96th Wisconsin Legislature

96th Wisconsin Legislature
← 95th 97th →
Wisconsin State Capitol
Overview
Legislative body	Wisconsin Legislature
Meeting place	Wisconsin State Capitol
Term	January 6, 2003 – January 3, 2005
Election	November 5, 2002
Senate
Members	33
Senate President	Alan Lasee (R)
President pro tempore	Robert T. Welch (R)
Party control	Republican
Assembly
Members	99
Assembly Speaker	John Gard (R)
Speaker pro tempore	Stephen Freese (R)
Party control	Republican
Sessions
Regular January 6, 2003 – January 3, 2005
Special sessions
Jan. 2003 Spec. January 30, 2003 – February 20, 2003 Feb. 2003 Extra. February 20, 2003 – February 21, 2003 Jul. 2003 Extra. July 1, 2003 – July 2, 2003 Aug. 2003 Extra. August 11, 2003 – September 25, 2003 Dec. 2003 Extra. December 1, 2003 – February 5, 2004 Mar. 2004 Extra. March 11, 2004 – March 25, 2004 May 2004 Extra. May 18, 2004 – May 19, 2004 Jul. 2004 Extra. July 27, 2004 – July 28, 2004

The Ninety-Sixth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 6, 2003, to January 3, 2005, in regular session, and held a concurrent special session from January 30, 2003, to February 20, 2003. They also held seven extraordinary sessions during the term.[1]

This was the first legislative session after the redistricting of the Senate and Assembly according to the 2002 federal court decision, Baumgart v. Wendelberger.

Senators representing odd-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first two years of a four-year term. Assembly members were elected to a two-year term. Assembly members and odd-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 5, 2002.[2] Senators representing even-numbered districts were serving the third and fourth year of their four-year term, having been elected in the general election of November 7, 2000.[3]

Major events

• January 6, 2003: Inauguration of Jim Doyle as the 44th Governor of Wisconsin.
• February 1, 2003: U.S. Space Shuttle Columbia disintegrated during re-entry, killing all seven crew members aboard.
• March 20, 2003: The United States invaded Iraq, initiating the Iraq War.
• April 1, 2003: 2003 Wisconsin Spring election:
  • Patience D. Roggensack was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to succeed William A. Bablitch.
  • Wisconsin voters ratified an amendment to the state constitution codifying the right to fish, hunt, trap, and take game.
• April 9, 2003: U.S. military forces seized control of Baghdad.
• April 14, 2003: The Human Genome Project was completed.
• May 28, 2003: The U.S. Jobs and Growth Tax Relief Reconciliation Act of 2003 was signed into law.
• July 14, 2003: Valerie Plame was outed as a CIA agent by columnist Robert Novak, initiating a scandal.
• December 8, 2003: The U.S. Medicare Prescription Drug, Improvement, and Modernization Act was signed into law.
• December 13, 2003: Saddam Hussein was captured by U.S. military forces in Ad-Dawr, Iraq.
• February 4, 2004: Facebook was created by Mark Zuckerberg at Harvard University.
• February 29, 2004: Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide was overthrown in a coup d'état.
• March 29, 2004: Bulgaria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia were admitted to NATO.
• May 17, 2004: Massachusetts became the first U.S. state to issue marriage licenses for Same-sex marriages.
• June 5, 2004: Former U.S. president Ronald Reagan died at his home in Los Angeles, California.
• September 13, 2004: The Federal Assault Weapons Ban expired.
• November 2, 2004: 2004 United States general election:
  • George W. Bush (R) re-elected as President of the United States.
  • Russ Feingold (D) re-elected as United States senator from Wisconsin.
• December 17, 2004: The U.S. Intelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act was signed into law.
• December 26, 2004: The 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami resulted in more than 200,000 deaths in southeast Asia.

