Jan. 28, 2013 – A new legislative proposal would change the process for how acts are published and the date when they become effective. Senator Glenn Grothman (R-West Bend) and Representative Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) authored Senate Bill 2, which will direct the Legislative Reference Bureau to publish a signed act the day after they are enacted. The bill also goes further in stating that if no effective date is specified in the legislation then the act will take effect the day after being published by the Reference Bureau.

The current process allows for the Secretary of State to published the act within 10 working days of the receiving the signed legislation. The Secretary of State then must determine a date for the act to be published in the official state newspaper. While the legislation doesn’t change any of the Secretary of State’s bill publication process it would change the ability to delay the publication of any act by requiring the Legislative Reference Bureau to publish the act the day after enactment.

Senate Bill 2 passed out of the Senate Judiciary and Labor Committee by a partisan 3 to 2 vote. The Senate is schedule to debate the legislation later this week.