96th Wisconsin Legislature
The Ninety-Sixth Wisconsin Legislature convened from to 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.
This was the first legislative session after the redistricting of the Senate and Assembly according to the 2002 federal court decision, .
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. 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.
The governor of Wisconsin during this entire term was Democrat Jim Doyle, of Dane County, serving the first two years of a four-year term, having won election in the 2002 Wisconsin gubernatorial election.
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 re-elected as President of the United States.
- * Russ Feingold 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.
Sessions
Regular session: January 6, 2003January 3, 2005January 2003 Special session: January 30, 2003February 20, 2003February 2003 Extraordinary session: February 20, 2003February 21, 2003July 2003 Extraordinary session: July 1, 2003July 2, 2003August 2003 Extraordinary session: August 11, 2003September 25, 2003December 2003 Extraordinary session: December 1, 2003February 5, 2004March 2004 Extraordinary session: March 11, 2004March 25, 2004May 2004 Extraordinary session: May 18, 2004May 19, 2004July 2004 Extraordinary session: July 27, 2004July 28, 2004Leadership
Senate leadership
- President of the Senate: Alan Lasee
- President pro tempore: Robert Welch
- Majority Leader: Mary Panzer
- Assistant Majority Leader: David Zien
- Majority Caucus Chairperson: Mary Lazich
- Minority Leader: Jon Erpenbach
- Assistant Minority Leader: Dave Hansen
- Minority Caucus Chairperson: Robert Wirch
Assembly leadership
- Speaker of the Assembly: John Gard
- Speaker pro tempore: Stephen Freese
- Majority Leader: Steven Foti
- Assistant Majority Leader: Jean Hundertmark
- Majority Caucus Chairperson: Daniel P. Vrakas
- Majority Caucus Vice Chairperson: Glenn Grothman
- Majority Caucus Secretary: Carol Owens
- Majority Caucus Sergeant at Arms: Jerry Petrowski
- Minority Leader: James Kreuser
- Assistant Minority Leader: Jon Richards
- Minority Caucus Chairperson: Robert L. Turner
- Minority Caucus Vice Chairperson: Gary Sherman
- Minority Caucus Secretary: Amy Sue Vruwink
- Minority Caucus Sergeant at Arms: Jennifer Shilling