Party summary

Senate summary

Senate partisan composition

  Democratic: 15 seats

  Republican: 18 seats

	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total
	Democratic	Republican		Vacant
End of previous Legislature	18	15	33	0
Start of Reg. Session [note 1]	13	18	31	2
From May 9, 2003[note 2]	15		33	0
From Nov. 18, 2003[note 3]	14		32	1
From Nov. 25, 2003[note 4]	15		33	0
Final voting share	45.45%	54.55%
Beginning of the next Legislature	14	19	33	0

Assembly summary

Assembly partisan composition

  Democratic: 40 seats

  Republican: 59 seats

	Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)		Total
	Democratic	Republican		Vacant
End of previous Legislature	43	56	99	0
Start of Reg. Session	41	58	99	0
From Feb. 1, 2003[note 5]	40		98	1
From Apr. 30, 2003[note 6]	41		99	0
From May 9, 2003[note 7]	39		97	2
From Aug. 4, 2003[note 8]		59	98	1
From Aug. 11, 2003[note 9]	40		99	0
From Nov. 25, 2003[note 10]	39		98	1
From Feb. 3, 2004[note 11]	40		99	0
Final voting share	40.4%	59.6%
Beginning of the next Legislature	39	60	99	0

Sessions

• Regular session: January 6, 2003 – January 3, 2005
• January 2003 Special session: January 30, 2003 – February 20, 2003
• February 2003 Extraordinary session: February 20, 2003 – February 21, 2003
• July 2003 Extraordinary session: July 1, 2003 – July 2, 2003
• August 2003 Extraordinary session: August 11, 2003 – September 25, 2003
• December 2003 Extraordinary session: December 1, 2003 – February 5, 2004
• March 2004 Extraordinary session: March 11, 2004 – March 25, 2004
• May 2004 Extraordinary session: May 18, 2004 – May 19, 2004
• July 2004 Extraordinary session: July 27, 2004 – July 28, 2004

Leadership

Senate leadership

• President of the Senate: Alan Lasee (R–Rockland)
• President pro tempore: Robert Welch (R–Redgranite)

Majority leadership (Republican)

• Majority Leader: Mary Panzer (R–West Bend)
• Assistant Majority Leader: David Zien (R–Wheaton)
• Majority Caucus Chairperson: Mary Lazich (R–New Berlin)

Minority leadership (Democratic)

• Minority Leader: Jon Erpenbach (D–Middleton)
• Assistant Minority Leader: Dave Hansen (D–Green Bay)
• Minority Caucus Chairperson: Robert Wirch (D–Pleasant Prairie)

Assembly leadership

• Speaker of the Assembly: John Gard (R–Peshtigo)
• Speaker pro tempore: Stephen Freese (R–Jamestown)

Majority leadership (Republican)

• Majority Leader: Steven Foti (R–Oconomowoc)
• Assistant Majority Leader: Jean Hundertmark (R–Larrabee)
• Majority Caucus Chairperson: Daniel P. Vrakas (R–Delafield)
• Majority Caucus Vice Chairperson: Glenn Grothman (R–West Bend)
• Majority Caucus Secretary: Carol Owens (R–Nekimi)
• Majority Caucus Sergeant at Arms: Jerry Petrowski (R–Stettin)

Minority leadership (Democratic)

• Minority Leader: James Kreuser (D–Kenosha)
• Assistant Minority Leader: Jon Richards (D–Milwaukee)
• Minority Caucus Chairperson: Robert L. Turner (D–Racine)
• Minority Caucus Vice Chairperson: Gary Sherman (D–Port Wing)
• Minority Caucus Secretary: Amy Sue Vruwink (D–Milladore)
• Minority Caucus Sergeant at Arms: Jennifer Shilling (D–La Crosse)

Members

Members of the Senate

Members of the Wisconsin Senate for the Ninety-Sixth Wisconsin Legislature:[4]

