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Bills from the 2015–16 session

Assembly Bill 660

Guidelines for prescribing controlled substances and the examination authority of the Medical Examining Board

Became law

The governor signed it on Mar 17, 2016. It's ⁠.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Jan 7, 2016

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Assembly vote, passed

    Passed 98 to 0

  4. Senate vote, passed

    Passed Mar 15, 2016

  5. Governor, passed

    Signed

  6. Law, here now

    2015 Wisconsin Act 269

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 17, 2016: “Published 3-18-2016”

Read the bill

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What it does

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

This bill makes changes, described as follows, regarding the authority of certain credentialing boards in the Department of Safety and Professional Services:

1. The bill allows the Medical Examining Board (MEB), the Podiatry Affiliated Credentialing Board, the Board of Nursing, the Dentistry Examining Board, and the Optometry Examining Board to each issue guidelines regarding best practices in prescribing controlled substances for persons credentialed by that board who are authorized to prescribe controlled substances.

Read the full summary

2. With certain exceptions, current law requires the MEB to examine each applicant it finds eligible in such subject matters as it deems applicable to the class of license or certificate that the applicant seeks to have granted, and provides that examinations may be both written and oral. As an exception to this, however, current law provides that when examining an applicant for a physician license, the MEB may only use examinations prepared, administered, and scored by national examining agencies, except that it may interview an individual applicant as needed to determine information specific to that applicant.

This bill eliminates this exception providing that the MEB may only use examinations prepared, administered, and scored by national examining agencies with respect to applicants for physician licenses.

Who's behind it

24 representatives are its ⁠. 19 are Republicans and 5 are Democrats.

8 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 32 names

Authors (24)

Signed on in support (8)

How lawmakers voted

There were 3 votes on this bill.

Assembly Committee on Health vote to recommend it

Passed, 11 to 0 · Feb 11, 2016

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report passage recommended by Committee on Health, Ayes 11, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Assembly vote to pass it

Passed, 98 to 0 · Feb 16, 2016 · 1 didn't vote

See how each of the 99 representatives voted

D: Democrat, R: Republican

Yes (98)

Didn't vote (1)

Official motion: “Read a third time and passed, Ayes 98, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Senate vote

Passed, 3 to 2 · Mar 14, 2016

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Mar 17, 2016

    The new law was published.

  2. Mar 17, 2016

    The governor signed it. It became 2015 Wisconsin Act 269.

  3. Mar 16, 2016

    Sent to the governor.

  4. Mar 15, 2016

    The Senate passed it too.

  5. Mar 15, 2016

    1 more senator signed on in support.

  6. Mar 14, 2016

    “Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2” (the official wording)

  7. Feb 17, 2016

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Senate Organization.

  8. Feb 17, 2016

    The Senate received it.

  9. Feb 16, 2016

    The Assembly passed it, 98 to 0.

  10. Feb 11, 2016

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  11. Feb 11, 2016

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 11 to 0.

  12. Feb 3, 2016

    The committee held a public hearing.

  13. Jan 7, 2016

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Health.

  14. Jan 7, 2016

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Jan 7, 2016 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Nygren, Novak, Ripp, Petryk, Swearingen, Schraa, Steffen, Loudenbeck, Spiros, Czaja, Horlacher, T. Larson, Duchow, Skowronski, A. Ott, Sanfelippo, Kleefisch, Rohrkaste, Kulp, Doyle, Kolste, Billings, Subeck and Ohnstad; cosponsored by Senators Harsdorf, Darling, Moulton, Marklein, Petrowski, Olsen and Harris Dodd

  2. Jan 7, 2016 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Health

  3. Feb 3, 2016 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  4. Feb 10, 2016 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  5. Feb 11, 2016 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Health, Ayes 11, Noes 0

  6. Feb 11, 2016 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  7. Feb 11, 2016 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 2-16-2016 by Committee on Rules

  8. Feb 16, 2016 · Assembly

    Rules suspended to withdraw from calendar and take up

  9. Feb 16, 2016 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  10. Feb 16, 2016 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  11. Feb 16, 2016 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  12. Feb 16, 2016 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed, Ayes 98, Noes 0

  13. Feb 16, 2016 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  14. Feb 17, 2016 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  15. Feb 17, 2016 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Senate Organization

  16. Feb 17, 2016 · Senate

    Available for scheduling

  17. Mar 14, 2016 · Senate

    Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 3, Noes 2

  18. Mar 14, 2016 · Senate

    Placed on calendar 3-15-2016 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)

  19. Mar 15, 2016 · Senate

    Senator Carpenter added as a cosponsor

  20. Mar 15, 2016 · Senate

    Read a second time

  21. Mar 15, 2016 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  22. Mar 15, 2016 · Senate

    Rules suspended

  23. Mar 15, 2016 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in

  24. Mar 15, 2016 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  25. Mar 16, 2016 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  26. Mar 16, 2016 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled on 3-16-2016

  27. Mar 16, 2016 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 3-16-2016

  28. Mar 17, 2016 · Assembly

    Report approved by the Governor on 3-17-2016. 2015 Wisconsin Act 269

  29. Mar 17, 2016 · Assembly

    Published 3-18-2016

Terms on this page

Wisconsin Act

The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.

Official term: Act. More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Wisconsin Act

The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.

Official term: Act

More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis

More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor

More in the glossary

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote

More in the glossary