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 3.0 on your computer.

* - Publication date statutory note

Changing how human organs are procured

• 1997 Wisconsin Act 305
• April 1998 Special Session: Assembly Bill 2

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

• 1997 Wisconsin Act 306
• 1997 Assembly Bill 811

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

• 1997 Wisconsin Act 307
• 1997 Assembly Bill 790

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

• 1997 Wisconsin Act 308
• 1997 Assembly Bill 601

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

• 1997 Wisconsin Act 309
• 1997 Senate Bill 369

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

• 1997 Wisconsin Act 310
• 1997 Senate Bill 473

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

• 1997 Wisconsin Act 311
• 1997 Assembly Bill 549

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

• 1997 Wisconsin Act 312
• 1997 Assembly Bill 46

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

• 1997 Wisconsin Act 313
• 1997 Assembly Bill 858

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

• 1997 Wisconsin Act 314
• 1997 Assembly Bill 566

Publication date*: July 14, 1998

Relating to: Sales tax and use tax late filing fees.

Establishing deadlines for delivering property tax rolls

• 1997 Wisconsin Act 315
• 1997 Assembly Bill 422

Publication date*: July 14, 1998

Relating to: Deadlines for delivering property tax rolls.

Regulating investment advisors

• 1997 Wisconsin Act 316
• 1997 Assembly Bill 831

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

• 1997 Wisconsin Act 317
• 1997 Assembly Bill 872

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

• 1997 Wisconsin Act 318
• 1997 Senate Bill 425

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

• 1997 Wisconsin Act 319
• 1997 Assembly Bill 621

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

• 1997 Wisconsin Act 320
• 1997 Assembly Bill 874

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.

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