| 89th Wisconsin Legislature | |||||
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 Wisconsin State Capitol | |||||
| Overview | |||||
| Legislative body | Wisconsin Legislature | ||||
| Meeting place | Wisconsin State Capitol | ||||
| Term | January 2, 1989 – January 7, 1991 | ||||
| Election | November 8, 1988 | ||||
| Senate | |||||
| Members | 33 | ||||
| Senate President | Fred Risser ( D) | ||||
| Party control | Democratic | ||||
| Assembly | |||||
| Members | 99 | ||||
| Assembly Speaker | Thomas A. Loftus ( D) | ||||
| Speaker pro tempore | David Clarenbach ( D) | ||||
| Party control | Democratic | ||||
| Sessions | |||||
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| Special sessions | |||||
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The Eighty-Ninth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 3, 1989, to January 7, 1991, in regular session, and also convened in two special sessions. [1]
Senators representing even-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 even-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 8, 1988. Senators representing odd-numbered districts were serving the third and fourth year of a four-year term, having been elected in the general election of November 4, 1986. [1]
Major events
- January 20, 1989: Inauguration of George H. W. Bush as the 41st President of the United States.
- April 4, 1989: 1989 Wisconsin Spring election:
- Wisconsin voters rejected an amendment to the state constitution which would have allowed the state legislature to enact progressive tax relief for state property and sales taxes.
- June 3, 1989: Forces of China's People's Liberation Army began a crackdown on the Tiananmen Square protests, ultimately resulting in many deaths.
- November 9, 1989: After an unexpected announcement of liberalization of travel policy in East Germany, crowds of civilians began demolishing the Berlin Wall, which had divided the city since the 1960s.
- February 7, 1990: The Central Committee of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union agreed to allow parties other than the Communist Party of the Soviet Union to compete in elections in the constituent republics of the Soviet Union.
- April 3, 1990: 1990 Wisconsin Spring election:
- Wisconsin voters ratified an amendment to the state constitution which revised the gubernatorial line-item veto power to prevent the governor from creating entire new words from vetoing parts of other words.
- August 7, 1990: U.S. President George H. W. Bush ordered American military forces to Saudi Arabia following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait.
- November 6, 1990:
1990 United States general election:
- Tommy Thompson (R) re-elected Governor of Wisconsin.
- November 29, 1990: The United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 678, ordering Iraq to withdraw forces from Kuwait by January 15, 1991, and empowering states to use all necessary means to force Iraq to comply with the resolution.
Major legislation
- August 8, 1989: An Act relating to state finances and appropriations, constituting the general executive budget bill of the 1989 legislature, and making appropriations, 1989 Act 31. Vetoed in part, this act also established the Wisconsin Department of Corrections.
Party summary
Senate summary
Democratic: 20 seats
Republican: 13 seats
| Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dem. | Rep. | Vacant | ||
| End of previous Legislature | 19 | 14 | 33 | 0 |
| Start of Reg. Session | 20 | 13 | 33 | 0 |
| From Apr. 20, 1989 [note 1] | 12 | 32 | 1 | |
| From Jul. 11, 1989 [note 2] | 13 | 33 | 0 | |
| From Sep. 1, 1989 [note 3] | 19 | 32 | 1 | |
| From Oct. 2, 1989 [note 4] | 18 | 31 | 2 | |
| From Dec. 13, 1989 [note 5] | 19 | 14 | 33 | 0 |
| From Jul. 12, 1990 [note 6] | 18 | 32 | 1 | |
| From Aug. 1, 1990 [note 7] | 13 | 31 | 2 | |
| From Nov. 28, 1990 [note 8] | 19 | 32 | 1 | |
| Final voting share | 59.38% | 40.63% | ||
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 19 | 14 | 33 | 0 |
Assembly summary
Democratic: 56 seats
Republican: 43 seats
| Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dem. | Rep. | Vacant | ||
| End of previous Legislature | 54 | 44 | 98 | 1 |
