Wisconsin Senate

Wisconsin Senate
Wisconsin Senate
Wisconsin State Legislature
Type
Type	Upper house
Term limits	None
History
New session started	January 3, 2023
Leadership
President	Chris Kapenga (R) ; since January 4, 2021
President pro tempore	Patrick Testin (R) ; since January 4, 2021
Majority Leader	Devin LeMahieu (R) ; since January 4, 2021
Minority Leader	Dianne Hesselbein (D) ; since December 1, 2023
Structure
Seats	33
Political groups	Majority Republican (22); Minority Democratic (10); Vacancy Vacant (1);
Length of term	4 years
Authority	Article IV, Wisconsin Constitution
Salary	$50,950/year + $153 per diem
Elections
Last election	November 3, 2020; (16 seats)
Last election	November 6, 2022; (17 seats)
Next 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

The Wisconsin Senate is the

legislative branch of the state of Wisconsin. The powers of the Wisconsin Senate are modeled after those of the U.S. Senate

.

The

checks and balances) 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.^[1]

Salary and benefits

The salary for legislators serving in the 2017 Wisconsin Legislature - $50,950 - was unchanged from the previous session. The salary for legislators serving in the 2015 session was increased by 2 percent from the $49,943 rate that had been in effect for the previous three bienniums. Before that increase, the most recent increase was an increase of 5 per-cent from the 2007 session to the 2009 session. The Speaker of the Assembly receives an additional stipend, which is currently $25 per month.[2]

In addition to their salaries, senators outside Dane County may receive a per diem up to $88 to cover living expenses while they are in Dane County on state business. Members of the Madison delegation may receive a per diem up to $44 to cover expenses. Each senator also receives $75 per month in "out-of-session" pay when the Legislature is in session for three days or less. Over two years, each senator is allotted $66,008 to cover general office expenses, printing, postage and district mailings. ^{[citation needed]}

Current session

Composition

↓
10	1	22
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	33	0

Begin 101st (2013)	15	18	33	0
End 101st (2014)	15	17	32	1

Begin 102nd (2015)	14	18	32	1
End 102nd (2016)	14	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)	12	21	33	0

Begin 106th (2023)	11	21	32	1
From May 3, 2023	11	22	33	0
From Jan. 26, 2024	10	22	32	1
Latest voting share	31.25%	68.75%

Senate officers

Position		Name
	President of the Senate	Chris Kapenga
	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		Richard Champagne (acting)
Sergeant-at-Arms		Tom Engels

Members

District	Senator	Party	Residence	Current age	First elected	Next election
01	André Jacque	Rep	De Pere	43	2018	2026
02	Robert Cowles	Rep	Green Bay	73	1987	2024
03	Tim Carpenter	Dem	Milwaukee	64	2002	2026
04	--Vacant--					2024
05	Rob Hutton	Rep	Brookfield	57	2022	2026
06	La Tonya Johnson	Dem	Milwaukee	51	2016	2024
07	Chris Larson	Dem	Milwaukee	43	2010	2026
08	Dan Knodl	Rep	Germantown	65	2023	2024
09	Devin LeMahieu	Rep	Oostburg	51	2014	2026
10	Rob Stafsholt	Rep	New Richmond	48	2020	2024
11	Stephen Nass	Rep	Whitewater	71	2014	2026
12	Mary Felzkowski	Rep	Irma	60	2020	2024
13	John Jagler	Rep	Watertown	54	2021	2026
14	Joan Ballweg	Rep	Markesan	72	2020	2024
15	Mark Spreitzer	Dem	Beloit	37	2022	2026
16	Melissa Agard	Dem	Monona	55	2020	2024
17	Howard Marklein	Rep	Spring Green	69	2014	2026
18	Dan Feyen	Rep	Fond du Lac	55	2016	2024
19	Rachael Cabral-Guevara	Rep	Appleton	47	2022	2026
20	Duey Stroebel	Rep	Saukville	64	2015	2024
21	Van H. Wanggaard	Rep	Racine	72	2014	2026
22	Robert Wirch	Dem	Somers	80	1996	2024
23	Jesse James	Rep	Altoona	52	2022	2026
24	Patrick Testin	Rep	Stevens Point	35	2016	2024
25	Romaine Quinn	Rep	Cameron	33	2022	2026
26	Kelda Roys	Dem	Madison	44	2020	2024
27	Dianne Hesselbein	Dem	Middleton	53	2022	2026
28	Julian Bradley	Rep	Franklin	43	2020	2024
29	Cory Tomczyk	Rep	Mosinee	61	2022	2026
30	Eric Wimberger	Rep	Green Bay	45	2020	2024
31	Jeff Smith	Dem	Brunswick	69	2018	2026
32	Brad Pfaff	Dem	Onalaska	56	2020	2024
33	Chris Kapenga	Rep	Delafield	52	2015	2026

Notable past members

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)
U.S. Senator
from Wisconsin (1963–1981)
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)

U.S. House Representative

(1979–2015)

U.S. House Representative

(1979–2021)

Russ Feingold (1983–1993), former U.S. Senator from Wisconsin (1993–2011)
Mayor of Milwaukee
(1988–2004)
Mayor of Milwaukee
(2004–2021)
U.S. House Representative
(2005–present)
U.S. House Representative
(2015–present)
U.S. House Representative
(2020–present)
U.S. House Representative
(2021–present)

Past composition of the Senate

References

^ "Wisconsin's Democratic governor signs his new legislative maps into law after Republicans pass them". AP News. 2024-02-19. Retrieved 2024-02-19.
^ Salaries of elected officials effective January 2017 LRB REPORTS FEBRUARY 2017, VOL. 1, NO. 2

External links

Wisconsin State Senate Archived 2012-04-18 at the Wayback Machine official government website
State Senate of Wisconsin at
Project Vote Smart
Wisconsin Senate at Ballotpedia
Legislature Salary

43°04′27.5″N 89°23′03.0″W / 43.074306°N 89.384167°W / 43.074306; -89.384167

[1] "Wisconsin's Democratic governor signs his new legislative maps into law after Republicans pass them". AP News. 2024-02-19. Retrieved 2024-02-19.

