2019 Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 35. Publication and distribution of laws and public documents.
35.18 Wisconsin statutes.

35.18 Wisconsin statutes.

(1) Publication.

(a) Biennially the legislative reference bureau shall prepare and deliver to the department printer's copy for the Wisconsin statutes, which shall contain all the general statutes in force, all important joint resolutions adopted since the last preceding general session, an alphabetical index, and such other matter as the bureau deems desirable and practicable. The department shall determine how many copies shall be printed.

(b)

1. The legislative reference bureau shall electronically publish interim updated versions of the statutes included in the biennial Wisconsin statutes printed under par. (a) on the Internet in one or more electronic file formats. The legislative reference bureau may electronically publish the updated versions on other electronic media in one or more electronic file formats, as the legislative reference bureau determines.

2. The legislative reference bureau shall include in the updated versions of the statutes electronically published under subd. 1. all general statutes in force, except that the legislative reference bureau may omit tables and graphic images from publication in a particular electronic file format if the legislative reference bureau determines that the tables and graphic images are incompatible with that electronic file format. If the legislative reference bureau omits tables or graphic images from publication in a particular electronic file format, it shall insert a note following the affected statutory unit identifying the omission and providing a hypertext link providing electronic access to the table or graphic image. The legislative reference bureau shall at all times publish the statutes on the Internet in at least one electronic file format that allows for publication of all tables and graphic images contained in the statutes.

3. The legislative reference bureau shall include all of the following with each updated version of the statutes published under subd. 1.:

a. The date of publication for the updated version.

b. The edition of the biennial Wisconsin statutes that is being updated.

c. The act number of the most recent legislative act included in the updated version.

d. The date through which the updated version has been updated. The updated version shall include all legislative acts that were enacted, and all supreme court orders affecting statutes that were entered, on or before the date referenced in this subd. 3. d.

e. A notice stating that the updated version of the statutes electronically published under this paragraph is certified under sub. (2) (b).

(2) Legislative reference bureau certification.

(a) After making the necessary comparison, the chief of the legislative reference bureau shall sign and file in the office of the secretary of state as a public record a certificate certifying that the bureau has compared each section contained in the biennial Wisconsin statutes printed under sub. (1) (a) with the original section of the statutes, or with the original section contained in the enrolled act from which the section was derived, together with all amendments of such original section, if any, and that all the sections appear to be correctly printed. All copies of the biennial Wisconsin statutes printed under sub. (1) (a) shall contain a printed copy of such certificate.

(b) After making the necessary comparison, the legislative reference bureau shall publish on the Internet, and with each electronic publication of the Wisconsin statutes under sub. (1) (b), a certification that the bureau has compared each section of the Wisconsin statutes published under sub. (1) (b) with the original section of the statutes, or with the original section contained in the enrolled act from which the section was derived, together with all amendments of such original section, if any, and that all the sections appear to be correctly published. The certification shall indicate any electronic file formats in which the statutes are published that do not contain all graphic images and tables due to incompatibility with the electronic file format.

(3) Numbers and titles of chapters and sections. All chapters and sections of Wisconsin statutes shall retain their present numbers and titles until changed by the legislative reference bureau or by statute. Each section shall be designated by a mixed, decimal number, the whole number corresponding to the chapter and the decimal to the section's place in the chapter. The numbers and titles of chapters and sections shall be printed in boldface type. Each subsection shall be designated by a number, or by a number and a letter of the alphabet, enclosed in parentheses. Each paragraph shall be designated by a letter or letters enclosed in parentheses. Each subdivision shall be designated by a number or by a number and a letter. Each paragraph of a subdivision shall be designated by a letter or letters.

(4) Annotations. The legislative reference bureau shall prepare such annotations as will keep the volume known as “Wisconsin Annotations," up to date, and include those annotations in the Wisconsin statutes published under sub. (1) (a) and (b).

History: 1971 c. 211; 1981 c. 314; 1987 a. 27; 1991 a. 316; 2003 a. 323; 2007 a. 20; 2013 a. 20 ss. 575h to 575L, 575n.

Cross Reference: See s. 889.01 for the statutes as prima facie evidence.