79th Wisconsin Legislature

The Seventy-Ninth Wisconsin Legislature convened from to in regular session and also convened in two special sessions in the fall of 1969 and on December 22, 1970.
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 5, 1968. 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 8, 1966.
The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Republican Warren P. Knowles, of St. Croix County, serving his third two-year term, having won re-election in the 1968 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.

Major events

January 6, 1969: Third inauguration of Warren P. Knowles as Governor of Wisconsin.
January 20, 1969: Inauguration of Richard Nixon as the 37th President of the United States.
January 21, 1969: Wisconsin U.S. representative Melvin Laird resigned from Congress to become United States Secretary of Defense.
April 1, 1969: 1969 Wisconsin spring election:
* Voters ratified two amendments to the state constitution:
** Allowing the legislature to establish the office of county executive for all counties.
** Allowing the state to take on debt directly and end the practice of utilizing dummy corporations.
July 20, 1969: As part of the Apollo 11 mission, American astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first humans to set foot on the Moon.
October 29, 1969: The first message was sent over ARPANET, the forerunner of the internet.
March 31, 1970: The Seattle Pilots professional baseball team was sold to a new ownership group led by Bud Selig, who immediately moved the franchise to Milwaukee and renamed them the Milwaukee Brewers.
April 17, 1970: The Apollo 13 crew returned safely to Earth after suffering a catastrophic explosion on their spacecraft four days earlier.
April 22, 1970: The first Earth Day was celebrated, organized by Wisconsin's junior United States senator, Gaylord Nelson.
August 24, 1970: The Sterling Hall bombing on the University of Wisconsin–Madison campus killed a physics professor and injured three others.
November 3, 1970: 1970 [United States elections|1970 United States general election]:
* Patrick Lucey elected Governor of Wisconsin.
* William Proxmire 1970 [United States Senate election in Wisconsin|re-elected] United States senator from Wisconsin.
November 18, 1970: A three-judge panel of the United States [District Court for the Eastern District of Wisconsin] ruled in the case of Babbitz v. McCann, granting an injunction which prohibited enforcement of Wisconsin's laws against abortion, effectively making abortion legal in Wisconsin.

Major legislation

1969 Joint Resolution 2: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow the legislature to establish the office of county executive for all Wisconsin counties. This amendment was ratified by voters at the April 1969 election.
1969 Joint Resolution 3: Second legislative passage of a proposed amendment to the state constitution to allow the state to take on debt without utilizing a shell corporation. This amendment was ratified by voters at the April 1969 election.

Sessions

Regular session: January 6, 1969January 4, 1971September 1969 special session: September 29, 1969January 17, 1970December 1970 special session: December 22, 1970

Leaders

Senate leadership

President of the Senate: Jack B. Olson
President pro tempore: Robert P. Knowles
Majority leader: Ernest Keppler
Minority leader: Fred Risser

Assembly leadership

Speaker of the Assembly: Harold V. Froehlich
Speaker pro tempore: Elmer C. Nitschke
Majority leader: Paul Alfonsi
Minority leader: Robert T. Huber

Members

Members of the Senate

Members of the Senate for the Seventy-Ninth Wisconsin Legislature:

Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Seventy-Ninth Wisconsin Legislature:

Committees

Senate committees

Senate Standing Committee on AgricultureW. Terry, chair
Senate Standing Committee on EducationH. Rasmusen, chair
Senate Standing Committee on Governmental and Veterans AffairsW. Draheim, chair
Senate Standing Committee on Health and Social ServicesA. Cirilli, chair
Senate Standing Committee on Interstate CooperationG. Lorge, chair
Senate Standing Committee on the JudiciaryA. Busby, chair
Senate Standing Committee on Labor, Taxation, Insurance, and BankingG. Lorge, chair
Senate Standing Committee on Natural ResourcesC. Krueger, chair
Senate Standing Committee on TransportationR. La Fave, chair
Senate Special Committee on CommitteesG. Lorge, chair
Senate Special Committee on Legislative ProcedureR. P. Knowles, chair
Senate Special Committee on Senate OrganizationE. Keppler, chair

Assembly committees

Assembly Standing Committee on AgricultureN. Nuttelman, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce and ManufacturesF. C. Schroeder, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on ConservationP. Alfonsi, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on EducationL. H. Johnson, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on ElectionsS. York, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on Excise and FeesE. F. McEssy, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on HighwaysW. J. Hutnik, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on Insurance and BankingK. Kenyon, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on the JudiciaryG. B. Belting, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on LaborJ. N. Azim, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on MunicipalitiesJ. D. Steinhilber, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on PrintingE. Conradt, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on Public WelfareH. F. Gee, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on State AffairsB. Lewison, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on TaxationR. Uehling, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on TourismW. L. Packard, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on TransportationE. C. Nitschke, chair
Assembly Standing Committee on Veterans and Military AffairsJ. C. Van Hollen, chair
Assembly Special Committee on Assembly OrganizationH. V. Froehlich, chair
Assembly Special Committee on Engrossed BillsE. D. Luckhardt, chair
Assembly Special Committee on Enrolled BillsL. J. Kafka, chair
Assembly Special Committee on RevisionJ. Quinn, chair
Assembly Special Committee on RulesG. J. Bock, chair
Assembly Special Committee on Third ReadingC. Blanchard, chair

Joint committees

Joint Standing Committee on FinanceW. G. Hollander & B. F. Wackett, co-chairs
Joint Standing Committee on Legislative OrganizationP. Alfonsi, chair
Joint Standing Committee on Revisions, Repeals, and Uniform LawsG. Roseleip & J. Sensenbrenner, co-chairs
Joint Legislative CouncilH. V. Froehlich, chair