79th Wisconsin Legislature

The Seventy-Ninth Wisconsin Legislature convened from January 6, 1969, to January 4, 1971, 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.

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 (WI-07) 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 (it had previously been restricted to Milwaukee County).
 * 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 general election:
 * Patrick Lucey (D) elected Governor of Wisconsin.
 * William Proxmire (D) 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, 1969 –January 4, 1971
 * September 1969 special session: September 29, 1969 –January 17, 1970
 * December 1970 special session: December 22, 1970

Senate leadership

 * President of the Senate: Jack B. Olson (R)
 * President pro tempore: Robert P. Knowles (R–New Richmond)
 * Majority leader: Ernest Keppler (R–Sheboygan)
 * Minority leader: Fred Risser (D–Madison)

Assembly leadership

 * Speaker of the Assembly: Harold V. Froehlich (R–Appleton)
 * Speaker pro tempore: Elmer C. Nitschke (R–Beaver Dam)
 * Majority leader: Paul Alfonsi (R–Minocqua)
 * Minority leader: Robert T. Huber (D–West Allis)

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:

Senate committees

 * Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture –W. Terry, chair
 * Senate Standing Committee on Education – H. Rasmusen, chair
 * Senate Standing Committee on Governmental and Veterans Affairs –W. Draheim, chair
 * Senate Standing Committee on Health and Social Services –A. Cirilli, chair
 * Senate Standing Committee on Interstate Cooperation – G. Lorge, chair
 * Senate Standing Committee on the Judiciary – A. Busby, chair
 * Senate Standing Committee on Labor, Taxation, Insurance, and Banking –G. Lorge, chair
 * Senate Standing Committee on Natural Resources – C. Krueger, chair
 * Senate Standing Committee on Transportation – R. La Fave, chair
 * Senate Special Committee on Committees –G. Lorge, chair
 * Senate Special Committee on Legislative Procedure –R. P. Knowles, chair
 * Senate Special Committee on Senate Organization –E. Keppler, chair

Assembly committees

 * Assembly Standing Committee on Agriculture – N. Nuttelman, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Commerce and Manufactures – F. C. Schroeder, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Conservation – P. Alfonsi, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Education – L. H. Johnson, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Elections – S. York, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Excise and Fees – E. F. McEssy, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Highways – W. J. Hutnik, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Insurance and Banking – K. Kenyon, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on the Judiciary – G. B. Belting, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Labor – J. N. Azim, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Municipalities – J. D. Steinhilber, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Printing – E. Conradt, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Public Welfare – H. F. Gee, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on State Affairs – B. Lewison, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Taxation – R. Uehling, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Tourism – W. L. Packard, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Transportation – E. C. Nitschke, chair
 * Assembly Standing Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs – J. C. Van Hollen, chair
 * Assembly Special Committee on Assembly Organization – H. V. Froehlich, chair
 * Assembly Special Committee on Engrossed Bills – E. D. Luckhardt, chair
 * Assembly Special Committee on Enrolled Bills – L. J. Kafka, chair
 * Assembly Special Committee on Revision – J. Quinn, chair
 * Assembly Special Committee on Rules – G. J. Bock, chair
 * Assembly Special Committee on Third Reading – C. Blanchard, chair

Joint committees

 * Joint Standing Committee on Finance –W. G. Hollander (Sen.) & B. F. Wackett (Asm.), co-chairs
 * Joint Standing Committee on Legislative Organization –P. Alfonsi (Asm.), chair
 * Joint Standing Committee on Revisions, Repeals, and Uniform Laws –G. Roseleip (Sen.) & J. Sensenbrenner (Asm.), co-chairs
 * Joint Legislative Council –H. V. Froehlich, chair

Senate employees

 * Chief Clerk: William P. Nugent
 * Sergeant-at-Arms: Kenneth Nicholson

Assembly employees

 * Chief Clerk: Wilmer H. Struebing
 * Sergeant-at-Arms: Louis C. Romell