99th Wisconsin Legislature
← 98th 100th →
Wisconsin State Capitol
Overview
Legislative body	Wisconsin Legislature
Meeting place	Wisconsin State Capitol
Term	January 5, 2009 – January 3, 2011
Election	November 4, 2008
Senate
Members	33
Senate President	Fred A. Risser (D)
President pro tempore	Pat Kreitlow (D)
Party control	Democratic
Assembly
Members	99
Assembly Speaker	Michael J. Sheridan (D)
Speaker pro tempore	Tony Staskunas (D)
Party control	Democratic
Sessions
Regular January 5, 2009 – May 26, 2010 May 2009 Extraordinary May 12, 2009 – May 13, 2009 June 2009 Extraordinary June 9, 2009 – June 11, 2009 June 2009 Special June 24, 2009 – June 27, 2009 Dec. 2009 Extraordinary December 16, 2009 – December 16, 2009 Dec. 2009 Special December 16, 2009 – March 9, 2010 Dec. 2010 Extraordinary December 15, 2010 – December 16, 2010

The Ninety-Ninth Wisconsin Legislature was convened on January 5, 2009. The session was scheduled to end on January 3, 2011, and the final adjournment for regular legislative activity occurred on May 26, 2010.^[1] During the course of the 99th Legislature, there were two special sessions and four extraordinary sessions called for various legislative purposes.

Major events

• January 20, 2009: Barack Obama was inaugurated as the 44th President of the United States.
• February 17, 2009: The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 was signed into law by President Obama.
• March 6, 2009: The Dow Jones Industrial Average hit 6,443.27, its lowest level of the financial crisis of 2007–2008. It was 54% from its peak at 14,164 on October 9, 2007.
• May 12, 2009: The Wisconsin Senate called an extraordinary session to deal with Assembly Bill 255 – relating to eligibility for unemployment benefits and other matters relating to disbursement of funds from the federal American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
• June 9, 2009: The Wisconsin Senate called an extraordinary session to deal with Senate Bill 232 – relating to payment of funds to state public schools.
• June 24, 2009: Wisconsin governor Jim Doyle called a Special session of the Legislature to act upon legislation relating to the hospital assessment, medical assistance and collecting federal revenue related to the assessment.^[2]
• December 16, 2009: The Wisconsin Senate called an extraordinary session to deal with Senate Bill 66 – relating to laws on driving under the influence of alcohol.^[3]
• December 16, 2009: Governor Doyle called a special session of the Legislature to act on Senate Bill 405 and Assembly Bill 534 – relating to rules governing the Milwaukee Public Schools.^[4]
• November 2, 2010: Scott Walker was elected 45th governor of Wisconsin.

Major legislation

• January 29, 2009: Act relating to payment of Wisconsin supplemental and extended unemployment insurance benefits in this state. 2009 Wisc. Act 1
• May 15, 2009: Act relating to eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits and payment of extended benefits; excluding recovery and reinvestment act moneys from the calculation of expenditure restraint payments; eligibility for participation in the programs of a community action agency; financial assistance under the Clean Water Fund Program and the Safe Drinking Water Loan Program; the confidentiality of pupil records provided to the Department of Public Instruction; financial assistance for criminal justice programs; authorizing political subdivisions to make residential energy efficiency improvement loans and impose special charges for the loans; definition of low-income household under energy and weatherization assistance programs; eligibility and notice changes for state continuation of coverage for health insurance; changes to enterprise zone jobs credits; state aid to school districts; providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures; granting rule-making authority; and making an appropriation. 2009 Wisc. Act 11
• June 11, 2009: Act relating to the payment of state school aid in June 2009. 2009 Wisc. Act 23
• December 22, 2009: Act relating to operating a vehicle while intoxicated, granting rule-making authority, making an appropriation, and providing a penalty. 2009 Wisc. Act 100 – lowering the legal blood-alcohol limit for operating a vehicle from 0.1 to 0.08, among other changes to law.
• May 18, 2010: Act relating to financial assistance related to bioenergy feedstocks, biorefineries, and conversion to biomass energy; the definition of the term agricultural use for the purpose of determining the assessed value of a parcel of land; requiring a strategic bioenergy feedstock assessment; creation of a bioenergy council; the agricultural and forestry diversification programs; biofuels training assessment; a study of regulatory burdens relating to biofuel production facilities; marketing orders and agreements for bioenergy feedstocks; exempting personal renewable fuel production and use from the motor vehicle fuel tax, the petroleum inspection fee, and business tax registration requirements; an income and franchise tax credit for installing or retrofitting pumps that mix motor vehicle fuels from separate storage tanks; offering gasoline that is not blended with ethanol to motor fuel dealers; state renewable motor vehicle fuels sales goals; use of petroleum-based transportation fuels by state vehicles; use of alternative fuels in flex fuel vehicles owned by the state; use of public alternative fuel refueling facilities; duties of the Office of Energy Independence; granting rule-making authority; requiring the exercise of rule-making authority; making appropriations; and providing penalties. 2009 Wisc. Act 401

Party summary

Senate

Senate Partisan composition

  Democratic: 18 seats

  Republican: 15 seats

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total
	Democratic	Republican		Vacant
End of previous legislature	18	15	33	0
Beginning of this legislature	18	15	33	0
Final voting share	54.55%	45.45%
Beginning of next session	14	19	33	0

Assembly

Assembly Partisan composition

  Democratic: 52 seats

  Independent: 1 seat

  Republican: 46 seats

Affiliation	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)			Total
	Democratic	Ind.	Republican		Vacant
End of previous session	47	0	52	99	0
Beginning of this legislature	52	1	46	99	0
Final voting share	52.53%	1.01%	46.46%
Beginning of next session	38	1	60	99	0

Sessions

• Regular session: January 5, 2009 – May 26, 2010
• May 2009 Extraordinary session: May 12, 2009 – May 13, 2009
• June 2009 Extraordinary session: June 9, 2009 – June 11, 2009
• June 2009 Special session (JN9): June 24, 2009 – June 27, 2009
• December 2009 Extraordinary session: December 16, 2009
• December 2009 Special session (DE9): December 16, 2009 – March 9, 2010

Officers

Members

Changes from the 98th Legislature

References

External links