An Act to renumber and amend 323.14 (4) (b); to create 323.14 (4) (b) 1. of the statutes; Relating to: time limits on local unit of government chief executive officer emergency power proclamations.
Summary
SB310 amends Wisconsin’s emergency management law governing when a local government’s chief executive officer may act by proclamation if the governing body cannot meet promptly during an emergency. The bill keeps the existing authority for the chief executive officer to exercise powers normally held by the governing body when emergency conditions prevent the body from convening, but it clarifies and reorganizes the statute by defining who counts as a “chief executive officer” for these purposes.
The bill specifies that the term includes county executives, county administrators, county board chairs in counties with an administrative coordinator, city mayors or city managers, village presidents or village managers, town board chairpersons, and temporary or acting officials filling those roles. It also preserves the rule that an emergency proclamation may not exceed 60 days unless extended by the governing body, and that the governing body may later ratify, alter, modify, extend, or repeal the proclamation without affecting its prior validity.
Impact
The bill updates s. 323.14 (4) (b) of the Wisconsin Statutes, which governs emergency proclamations by local executive officials when a governing body cannot meet. Its main legal effect is to codify a broader, more explicit definition of the local official authorized to issue such proclamations and to maintain the 60-day limit unless extended by the governing body. The change affects counties, cities, villages, and towns, as well as local emergency decision-making authority during disasters or other emergency conditions.
Sentiment
The available record shows no committee transcripts, recorded votes, or formal opposition, so there is no documented debate to indicate strong support or resistance. Based on the bill’s narrow, technical nature and its focus on clarifying emergency authority rather than expanding it substantially, the measure appears to be administrative and likely noncontroversial. The enactment and publication history suggest it moved through the process without visible public contention in the provided materials.
Contention
No specific points of contention are documented in the provided materials. If any concerns existed, they would likely have centered on the scope of emergency authority granted to local executives, the 60-day duration limit, or which local officials are empowered to act when a governing body is unavailable. However, the bill text itself preserves governing-body oversight and does not appear to shift emergency power away from local legislative bodies permanently.
Crossfiled
An Act to renumber and amend 323.14 (4) (b); to create 323.14 (4) (b) 1. of the statutes; Relating to: time limits on local unit of government chief executive officer emergency power proclamations.