Senate partisan representation

  Democratic: 15 seats

  Republican: 18 seats

Dist.	Senator	Party	Age (2003)	Home	First elected
01	Alan Lasee	Rep.	65	De Pere, Brown County	1977
02	Robert Cowles	Rep.	52	Green Bay, Brown County	1987
03	Tim Carpenter	Dem.	42	Milwaukee, Milwaukee County	2002
04	Gwen Moore	Dem.	51	Milwaukee, Milwaukee County	1992
05	Tom Reynolds	Rep.	46	Wauwatosa, Milwaukee County	2002
06	Gary R. George (rem. Nov. 18, 2003)	Dem.	48	Milwaukee, Milwaukee County	1980
	Spencer Coggs (from Nov. 25, 2003)	Dem.	54	Milwaukee, Milwaukee County	2003
07	--Vacant until May 9, 2003--
	Jeffrey Plale (from May 9, 2003)	Dem.	34	South Milwaukee, Milwaukee County	2003
08	Alberta Darling	Rep.	58	River Hills, Milwaukee County	1992
09	Joe Leibham	Rep.	33	Sheboygan, Sheboygan County	2002
10	Sheila Harsdorf	Rep.	46	River Falls, Pierce County	2000
11	Neal Kedzie	Rep.	46	Elkhorn, Walworth County	2002
12	Roger Breske	Dem.	64	Eland, Shawano County	1990
13	Scott L. Fitzgerald	Rep.	39	Juneau, Dodge County	1994
14	Robert T. Welch	Rep.	44	Marion, Waushara County	1995
15	Judy Robson	Dem.	63	Beloit, Rock County	1987
16	Charles Chvala	Dem.	48	Monona, Dane County	1984
17	Dale Schultz	Rep.	49	Richland Center, Richland County	1991
18	Carol Roessler	Rep.	54	Oshkosh, Winnebago County	1987
19	Michael G. Ellis	Rep.	61	Neenah, Winnebago County	1982
20	Mary Panzer	Rep.	51	West Bend, Washington County	1993
21	Cathy Stepp	Rep.	39	Sturtevant, Racine County	2002
22	Robert Wirch	Dem.	59	Pleasant Prairie, Kenosha County	1996
23	David Zien	Rep.	52	Eau Claire, Eau Claire County	1993
24	--Vacant until May 9, 2003--
	Julie Lassa (from May 9, 2003)	Dem.	32	Stevens Point, Portage County	2003
25	Robert Jauch	Dem.	57	Poplar, Douglas County	1986
26	Fred Risser	Dem.	75	Madison, Dane County	1962
27	Jon Erpenbach	Dem.	41	Middleton, Dane County	1998
28	Mary Lazich	Rep.	50	New Berlin, Waukesha County	1998
29	Russ Decker	Dem.	49	Schofield, Marathon County	1990
30	Dave Hansen	Dem.	55	Green Bay, Brown County	2000
31	Ron Brown	Rep.	56	Eau Claire, Eau Claire County	2002
32	Mark Meyer	Dem.	39	La Crosse, La Crosse County	2000
33	Theodore Kanavas	Rep.	41	Brookfield, Waukesha County	2001

Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Ninety-Sixth Wisconsin Legislature:[4]

