WISCONSIN BLUE BOOK 1985-1986


1974 - Legislature enacted comprehensive campaign finance act and strengthened
open meet-
         ings law. Democrats swept all constitutional offices and gained
control of both houses
         of the 1975 Legislature for first time since 1893. Kathryn Morrison
first woman elected
         to the state Senate. Striking teachers fired in Hortonville.


                                      Recent History
  Democrats have controlled both houses of the Legislature since 1975. Women
began to be
widely represented in the Legislature for the first time. California began
to challenge Wisconsin's
dominance of the dairy industry. Higher fuel prices hurt both tourism and
the state's heavy
industrial base. For the first time, the state suffered more from a recession
than most of the rest
of the nation in 1982. Six of the 8 years from 1977 through 1984 saw a net
loss of control of
Wisconsin companies to out-of-state companies through acquisition or merger.
The business
climate in the state, taxation and education were the chief concerns of policymakers.
1975 - Menominee Indians occupied Alexian Brothers Novitiate. Legislature
made voter reg-
        istration easier, established property tax levy limits on local governments,
and elimi-
        nated from the statutes distinctions based on sex. U.W. scientist,
Dr. Howard Martin
        Temim, shared 1975 Nobel Prize in Physiology-Medicine.
1976-   U.S. District Court ordered integration of Milwaukee public schools.
Ice storm dam-
        age reached $50.4 million. Wisconsin Legislature established a system
for compensat-
        ing crime victims. Exxon discoverd sulfide zinc and copper deposits
in Forest County.
        By appointment, Shirley S. Abrahamson became first woman on the Wisconsin
        Supreme Court. Drought loss on Wisconsin farms worst in state history.
Wisconsin
        Supreme Court declared negative school aids law unconstitutional.
1977 - Governor Lucey appointed Ambassador to Mexico. First state employes
union strike
        lasted 15 days, National Guard ran prisons. Constitutional amendments
authorized
        raffle games and revised the structure of the court system by providing
a Court of Ap-
        peals. Legislation enacted included public support of elections campaigns,
no-fault
        divorce, and implied consent law for drunk driving.
1978 -  Supreme Court allowed cameras in state courtrooms. Vel Phillips elected
Secretary of
        State, first Black constitutional officer. Laws enacted included
a hazardous waste man-
        agement program.
1979 - Constitutional amendment removed Lieutenant Governor from office of
President of
        the Senate. Record snowfall for many areas of the state. Moratorium
on tax collections
        gave state taxpayers a 3-month "vacation" from taxes. Shirley
S. Abrahamson, ap-
        pointed in 1976, became the first woman elected to Wisconsin Supreme
Court. Law
        enacted to establish school of veterinary medicine at the University
of Wisconsin.
1980     Eric Heiden won 5 Olympic gold metals for ice speed skating, named
winner of the
         Sullivan Award as best amateur athlete in the country. 15,000 Cuban
refugees housed
         for the summer at Fort McCoy. Massive wind storm in Eau Claire,
Chippewa, Dunn
         and Pierce Counties. Ex-Governor Patrick Lucey ran as independent
candidate for vice
         president. State revenue shortfall led to 4.4% cuts in state spending.
Laws enacted
         included specific rights for victims and witnesses of crimes, revisions
in conditions for
         granting bail, school children immunization program, and mental
patient commitment
         revisions.
1981     U.S. Supreme Court ruled against Wisconsin's historic open primary.
Laws enacted
        included stronger penalties for drunk driving and changes in mining
taxes.
1982     State unemployment hit highest levels since the great Depression.
Voters endorsed first
        state referendum calling for a freeze on nuclear weapons. U.S. District
Court ordered
        apportionment of the state Senate and Assembly districts. Laws enacted
included a
        cable television privacy act, extensions in the fair employment law,
an "employes"'
        right-to-know law" pertaining to toxic substances in the workplace,
a new public
        records law, and a historic preservation law. Jos. Schlitz Brewing
Co. acquired by Stroh
        Brewing Co. of Detroit, all Milwaukee operations closed.
1983 - Continued recession forced adoption of budget including a 10% tax
surcharge and a
        pay freeze for state employes. Law raising minimum drinking age to
19 passed (effective
        7/1/85). Inmates at Waupun State Prison held 15 hostages, later released
uninjured.


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