Wisconsin State Senate
The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those of the U.S. Senate. The Wisconsin Senate is controlled by the Republican Party, as it has been for 20 of the past 22 years (only 2009-2010 are exceptions). The Wisconsin Constitution ties the size of the State Senate to that of the Assembly, by limiting its size to no less than 1/4, nor more than 1/3, of the size of the Assembly. Currently, Wisconsin is divided into 33 Senate Districts (1/3 of the current Assembly membership of 99) apportioned throughout the state based on population as determined by the decennial census, for a total of 33 senators. A Senate district is formed by combining three Assembly districts. Similar to the U.S. Senate, in addition to its duty of reviewing and voting on all legislation passed through the legislature, the State Senate has the exclusive responsibility of confirming certain gubernatorial appointments, particularly cabinet secretaries and members of boards and commissions. Senators are elected for four-year terms, staggered so that approximately half of the Senate is up for election every two years. If a vacancy occurs in a Senate seat between elections, it may be filled only by a special election. The Senate chamber is in the south wing of the Wisconsin State Capitol, in Madison. In February 2024, the legislative maps of the Senate, along with the State Assembly, were redrawn following a court decision that found them to be unconstitutionally gerrymandered in favor of Republicans.
Wisconsin Senate | |
|---|---|
| Wisconsin State Legislature | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
New session started | January 6, 2025 |
| Leadership | |
President | |
President pro tempore | |
Majority Leader | |
Minority Leader | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 33 |
_Wisconsin_Senate.svg)  | |
Political groups | Majority
Minority
|
Length of term | 4 years |
| Authority | Article IV, Wisconsin Constitution |
| Salary | $57,408/year + $115 per diem[1] |
| Elections | |
Last election | November 5, 2024 (16 seats) |
Next election | November 3, 2026 (17 seats) |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| State Senate Chamber Wisconsin State Capitol Madison, Wisconsin | |
| Website | |
| Wisconsin State Senate | |
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The Wisconsin Senate is the upper house of the Wisconsin State Legislature. Together with the Wisconsin State Assembly they constitute the legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those of the U.S. Senate. The Wisconsin Senate is controlled by the Republican Party, as it has been for 20 of the past 22 years (only 2009-2010 are exceptions).
The Wisconsin Constitution ties the size of the State Senate to that of the Assembly, by limiting its size to no less than 1/4, nor more than 1/3, of the size of the Assembly. Currently, Wisconsin is divided into 33 Senate Districts (1/3 of the current Assembly membership of 99) apportioned throughout the state based on population as determined by the decennial census, for a total of 33 senators. A Senate district is formed by combining three Assembly districts. Similar to the U.S. Senate, in addition to its duty of reviewing and voting on all legislation passed through the legislature, the State Senate has the exclusive responsibility of confirming certain gubernatorial appointments, particularly cabinet secretaries and members of boards and commissions. Senators are elected for four-year terms, staggered so that approximately half of the Senate is up for election every two years. If a vacancy occurs in a Senate seat between elections, it may be filled only by a special election. The Senate chamber is in the south wing of the Wisconsin State Capitol, in Madison. In February 2024, the legislative maps of the Senate, along with the State Assembly, were redrawn following a court decision that found them to be unconstitutionally gerrymandered in favor of Republicans.[2]
Salary and benefits
[edit]The salary of all legislators serving in the 2025 Wisconsin Legislature is $60,924, which is an increase of 6.12% from the previous biennium. The speaker of the assembly also receives an additional $25 monthly stipend.[3] In addition to salaries, senators outside Madison, Wisconsin may receive a per diem up to $115 to cover living expenses while they are in Madison on state business. Members of the Dane County delegation may receive a per diem of half the amount to cover expenses.
