LRB-1949/1
SRM:wlj:pg
2007 - 2008 LEGISLATURE
March 12, 2007 - Introduced by Representatives Albers, Owens, Gundrum,
Musser and Vos, cosponsored by Senators Grothman, Schultz and A. Lasee.
Referred to Committee on Elections and Constitutional Law.
AJR30,1,3
1To create section 3 (4) of article VII of the constitution;
relating to: prohibiting
2assessing indigent legal fees to attorneys licensed to practice law in this state
3(first consideration).
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Currently the supreme court by rule requires all practicing attorneys to belong
to the State Bar of Wisconsin and to pay bar dues. A portion of the bar dues is used
to provide legal services to the indigent.
This proposed constitutional amendment, proposed to the 2007 legislature on
first consideration, prohibits the supreme court from assessing indigent legal fees to
attorneys licensed to practice law in this state.
A constitutional amendment requires adoption by two successive legislatures,
and ratification by the people, before it can become effective.
AJR30,1,4
4Resolved by the assembly, the senate concurring, That:
AJR30, s. 1
5Section
1. Section 3 (4) of article VII of the constitution is created to read:
AJR30,1,86
[Article VII] Section 3 (4) The supreme court may assess attorneys licensed to
7practice law in this state for the cost of their regulation, but the court may not assess
8those attorneys to pay the cost of legal services for the indigent.
AJR30, s. 2
1Section
2. Numbering of new provision. The new subsection (4) of section
23 of article VII of the constitution created in this joint resolution shall be designated
3by the next higher open whole subsection number in that section in that article if,
4before the ratification by the people of the amendment proposed in this joint
5resolution, any other ratified amendment has created a subsection (4) of section 3 of
6article VII of the constitution of this state. If one or more joint resolutions create a
7subsection (4) of section 3 of article VII simultaneously with the ratification by the
8people of the amendment proposed in this joint resolution, the subsections created
9shall be numbered and placed in a sequence so that the subsections created by the
10joint resolution having the lowest enrolled joint resolution number have the numbers
11designated in that joint resolution and the subsections created by the other joint
12resolutions have numbers that are in the same ascending order as are the numbers
13of the enrolled joint resolutions creating the subsections.
AJR30,2,16
14Be it further resolved, That this proposed amendment be referred to the
15legislature to be chosen at the next general election and that it be published for 3
16months previous to the time of holding such election.