Assembly partisan representation

  Democratic: 40 seats

  Republican: 59 seats

Senate District	Assembly District	Representative	Party	Age (2003)	Residence	First Elected
01	01	Garey Bies	Rep.	56	Sister Bay	2000
	02	Frank Lasee	Rep.	41	Bellevue	1994
	03	Alvin Ott	Rep.	53	Forest Junction	1986
02	04	Phil Montgomery	Rep.	45	Ashwaubenon	1998
	05	Becky Weber	Rep.	48	Green Bay	2002
	06	John Ainsworth	Rep.	62	Shawano	1990
03	07	Peggy Krusick	Dem.	46	Milwaukee	1983
	08	Pedro Colón	Dem.	34	Milwaukee	1998
	09	Josh Zepnick	Dem.	34	Milwaukee	2002
04	10	Annette P. Williams	Dem.	65	Milwaukee	1980
	11	Johnnie E. Morris	Dem.	51	Milwaukee	1992
	12	Shirley Krug	Dem.	44	Milwaukee	1984
05	13	David Cullen	Dem.	42	Milwaukee	1990
	14	Leah Vukmir	Rep.	44	Wauwatosa	2002
	15	Tony Staskunas	Dem.	41	West Allis	1996
06	16	Leon Young	Dem.	35	Milwaukee	1992
	17	Spencer Coggs (res. Nov. 25, 2003)	Dem.	53	Milwaukee	1982
		Barbara Toles (from Feb. 3, 2004)	Dem.	47	Milwaukee	2004
	18	Antonio R. Riley (res. Feb. 1, 2003)	Dem.	39	Milwaukee	1992
		Lena Taylor (from Apr. 30, 2003)	Dem.	36	Milwaukee	2003
07	19	Jon Richards	Dem.	39	Milwaukee	1998
	20	Christine Sinicki	Dem.	42	Milwaukee	1998
	21	Jeffrey Plale (res. May 9, 2003)	Dem.	34	South Milwaukee	1996
		Mark Honadel (from Aug. 4, 2003)	Rep.	46	South Milwaukee	2003
08	22	Sheldon Wasserman	Dem.	41	Milwaukee	1994
	23	Curt Gielow	Rep.	57	Mequon	2002
	24	Suzanne Jeskewitz	Rep.	60	Menomonee Falls	1996
09	25	Bob Ziegelbauer	Dem.	51	Manitowoc	1992
	26	Terry Van Akkeren	Dem.	48	Sheboygan	2002
	27	Steve Kestell	Rep.	47	Elkhart Lake	1998
10	28	Mark Pettis	Rep.	52	Hertel	1998
	29	Joe Plouff	Dem.	52	Menomonie	1996
	30	Kitty Rhoades	Rep.	51	Hudson	1998
11	31	Stephen Nass	Rep.	50	Whitewater	1990
	32	Thomas Lothian	Rep.	74	Williams Bay	2002
	33	Daniel P. Vrakas	Rep.	47	Hartland	1990
12	34	Dan Meyer	Rep.	54	Eagle River	2000
	35	Donald Friske	Rep.	41	Merrill	2000
	36	Lorraine Seratti	Rep.	53	Spread Eagle	1992
13	37	David Ward	Rep.	49	Fort Atkinson	1992
	38	Steven Foti	Rep.	44	Oconomowoc	1982
	39	Jeff Fitzgerald	Rep.	36	Horicon	2000
14	40	Jean Hundertmark	Rep.	48	Clintonville	1998
	41	Luther Olsen	Rep.	51	Berlin	1994
	42	J. A. Hines	Rep.	75	Oxford	2001
15	43	Debi Towns	Rep.	46	Janesville	2002
	44	Wayne W. Wood	Dem.	72	Janesville	1976
	45	Dan Schooff	Dem.	31	Beloit	1998
16	46	Tom Hebl	Dem.	57	Sun Prairie	1996
	47	Eugene Hahn	Rep.	73	Springvale	1990
	48	Mark F. Miller	Dem.	59	Madison	1998
17	49	Gabe Loeffelholz	Rep.	62	Platteville	2000
	50	Sheryl Albers	Rep.	48	Reedsburg	1991
	51	Stephen Freese	Rep.	42	Dodgeville	1990
18	52	John Townsend	Rep.	64	Fond du Lac	1998
	53	Carol Owens	Rep.	71	Oshkosh	1992
	54	Gregg Underheim	Rep.	52	Oshkosh	1987
19	55	Dean Kaufert	Rep.	45	Neenah	1990
	56	Terri McCormick	Rep.	46	Appleton	2000
	57	Steve Wieckert	Rep.	48	Appleton	1996
20	58	Glenn Grothman	Rep.	47	West Bend	1993
	59	Daniel LeMahieu	Rep.	56	Cascade	2002
	60	Mark Gottlieb	Rep.	46	Port Washington	2002
21	61	Robert L. Turner	Dem.	55	Racine	1990
	62	John Lehman	Dem.	57	Racine	1996
	63	Bonnie Ladwig	Rep.	63	Mount Pleasant	1992
22	64	James Kreuser	Dem.	41	Kenosha	1993
	65	John Steinbrink	Dem.	53	Pleasant Prairie	1996
	66	Samantha Kerkman	Rep.	28	Burlington	2000
23	67	Jeffrey Wood	Rep.	33	Chippewa Falls	2002
	68	Larry Balow	Dem.	59	Eau Claire	1998
	69	Scott Suder	Rep.	34	Abbotsford	1998
24	70	Amy Sue Vruwink	Dem.	27	Milladore	2002
	71	Julie Lassa (res. May 9, 2003)	Dem.	32	Stevens Point	1998
		Louis Molepske (from Aug. 11, 2003)	Dem.	29	Stevens Point	2003
	72	Marlin Schneider	Dem.	60	Wisconsin Rapids	1970
25	73	Frank Boyle	Dem.	57	Superior	1986
	74	Gary Sherman	Dem.	53	Port Wing	1998
	75	Mary Hubler	Dem.	53	Rice Lake	1984
26	76	Terese Berceau	Dem.	52	Madison	1998
	77	Spencer Black	Dem.	52	Madison	1984
	78	Mark Pocan	Dem.	38	Madison	1998
27	79	Sondy Pope-Roberts	Dem.	52	Verona	2002
	80	Mike Powers	Rep.	52	Albany	1994
	81	David Travis	Dem.	54	Waunakee	1978
28	82	Jeff Stone	Rep.	41	Greendale	1998
	83	Scott Gunderson	Rep.	46	Waterford	1994
	84	Mark Gundrum	Rep.	32	New Berlin	1998
29	85	Gregory Huber	Dem.	46	Wausau	1988
	86	Jerry Petrowski	Rep.	52	Marathon	1998
	87	Mary Williams	Rep.	53	Medford	2002
30	88	Judy Krawczyk	Rep.	63	Green Bay	2000
	89	John Gard	Rep.	39	Peshtigo	1987
	90	Karl Van Roy	Rep.	64	Green Bay	2002
31	91	Barbara Gronemus	Dem.	71	Whitehall	1982
	92	Terry Musser	Rep.	55	Black River Falls	1984
	93	Robin Kreibich	Rep.	43	Eau Claire	1992
32	94	Michael Huebsch	Rep.	38	West Salem	1994
	95	Jennifer Shilling	Dem.	33	La Crosse	2000
	96	DuWayne Johnsrud	Rep.	59	Eastman	1984
33	97	Ann Nischke	Rep.	51	Waukesha	2002
	98	Scott Jensen	Rep.	42	Waukesha	1992
	99	Michael Lehman	Rep.	59	Hartford	1988