[2] Salaries of elected officials effective January 2017 LRB REPORTS FEBRUARY 2017, VOL. 1, NO. 2

[1]

v t e Members of the Wisconsin Senate
106th Wisconsin Legislature (2023–2024) President of the Senate: Chris Kapenga (R) President pro tempore: Patrick Testin (R) Majority Leader: Devin LeMahieu (R) Minority Leader: Dianne Hesselbein (D)
▌André Jacque (R) ▌Robert Cowles (R) ▌Tim Carpenter (D) --Vacant-- ▌Rob Hutton (R) ▌La Tonya Johnson (D) ▌Chris Larson (D) ▌Dan Knodl (R) ▌Devin LeMahieu (R) ▌Rob Stafsholt (R) ▌Stephen Nass (R) ▌Mary Felzkowski (R) ▌John Jagler (R) ▌Joan Ballweg (R) ▌Mark Spreitzer (D) ▌Melissa Agard (D) ▌Howard Marklein (R) ▌Dan Feyen (R) ▌Rachael Cabral-Guevara (R) ▌Duey Stroebel (R) ▌Van Wanggaard (R) ▌Robert Wirch (D) ▌Jesse James (R) ▌Patrick Testin (R) ▌Romaine Quinn (R) ▌Kelda Roys (D) ▌Dianne Hesselbein (D) ▌Julian Bradley (R) ▌Cory Tomczyk (R) ▌Eric Wimberger (R) ▌Jeff Smith (D) ▌Brad Pfaff (D) ▌Chris Kapenga (R)
▌Republican (22) ▌Democratic (10) Vacant (1) Wisconsin Legislature Wisconsin State Assembly Wisconsin Senate

v t e Wisconsin Legislatures
Michigan Territory Rump Council (1836)	"Rump Council" (1836)
Territory (1836–1848)	1 (1836–1838) 2 (1838–1840) 3 (1840–1842) 4 (1842–1846) 5 (1847–1848)
State (since 1848)	1 (1848) 2 (1849) 3 (1850) 4 (1851) 5 (1852) 6 (1853) 7 (1854) 8 (1855) 9 (1856) 10 (1857) 11 (1858) 12 (1859) 13 (1860) 14 (1861) 15 (1862) 16 (1863) 17 (1864) 18 (1865) 19 (1866) 20 (1867) 21 (1868) 22 (1869) 23 (1870) 24 (1871) 25 (1872) 26 (1873) 27 (1874) 28 (1875) 29 (1876) 30 (1877) 31 (1878) 32 (1879) 33 (1880) 34 (1881) 35 (1882) 36 (1883) 37 (1885) 38 (1887) 39 (1889) 40 (1891) 41 (1893) 42 (1895) 43 (1897) 44 (1899) 45 (1901) 46 (1903) 47 (1905) 48 (1907) 49 (1909) 50 (1911) 51 (1913) 52 (1915) 53 (1917) 54 (1919) 55 (1921) 56 (1923) 57 (1925) 58 (1927) 59 (1929) 60 (1931) 61 (1933) 62 (1935) 63 (1937) 64 (1939) 65 (1941) 66 (1943) 67 (1945) 68 (1947) 69 (1949) 70 (1951) 71 (1953) 72 (1955) 73 (1957) 74 (1959) 75 (1961) 76 (1963) 77 (1965) 78 (1967) 79 (1969) 80 (1971) 81 (1973) 82 (1975) 83 (1977) 84 (1979) 85 (1981) 86 (1983) 87 (1985) 88 (1987) 89 (1989) 90 (1991) 91 (1993) 92 (1995) 93 (1997) 94 (1999) 95 (2001) 96 (2003) 97 (2005) 98 (2007) 99 (2009) 100 (2011) 101 (2013) 102 (2015) 103 (2017) 104 (2019) 105 (2021) 106 (2023)

v t e Legislatures of the United States
United States Congress	United States House of Representatives United States Senate
State legislatures	Alabama (H, S) Alaska (H, S) Arizona (H, S) Arkansas (H, S) California (A, S) Colorado (H, S) Connecticut (H, S) Delaware (H, S) Florida (H, S) Georgia (H, S) Hawaii (H, S) Idaho (H, S) Illinois (H, S) Indiana (H, S) Iowa (H, S) Kansas (H, S) Kentucky (H, S) Louisiana (H, S) Maine (H, S) Maryland (H, S) Massachusetts (H, S) Michigan (H, S) Minnesota (H, S) Mississippi (H, S) Missouri (H, S) Montana (H, S) Nebraska Nevada (A, S) New Hampshire (H, S) New Jersey (GA, S) New Mexico (H, S) New York (A, S) North Carolina (H, S) North Dakota (H, S) Ohio (H, S) Oklahoma (H, S) Oregon (H, S) Pennsylvania (H, S) Rhode Island (H, S) South Carolina (H, S) South Dakota (H, S) Tennessee (H, S) Texas (H, S) Utah (H, S) Vermont (H, S) Virginia (H, S) Washington (H, S) West Virginia (H, S) Wisconsin (A, S) Wyoming (H, S)
Other legislatures	District of Columbia American Samoa (H, S) Guam Northern Mariana Islands (H, S) Puerto Rico (H, S) U.S. Virgin Islands
Legislative elections	2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024
List of U.S. state legislators

Authority control databases
International	VIAF
National	Israel United States