13.42 Virtual meetings of the legislature and legislative committees.

(1) In this section:

(a) “Disaster" means a severe or prolonged, natural or human-caused, occurrence that threatens or negatively impacts life, health, property, infrastructure, the environment, the security of this state or a portion of this state, or critical systems, including computer, telecommunications, or agricultural systems.

(b) “Member" means a member of the legislature.

(2) Either house of the legislature, under its rules or joint rules, may issue a notice that the house and its committees are prevented from physically meeting at the seat of government due to an emergency resulting from a disaster or the imminent threat of a disaster.

(3) If a house issues a notice under sub. (2), that house and any committee of that house may conduct a meeting and transact business through the use of any means of communication by which all of the following occur:

(a) The identity of each participating member may be verified, and the actions of each participating member may be authenticated, in a manner satisfactory to the presiding officer or committee chairperson.

(b) During the meeting, all participating members may simultaneously hear or read the comments of each member who is recognized by the presiding officer or committee chairperson.

(c) Any document that is used during the meeting by a member and that is accepted by the presiding officer or committee chairperson is immediately transmitted to each participating member.

(d) Except as provided in sub. (8), within technological limits, the public may monitor the proceedings of the house or committee.

(4) In order to hold a meeting of a joint committee in the manner provided under sub. (3), each house of the legislature shall issue a notice of emergency under sub. (2).

(5) For purposes of article IV, section 11, of the Wisconsin Constitution, a meeting held under sub. (3) or (10) shall be considered to have occurred at the seat of government and all actions taken during the meeting shall have the same legal effect as if the members were physically present at the seat of government.

(6) For purposes of determining the presence of a quorum in proceedings or meetings held under this section, any participating member shall be considered present as if the member were physically present at the seat of government.

(7) Except as provided in sub. (8), a meeting held under sub. (3) or (10) shall be preceded by the same or substantially equivalent public notice as would be required if the members were physically present at the seat of government.

(8) Subsections (3) (d) and (7) do not apply with respect to a meeting held under sub. (3), if pursuant to article IV, section 10, of the Wisconsin Constitution, the public welfare requires secrecy.

(9) In presiding over a meeting of a house of the legislature described under sub. (3) or (10), the presiding officer shall interpret and apply all rules of proceeding of that house that presume the physical presence of members in the house's chambers at the seat of government, in such a manner as to accomplish the same purposes for which the rules were adopted.

(10) Notwithstanding the requirement for a notice of emergency under sub. (2), and pursuant to the session schedule under s. 13.02 (3), the legislature may meet for up to one week per session by holding a meeting as described under sub. (3) in order to practice meeting in that manner.

(11) This section does not limit the authority of either house of the legislature to use teleconferencing for purposes of holding a committee meeting at the seat of government.

History: 2009 a. 363.