| Start of Reg. Session | 56 | 43 | 99 | 0 |
| From Jul. 11, 1989 [note 9] | 42 | 98 | 1 | |
| From Jul. 31, 1989 [note 10] | 55 | 42 | 97 | 2 |
| From Sep. 22, 1989 [note 11] | 43 | 98 | 1 | |
| From Oct. 26, 1989 [note 12] | 56 | 99 | 0 | |
| From Dec. 13, 1989 [note 13] | 55 | 98 | 1 | |
| From Jan. 12, 1990 [note 14] | 42 | 97 | 2 | |
| From May 15, 1990 [note 15] | 56 | 43 | 99 | 0 |
| From May 28, 1990 [note 16] | 42 | 98 | 1 | |
| From Jul. 1, 1990 [note 17] | 55 | 97 | 2 | |
| Final voting share | 56.7% | 43.3% | ||
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 58 | 41 | 99 | 0 |
Sessions
- Regular session: January 3, 1989 – January 7, 1991
- October 1989 special session: October 10, 1989 – March 22, 1990
- May 1990 special session: May 15, 1990
Leaders
Senate leadership
- President of the Senate: Fred Risser ( D– Madison)
Senate majority leadership
- Majority Leader: Joseph A. Strohl ( D– Racine)
- Assistant Majority Leader: David Helbach ( D– Stevens Point)
Senate minority leadership
- Minority Leader: Michael G. Ellis ( R– Neenah)
- Assistant Minority Leader: Brian Rude ( R– Coon Valley)
Assembly leadership
- Speaker of the Assembly: Thomas A. Loftus ( D– Sun Prairie)
- Speaker pro tempore: David Clarenbach ( D– Madison)
Assembly majority leadership
- Majority Leader: Thomas A. Hauke ( D– West Allis)
- Assistant Majority Leader: Marlin Schneider ( D– Wisconsin Rapids)
Assembly minority leadership
- Minority Leader: David Prosser Jr. ( R– Appleton)
- Assistant Minority Leader: Randall J. Radtke ( R– Lake Mills)
Members
Members of the Senate
Members of the Senate for the Eighty-Ninth Wisconsin Legislature: [2]
Democratic: 20 seats
Republican: 13 seats
Members of the Assembly
Members of the Assembly for the Eighty-Ninth Wisconsin Legislature: [2]
Democratic: 56 seats
Republican: 43 seats
Employees
Senate employees
- Chief Clerk: Donald J. Schneider [2]
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Daniel B. Fields
Assembly employees
- Chief Clerk: Thomas T. Melvin [2]
- Sergeant-at-Arms: Robert G. Johnston
Notes
- ^ Republican Susan Engeleiter (33rd District) resigned after her confirmation as Administrator of the Small Business Administration.
- ^ Republican Margaret Farrow (33rd District) was sworn in to replace Susan Engeleiter.
- ^ Democrat Mordecai Lee (5th District) resigned.
- ^ Democrat Richard Shoemaker (10th District) resigned after he was convicted of several misdemeanors.
- ^ Democrat Tom Barrett (5th District) and Republican William Berndt (10th District) were sworn in to replace Mordecai Lee and Richard Shoemaker, respectively.
- ^ Democrat Lloyd H. Kincaid (12th District) resigned.
- ^ Republican J. Mac Davis (11th District) resigned after being elected a Wisconsin circuit court judge.
- ^ Democrat Roger Breske (12th District) was sworn in to replace Lloyd H. Kincaid.
- ^ Republican Margaret Farrow (99th District) resigned after her election to the state senate.
- ^ Democrat Louise M. Tesmer (19th District) resigned after being elected a Wisconsin circuit court judge.
- ^ Republican Frank Urban (99th District) was sworn in to replace Margaret Farrow.
- ^ Democrat Rosemary Potter (19th District) was sworn in to replace Louise M. Tesmer.
- ^ Democrat Tom Barrett (14th District) resigned after his election to the state senate.
- ^ Republican Betty Jo Nelsen (10th District) resigned after being confirmed as administrator of the Food and Nutrition Service.
- ^ Republican Alberta Darling (10th District) and Democrat David Cullen (14th District) were sworn in to replace Betty Jo Nelsen and Tom Barrett, respectively.
- ^ Republican Joseph E. Tregoning (51st District) resigned to accept a state job.
- ^ Democrat Scott C. Fergus (61st District) resigned.
References
- ^ a b "Historical Lists" (PDF). State of Wisconsin Blue Book 2023–2024 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. 2023. pp. 492–493, 496, 501, 513–514. ISBN 978-1-7333817-2-7. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
- ^ a b c d Barish, Lawrence S.; Theobald, H. Rupert, eds. (1989). "Biographies". The State of Wisconsin Blue Book 1989–1990 (Report). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. pp. 20–88. Retrieved December 23, 2023.