SB 570

This bill makes changes relating to the Wisconsin Commission on Uniform

State Laws (commission).

Under current law, the commission, which is responsible for advising the

legislature regarding uniform laws and model laws, consists of the following eight

members: 1) the director of the Legislative Council Staff or his or her designee; 2) the

chief of the Legislative Reference Bureau or his or her designee; 3) two senators and

two representatives to the assembly from the two major political parties, appointed

as are members of standing committees for two-year terms; and 4) two public

members appointed by the governor for four-year terms. Regarding the legislative

members identified in item 3, above, if a legislative appointment cannot be made

because there is no senator or representative who is a member of the state bar

association willing or able to serve on the commission, a former senator or

representative who served on the commission while a senator or representative and

who is a member of the state bar association may be appointed, as long as the

national Uniform Law Commission (ULC) requires state delegates to be members of

their state's bar association.

This bill makes the following changes related to the membership of the

commission. First, the bill allows the legislature to appoint as a member of the

commission any member of the state bar association if there is no senator or former

senator, or representative or former representative, respectively, who meets the

eligibility criteria and is able and willing to serve. Second, the bill allows the eight

existing commission members to appoint as additional commission members persons

who are life members of the ULC. These additional members have voting rights but

are not counted in determining whether there is a quorum of the commission.

Under current law, the terms of commission members appointed by the

governor and legislature must expire on May 1 of an odd-numbered year. Under this

bill, the terms of members appointed by the legislature expire as do other

appointments to standing committees, which is at the end of the legislative biennium

in which the appointment is made.

Under current law, members of the commission must individually and

collectively endeavor to secure the right of any person to become a voting

commissioner or associate member of the ULC without regard to his or her

membership in the state bar association. The commission was required to report

twice after January 1, 1981, on these endeavors and provide an assessment of their

probability of success. This bill repeals these requirements.

The bill eliminates a provision allowing the director of the Legislative Council

Staff or the chief of the Legislative Reference Bureau, or the designee of either, to

designate an employee to represent him or her at the ULC annual meeting, but

continues to allow the director or chief to designate an employee to serve as a member

of the commission.