Rep. Ortiz-Velez authors bill in Wisconsin Assembly to limit emergency power duration

The new bill authored by State Rep. Sylvia Ortiz-Velez seeks to limit the duration of emergency power proclamations issued by local government chief executives to ensure timely review by governing bodies, according to the Wisconsin State Assembly.

According to the Wisconsin State Legislature’s official website, the bill was described as follows: “time limits on local unit of government chief executive officer emergency power proclamations”.

The following is our breakdown, based on the actual bill text, and may include interpretation to clarify its provisions.

In essence, this bill restricts the duration of emergency power proclamations issued by the chief executive officers of local government units to a maximum of 60 days, unless an extension is granted by the governing body. The chief executive officer is defined as the county executive, county administrator, or county board chair of a county, the mayor or city manager of a city, the village president of a village, the town board chair of a town, or any person acting in those capacities. The bill allows these proclamations in cases where the governing body cannot promptly convene, and requires that any subsequent action by the governing body may alter, modify, extend, or repeal the proclamation without affecting its prior validity.

The bill was co-authored by Senator Cory Tomczyk (Republican-29th District), Representative Scott Allen (Republican-82nd District), Representative Elijah R. Behnke (Republican-6th District), Representative Lindee Rae Brill (Republican-27th District), Representative Bob G. Donovan (Republican-61st District). It was co-sponsored by Senator Chris Kapenga (Republican-33rd District) and Senator Van H. Wanggaard (Republican-21st District), along 11 other co-sponsors.

Sylvia Ortiz-Velez has co-authored or authored another 55 bills since the beginning of the 2025 session, with none of them being enacted.

Ortiz-Velez graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a BS.

Ortiz-Velez, a Democrat, was elected to the Wisconsin State Assembly in 2021 to represent the state’s 8th Assembly district, replacing previous state representative JoCasta Zamarripa.

In Wisconsin, the legislative process starts when a senator, constituent, group, or agency proposes an idea for a bill. After drafting, the bill is introduced, numbered, and referred to a committee for review and public input. If approved, it moves through three readings and votes in both the Senate and Assembly. Once both chambers pass the same version, the bill goes to the governor, who can sign it, veto it, or let it become law without a signature. Only a small share of bills introduced each session ultimately become law. You can learn more about the Wisconsin legislative process here.