Current session
[edit]Composition
[edit]| ↓ | ||
| 15 | 18 | |
| Democratic | Republican | |
| Affiliation | Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Republican | Vacant | ||
| Begin 100th Legislature (2011) | 14 | 19 | 33 | 0 |
| End 100th (2012) | 17 | 16 | ||
| Begin 101st (2013) | 15 | 18 | 33 | 0 |
| End 101st (2014) | 17 | 32 | 1 | |
| Begin 102nd (2015) | 14 | 18 | 32 | 1 |
| End 102nd (2016) | 18 | 32 | 1 | |
| Begin 103rd (2017) | 13 | 20 | 33 | 0 |
| End 103rd (2018) | 15 | 18 | 33 | 0 |
| Begin 104th (2019) | 14 | 19 | 33 | 0 |
| End 104th (2020) | 13 | 18 | 31 | 2 |
| Begin 105th (2021) | 12 | 20 | 32 | 1 |
| End 105th (2022) | 21 | 33 | 0 | |
| Begin 106th (2023)[4] | 11 | 21 | 32 | 1 |
| End 106th (2024) | 10 | 22 | 32 | 1 |
| Begin 107th (2025) | 15 | 18 | 33 | 0 |
| Latest voting share | 45% | 55% | ||
Senate officers
[edit]| Position | Name | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| President of the Senate | Mary Felzkowski | |||
| President Pro Tempore of the Senate | Patrick Testin | |||
| Majority leader | Devin LeMahieu | |||
| Assistant Majority Leader | Dan Feyen | |||
| Majority Caucus Chair | Van Wanggaard | |||
| Majority Caucus Vice Chair | Joan Ballweg | |||
| Minority Leader | Dianne Hesselbein | |||
| Assistant Minority Leader | Jeff Smith | |||
| Minority Caucus Chair | Chris Larson | |||
| Minority Caucus Vice Chair | Mark Spreitzer | |||
| Chief Clerk | Cyrus Anderson | |||
| Sergeant-at-Arms | Tom Engels | |||
Members
[edit]Notable past members
[edit]- C. Latham Sholes (1848–1850; 1856–1858), invented the QWERTY keyboard
- Angus Cameron (1863–1864; 1871–1872), former U.S. Senator from Wisconsin (1875–1885)
- Gaylord Nelson (1949–1958), former Governor of Wisconsin (1959–1963) and U.S. Senator from Wisconsin (1963–1981)
- Henry Maier (1951–1960), former Mayor of Milwaukee (1960–1988)
- James B. Brennan (1959–1962), former U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Wisconsin (1962–1969) and Milwaukee City Attorney (1972–1984)
- William Bablitch (1972–1983), former Justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court (1983–2003)
- Tom Petri (1973–1979), former U.S. House Representative (1979–2015)
- Jim Sensenbrenner (1975–1979), former U.S. House Representative (1979–2021)
- Russ Feingold (1983–1993), former U.S. Senator from Wisconsin (1993–2011)
- John Norquist (1983–1988), former Mayor of Milwaukee (1988–2004)
- Tom Barrett (1989–1993), former U.S. House Representative (1993–2003) and former Mayor of Milwaukee (2004–2021)
- Gwen Moore (1993–2005), current U.S. House Representative (2005–present)
- Glenn Grothman (2005–2015), current U.S. House Representative (2015–present)
- Tom Tiffany (2012–2020), current U.S. House Representative (2020–present)
- Fred Risser (1962-2021), longest-serving state legislator in American history
- Scott Fitzgerald (1995–2021), current U.S. House Representative (2021–present)
List of senate presidents (since 1979)
[edit]| # | President | Party | Start of service | End of service |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Fred Risser | Democratic | May 1, 1979 | April 20, 1993 |
| 2 | Brian Rude | Republican | April 20, 1993 | July 9, 1996 |
| - | Fred Risser | Democratic | July 9, 1996 | April 21, 1998 |
| - | Brian Rude | Republican | April 21, 1998 | January 4, 1999 |
| - | Fred Risser | Democratic | January 4, 1999 | January 6, 2003 |
| 3 | Alan Lasee | Republican | January 6, 2003 | January 8, 2007 |
| - | Fred Risser | Democratic | January 8, 2007 | January 3, 2011 |
| 4 | Mike Ellis | Republican | January 3, 2011 | July 17, 2012 |
| - | Fred Risser | Democratic | July 17, 2012 | January 7, 2013 |
| - | Mike Ellis | Republican | January 7, 2013 | January 5, 2015 |
| 5 | Mary Lazich | Republican | January 5, 2015 | January 3, 2017 |
| 6 | Roger Roth | Republican | January 3, 2017 | January 4, 2021 |
| 7 | Chris Kapenga | Republican | January 4, 2021 | January 6, 2025 |
| 8 | Mary Felzkowski | Republican | January 6, 2025 | present |
Past composition of the Senate
[edit]See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Salaries of Wisconsin State Elected Officials, 2023" (PDF). Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
- ^ "Wisconsin's Democratic governor signs his new legislative maps into law after Republicans pass them". AP News. February 19, 2024. Retrieved February 19, 2024.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 21, 2025. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ Republican Alberta Darling (District 8) resigned December 1, 2022, retiring from public life. [1]
External links
[edit]- Wisconsin State Senate Archived April 18, 2012, at the Wayback Machine official government website
- State Senate of Wisconsin at Project Vote Smart
- Wisconsin State Senate at Ballotpedia
- Legislature Salary
| International | |
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| National | |
| Other | |
