PROFILE OF LEGISLATIVE BRANCH


amended by the latter, the bill could again go back to the other house; or
a conference commit-
tee, made up of members representing each house, could be appointed to iron
out the differences
between the Senate-passed version and the Assembly-passed version. When both
houses have
agreed on the identical bill and amendments, the Legislative Reference Bureau
enrolls it for the
house of origin (that is, incorporates any amendments and corrections approved
by both houses,
producing a "clean" text), the official copy is signed by the president
of the Senate, the speaker of
the Assembly and the chief clerk of the house of origin, and the bill is
sent to the governor.
  Each session, less than one-fourth of the bills introduced pass both houses.
The remainder fail
for many reasons and as the result of a variety of actions - the house of
origin may vote to
"indefinitely postpone" or "table" and then never take
it up again, the second house may vote to
"nonconcur" or concur with amendments unacceptable to the house
of origin, or in some cases
the proposal may never be reported out of committee. No unsuccessful legislation
carries over to
the following legislature. A member must reintroduce it anew.


  On June 10, 1987, Governor Tommy G. Thompson signed 1987 Senate Bill 166
(1987 Wisconsin
Act 17) which increased the speed limit on rural interstate highways to 65
mph. Representative
Charles W. Coleman and Representative Alvin Ott confer during Assembly debate
on the 65 mph
speed limit bill. In the background is Representative Heron A. Van Gorden
(photo courtesy of Assembly
Republican Caucus).




  The Governor Signs or Vetoes a Bill. The governor has 6 days (excluding
Sundays) in which to
approve or veto a bill. He may either 1) sign a bill, in which case it becomes
law; 2) fail to sign it
within 6 days, whereby - if the legislature is still in session - it would
become law without his
signature; 3) veto it in whole or, if an appropriation bill, in part; or
4) if the legislature has
adjourned sine die, fail to sign it within 6 days, thus killing the bill
(a so-called "pocket veto").
Since the legislature usually does not adjourn until the next legislature
convenes, the pocket veto


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