15, 1998
Relating to: Increasing forfeitures for motor vehicle speed
restriction violations committed in school zones and providing
penalties.
Effective date: This act takes effect on the first day of
the sixth month beginning after publication.
Persistent child sex offenders
Publication date*:July 15, 1998
Relating to: Persistent child sex offenders and providing
penalties.
Distributing a controlled substance near certain places
Publication date*: July 15, 1998
Relating to: Delivery or distribution of a controlled
substance, or possession with intent to deliver or distribute a
controlled substance, on or near certain places and providing a
penalty.
Violating nonsecure custody orders by juveniles
Publication date*:July 15, 1998
Relating to: Violations of nonsecure custody orders by
juveniles and providing a penalty.
Searching a pupil's locker
Publication date*:July 15, 1998
Relating to: Authorizing the search of a pupil's locker.
Prohibiting toilet waste disposal into water from boats
Publication date*:July 15, 1998
Relating to: Disposal facilities on outlying waters for
toilet wastes from boats and granting rule-making authority.
Effective date: This act takes effect on Jan. 1, 1999.
Writer liable for worthless checks
Publication date*: July 15, 1998
Relating to: Liability for worthless checks.
Approving and recording final plats
Publication date*: July 15, 1998
Relating to: Approval and recording of final plats.
Designating a child's standby guardian
Publication date*:July 15, 1998
Relating to: The designation by a parent or the appointment
by a court of a standby guardian of a child whose duty and authority as
standby guardian begins on the incapacity, death, or debilitation and
consent, of the parent.
Teachers may remove disruptive pupils from class
Publication date*: July 15, 1998
Relating to: Removal of disruptive pupils from the
class.
Penalties for providing alcohol to minors
Publication date*:July 15, 1998
Relating to: Providing alcohol beverages to an underage
person.
Recording requirements for condominium instruments
Publication date*:July 15, 1998
Relating to: Recording requirements for condominium
instruments.
Effective date: This act takes effect on the first day of
the sixth month beginning after publication.
Restricting sales and delivery of nitrous oxide
Publication date*:July 15, 1998
Relating to: Nitrous oxide and providing penalties.
Initial applicability: The treatment of section 134.63 (3)
(a) and (4) (b) of the statutes first applies to deliveries of nitrous
oxide cartridges occurring on the first day of the seventh month
beginning after the effective date of this subsection.
* Section 991.11, Wisconsin Statutes
1995-96: Effective date of acts. "Every act and every portion of an act
enacted by the legislature over the governor's partial veto which does
not expressly prescribe the time when it takes effect shall take effect
on the day after its date of publication as designated" by the secretary
of state [the date of publication may not be more than 10 working days
after the date of enactment].
Wisconsin Lawyer