Senate Majority Scott Fitzgerald has told Senate Republicans that any votes taken by Senate Democrats in standing committee public hearings and executive sessions will not be counted or recorded.

"Please note that all 14 Democrat senators are still in contempt of the Senate," Fitzgerald wrote in an email Monday afternoon that was posted on wispolitics.com "Therefore, when taking roll call votes on amendments and bills during executive sessions, Senate Democrats' votes will not be reflected in the Records of Committee Proceedings or the Senate Journal."

The senators are free, however, to "attend hearings, listen to testimony, debate legislations, introduce amendments, and cast votes to signal their support/opposition," Fitzgerald added.

Sen. Fred Risser, D-Madison, had not heard of Fitzgerald's directives but questioned the majority leader's authority.

"In my career of 50 some years I have never come across a situation where the majority leader of any party could determine that the votes of another party could not count," said Risser. "This is the height of arrogance."