87th Wisconsin Legislature

• January 20, 1985: Second inauguration of Ronald Reagan as President of the United States.
• March 1, 1985: Milwaukee businessman Herb Kohl reached a deal to purchase the Milwaukee Bucks professional basketball team, in order to prevent the team from leaving Milwaukee.
• September 6, 1985: Midwest Express Airlines Flight 105 crashed just after takeoff from Milwaukee Mitchell International Airport, killing all 31 people on board.
• January 28, 1986: The Space Shuttle Challenger exploded shortly after liftoff from Kennedy Space Center Launch Complex 39B, resulting in the death of all seven astronauts on board.
• April 1, 1986: 1986 Wisconsin Spring election:
  • Wisconsin voters ratified four amendments to the state constitution:
    • Rewording the section on inherent rights, to more directly mirror the language of the Declaration of Independence.
    • Repealing the old contents of Article III (suffrage), replacing it with a simplified statement of the right and circumstances where the legislature can modify that right. Also updated the voting age at 18.
    • Removing more obsolete language left in the constitution by the 1881 term-lengths amendments.
    • Removing obsolete reference to suffrage on Indian lands.
• November 4, 1986: 1986 United States general election:
  • Tommy Thompson (R) elected Governor of Wisconsin.
  • Bob Kasten (R) re-elected United States senator from Wisconsin.

• July 18, 1985: An Act ... relating to creating the Bradley center sports and entertainment corporation and granting a property tax exemption, 1985 Act 26. Creating an entity to construct and manage the Bradley Center in Milwaukee.

• Regular session: January 7, 1985 – January 5, 1987
• March 1985 special session: March 19, 1985 – March 21, 1985
• September 1985 special session: September 24, 1985 – October 19, 1985
• October 1985 special session: October 31, 1985
• November 1985 special session: November 20, 1985
• January 1986 special session: January 27, 1986 – May 30, 1986
• March 1986 special session: March 24, 1986 – March 26, 1986
• May 1986 special session: May 20, 1986 – May 29, 1986
• July 1986 special session: July 15, 1986

• President of the Senate: Fred Risser (D–Madison)

• Majority Leader: Timothy Cullen (D–Janesville)
• Assistant Majority Leader: John Norquist (D–Milwaukee)

• Minority Leader: Susan Engeleiter (R–Menomonee Falls)
• Assistant Minority Leader: Michael G. Ellis (R–Neenah)

• Speaker of the Assembly: Thomas A. Loftus (D–Sun Prairie)
• Speaker pro tempore: David Clarenbach (D–Madison)

• Majority Leader: Dismas Becker (D–Milwaukee)
• Assistant Majority Leader: John Medinger (D–La Crosse)

• Minority Leader: Tommy Thompson (R–Elroy)
• Assistant Minority Leader: Robert S. Travis Jr. (R–Platteville)

Members of the Senate for the Eighty-Seventh Wisconsin Legislature:^[2]

Members of the Assembly for the Eighty-Seventh Wisconsin Legislature:^[2]

• Chief Clerk: Donald J. Schneider^[2]
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Daniel B. Fields

• Chief Clerk: Joanne M. Duren^[2]
• Sergeant-at-Arms: Patrick Essie