The Eighty-Fourth Wisconsin Legislature convened from to in regular session, and also convened in three special sessions. Senators representing odd-numbered districts were newly elected for this session and were serving the first two years of a four-year term. Assembly members were elected to a two-year term. Assembly members and odd-numbered senators were elected in the general election of November 7, 1978. Senators representing even-numbered districts were serving the third and fourth year of a four-year term, having been elected in the general election of November 2, 1976.

Major events

* January 1, 1979: Inauguration of Lee S. Dreyfus as the 40th

Governor of Wisconsin The governor of Wisconsin is the head of government of Wisconsin and the commander-in-chief of the state's army and air forces. The governor has a duty to enforce state laws, and the power to either approve or veto bills passed by the Wiscons ...

. * March 28, 1979: A partial meltdown occurred at the Three Mile Island Nuclear Generating Station in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. * April 3, 1979: 1979 Wisconsin spring election: ** Wisconsin voters approved four amendments to the state constitution: *** Updating terms of the gubernatorial succession. *** Providing that when there is a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor, the governor can appoint a replacement with the consent of the Legislature. *** Separating the office of Lieutenant Governor from the office of President of the Senate. *** Making uniform the wording of the election terms for the three state administrative branch officials. * November 4, 1979: 500 Iranian radicals, mostly students, invaded the U.S. Embassy in Tehran, taking 90 hostages and demanding that the United States return their recently deposed shah,

Mohammad Reza Pahlavi , title = Shahanshah Aryamehr Bozorg Arteshtaran , image = File:Shah_fullsize.jpg , caption = Shah in 1973 , succession = Shah of Iran , reign = 16 September 1941 – 11 February 1979 , coronation = 26 October ...

, to stand trial in Iran. * April 1, 1980: 1980 Wisconsin spring election: **

Donald W. Steinmetz Donald Walter Steinmetz (September 19, 1924August 31, 2013) was an American lawyer and judge. He served as a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for 19 years, and before that was a trial judge in Milwaukee County for 14 years. Background Born ...

was elected to the Wisconsin Supreme Court to succeed

Connor Hansen Connor Theodore Hansen (November 1, 1913August 21, 1987) was a justice of the Wisconsin Supreme Court for 13 years, from 1967 until 1980. An American attorney and Republican politician, he previously served as County Judge and District Attorney ...

. **

Ronald Reagan Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...

won the Wisconsin Republican presidential primary. ** Jimmy Carter won the Wisconsin Democratic presidential primary. * November 4, 1980: 1980 United States general election: **

(R) elected President of the United States. **

Bob Kasten Robert Walter Kasten Jr. (born June 19, 1942) is an American Republican politician from the state of Wisconsin who served as a U.S. Representative from 1975 to 1979 and as a United States Senator from 1981 to 1993. Background Kasten was born in ...

(R) elected United States senator from Wisconsin.

Major legislation

* 1979 Joint Resolution 3: Second legislative passage of four proposed amendments to the state constitution to clarify language about the gubernatorial succession, add a process by which the governor and legislature can fill a vacancy in the office of lieutenant governor, separate the office of Lieutenant Governor from the office of President of the Senate, and making uniform the language of the terms of election for the three administrative branch officials. All four amendments were ratified by voters at the April 1979 election.

Party summary

Senate summary

Assembly summary

Sessions

* Regular session: January 3, 1979January 5, 1981 * September 1979 special session: September 5, 1979 * January 1980 special session: January 22, 1980January 25, 1980 * June 1980 special session: June 3, 1980July 3, 1980

Leaders

Senate leadership

* President of the Senate: Russell Olson ( R) **

Fred Risser Fred A. Risser (born May 5, 1927) is a retired American Democratic politician. He holds the record as the longest-serving state legislator in American history, having served 58 years in the Wisconsin State Senate and six years in the Wisconsi ...

( D– Madison) * President pro tempore:

( D– Madison)

Senate majority leadership

* Majority Leader:

William A. Bablitch William Albert Bablitch (March 1, 1941February 16, 2011) was a politician, jurist, and lawyer from Wisconsin. He served in the Wisconsin State Senate from 1972 to 1983, and on the Wisconsin Supreme Court from 1983 to 2003. Bablitch was born in ...

( D– Stevens Point) * Assistant Majority Leader: James T. Flynn ( D– West Allis)

Senate minority leadership

* Minority Leader:

Clifford Krueger Clifford W. "Tiny" Krueger (June 24, 1918October 15, 1988) was an American politician, businessman, and circus performer from the U.S. state of Wisconsin. He served 34 years in the Wisconsin State Senate representing vast multi-county districts ...

( R– Merrill) * Assistant Minority Leader:

Roger P. Murphy Roger P. Murphy (October 17, 1923 – July 11, 2009) was an American jurist and politician. Born in Lancaster, Wisconsin, Murphy graduated from University of Wisconsin–Madison and received his law degree from University of Wisconsin Law ...

( R– Waukesha)

Assembly leadership

Speaker of the Assembly Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** In ...

: Edward Jackamonis ( D– Waukesha) * Speaker pro tempore:

David Kedrowski David R. Kedrowski (March 15, 1942) was a Democratic politician and legislator from Wisconsin.Wisconsin Blue Book, 1979-80 edition, (Members of the State Legislature), page 71. Born in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, Kedrowski graduated from the ...

( D–

Washburn Washburn (alternatively Wasseburne, Wasseborne, Wasshebourne, Wassheborne, Washbourne, Washburne, Washborne, Washborn, Wasborn, Washbon) is a toponymic surname, probably of Old English origin, with likely Anglo-Norman and Norman-French influenc ...

)

Assembly majority leadership

* Majority Leader: James W. Wahner ( D– Milwaukee) ** Gary K. Johnson * Assistant Majority Leader:

R. Michael Ferrall R. Michael Ferrall (born October 3, 1936) is a former member of the Wisconsin State Assembly. Biography Ferrall was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He graduated from high school in Gresham, Wisconsin before receiving a B.S. degree from the Univers ...

( D– Racine)

Assembly minority leadership

* Minority Leader:

John C. Shabaz John C. Shabaz (June 25, 1931August 31, 2012) was an American lawyer, politician, and judge. He served 30 years as a United States district judge for the Western District of Wisconsin, and was Chief Judge between 1996 and 2001. Earlier in his car ...

( R– New Berlin) * Assistant Minority Leader: Tommy Thompson ( R–

Elroy Elroy may refer to: Places in the United States * Elroy, North Carolina, a census-designated place * Elroy, Pennsylvania, a village in Franconia Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania * Elroy, Texas, an unincorporated community * Elroy, Wiscons ...

)

Members

Members of the Senate

Members of the Senate for the Eighty-Fourth Wisconsin Legislature: WI Senate Partisan Map 1979

Members of the Assembly

Members of the Assembly for the Eighty-Fourth Wisconsin Legislature: WI Assembly Partisan Map 1979

Employees

Senate employees

* Chief Clerk: Donald J. Schneider * Sergeant-at-Arms: Daniel B. Fields

Assembly employees

* Chief Clerk: Marcel Dandeneau * Sergeant-at-Arms:

Joseph E. Jones Joseph E. Jones (June 29, 1914 – May 8, 2003) was an American Democratic legislator. Born in Antigo, Wisconsin, Jones went to Bowlby Business College, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Northwest University for Machinist Business Col ...