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Hansen, Risser leave Wisconsin Legislature

Wisconsin’s new legislative session starts without two long-time leaders.  Democrats Dave Hansen of Green Bay and Fred Risser of Madison did not seek re-election.

Hansen spent years on the Senate Natural Resources and the Senate Agriculture Committee, where he pushed through several bills supporting ethanol.  He also was vice-chair of the Joint Finance Committee and served as both Majority Leader and Assistant Majority Leader.

Risser leaves office as the longest-serving legislator in the nation, after being elected to the Assembly in 1956 and then the State Senate in 1962, totaling 64 continuous years at the Capitol.