This process was interrupted, however, when Dane County District Attorney Ismael Ozanne filed suit charging a hastily called meeting of lawmakers March 9 violated the state's open meetings law. The meeting was a first step toward the Senate approving the bill later that evening, with the Assembly voting on it the following day.

Hanaman said Fitzgerald was told at Friday's meeting that a bill does not become law until after it is published by the secretary of state. When pressed by Attorney Robert Jambrois, who is representing Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca, D-Kenosha, over whether Fitzgerald "insisted" the bill be published by the reference bureau on March 25, Hanaman hesitated several times before answering.

"He is our boss," she finally said. "His asking could be seen as insisting."

Miller then testified that Fitzgerald told him to call Kevin St. John at the Attorney General's Office if he had any questions. Miller said he had only called the Attorney General's Office a few other times since he began working at the bureau in 1998. Miller said he was not aware St. John was the deputy attorney general, or No. 2 in command.

"I was already committed to doing it (publishing the bill), but I wanted to clarify my thinking on it," Miller said. "I though it might make me feel better."