Changes from the 95th Legislature

The most significant structural change to the Legislature between the 95th and 96th sessions was the reapportionment and redistricting of legislative seats. The new districts were defined in the federal court decision Baumgart v. Wendelberger, from a three-judge panel of the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin.

Notes

1. Democrats Richard Grobschmidt (District 7) and Kevin Shibilski (District 24) resigned before the start of the session to accept executive branch appointments.
2. Democrats Jeffrey Plale (District 7) and Julie Lassa (District 24) replaced Richard Grobschmidt and Kevin Shibilski, respectively.
3. Democrat Gary R. George (District 6) was recalled from office.
4. Democrat Spencer Coggs (District 6) was sworn in to replace Gary R. George.
5. Democrat Antonio R. Riley (District 18) resigned to accept an executive branch appointment.
6. Democrat Lena Taylor (District 18) was sworn in to replace Antonio R. Riley.
7. Democrats Jeffrey Plale (District 21) and Julie Lassa (District 71) resigned after election to the Wisconsin Senate.
8. Republican Mark Honadel (District 21) was sworn in to replace Jeffrey Plale.
9. Democrat Louis Molepske (District 71) was sworn in to replace Julie Lassa.
10. Democrat Spencer Coggs (District 17) resigned after his election to state senate.
11. Democrat Barbara Toles (District 17) was sworn in to replace Spencer Coggs.

References

1. "Historical Lists" (PDF). Wisconsin Blue Book 2017–2018 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. 2017. p. 646. ISBN 978-0-9752820-9-0. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
2. Results of Fall General Election - 11/05/2002 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. December 2, 2002. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 12, 2020. Retrieved December 30, 2021.
3. Results of Fall General Election - 11/07/2000 (PDF) (Report). Wisconsin State Elections Board. May 10, 2001. Archived from the original (PDF) on January 10, 2021. Retrieved February 15, 2021.
4. Barish, Lawrence S., ed. (2003). "Biographies". State of Wisconsin 2003–2004 Blue Book (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 18–86. Retrieved January 16, 2024.

External links

• Wisconsin State Senate
• Wisconsin State Assembly
• 2003–2004 Session from Wisconsin Legislature
  • 2003–2004 Assembly Journal
  • 2003–2004 Senate Journal