Wisconsin lawmakers back in session after two-month break

Gearing up for final
debate of session in April

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin state legislature has been off since Nov. 5 on holiday break. Tuesday, its set to come back and make a push to the end of the session with floor debates in the Senate and Assembly.

The last floor debate days for the 2015-16 session are set for April, but Republican leaders are anxious to get their members home and on the campaign trail. They hope to wrap up their work by early March.

That means a sprint to the finish. Legislators spent the holiday break holding hearings on a flurry of bills to prepare them for possible floor votes.

Some of the bigger ticket items include overhauling the civil service system, banning research using fetal tissue and requiring transgender students to use bathrooms assigned to their biological sex.