AB247: Bill Text

LRB-1025/3

JTK:kaf:jf

1997 - 1998 LEGISLATURE

1997 Assembly BILL 247

April 3, 1997 - Introduced by Representative Baumgart. Referred to Committee on Assembly Organization.

AB247,1,4 An Act to amend 13.14 (3), 13.20 (1), 13.90 (1) (intro.), 13.90 (1m) (a) and (b), 19.45 (8) (intro.), 20.765 (3) (g), 20.923 (6) (h) and 230.08 (2) (f); and to create 13.97, 20.765 (3) (cn), 20.923 (6) (gn) and 230.08 (2) (fq) of the statutes; relating to: restructuring of legislative partisan caucus staffs.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Currently, the joint committee on legislative organization (JCLO) or either house of the legislature may employ such number of research staff assigned to legislative party caucuses as in the judgment of JCLO or the committee on organization of either house are necessary to enable it to perform its functions and duties and to best serve the people of this state. Currently 54 full-time equivalent positions are authorized for the party caucus staffs (30 for the assembly and 24 for the senate).

This bill deletes this authority and deauthorizes all positions that are currently assigned to legislative party caucuses beginning on July 1, 1998. Instead, the bill creates a new legislative service agency named the "Legislative Partisan Caucus Staffs", headed by a director. The director is appointed by JCLO and the director appoints the other employes of the agency. The director and all other employes are appointed on a nonpartisan basis. JCLO sets the salary of the director and the director sets the salary of the other employes, subject to available appropriations. The director and all employes serve outside the classified service. The bill authorizes 25 positions for the new agency. The director must assign an equal number of employes to exclusively serve each party caucus in each house of the legislature.

The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:

AB247, s. 1 Section 1. 13.14 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB247,2,6 13.14 (3) Travel; legislative personnel. The actual and necessary expenses of legislative policy research personnel, assistants to legislators and research staff assigned to legislative committees and party caucuses incident to attending meetings outside the capital shall be reimbursed from the appropriation under s. 20.765 (1) (a) or (b).

AB247, s. 2 Section 2. 13.20 (1) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB247,2,14 13.20 (1) Number and pay range of legislative employes. The legislature or either house thereof may employ under the unclassified service such policy research personnel, assistants to legislators, research staff assigned to legislative committees and party caucuses and such clerical, professional or other assistants as in the judgment of the joint committee on legislative organization or the committee on organization in each house are necessary to enable it to perform its functions and duties and to best serve the people of this state.

AB247, s. 3 Section 3. 13.90 (1) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB247,2,19 13.90 (1) (intro.)  The joint committee on legislative organization shall be the policy-making board for the legislative reference bureau, the legislative fiscal bureau, the legislative partisan caucus staffs and the legislative audit bureau. The committee shall:

AB247, s. 4 Section 4. 13.90 (1m) (a) and (b) of the statutes are amended to read:

AB247,3,4 13.90 (1m) (a) In this subsection, "legislative service agency" means the legislative council staff, the legislative audit bureau, the legislative fiscal bureau, the legislative reference bureau, the legislative partisan caucus staffs and the revisor of statutes bureau.

AB247,3,15 (b) The joint committee on legislative organization shall select the head of each legislative service agency. The appointment of each legislative service agency head shall be made without regard to political affiliation in order to safeguard the nonpartisan character of each legislative service agency. In the case of the state auditor, the joint legislative audit committee shall make recommendations for the approval of the joint committee on legislative organization. The committee shall designate an employe of each legislative service agency, other than the legislative partisan caucus staffs, to exercise the powers and authority of each legislative service agency head in case of absence or disability. The committee shall designate an employe of the legislature to exercise the powers and authority of the director of legislative caucus staffs in case of absence or disability.

AB247, s. 5 Section 5. 13.97 of the statutes is created to read:

AB247,3,19 13.97 Legislative partisan caucus staffs. (1) There is created an agency to be known as the "Legislative Partisan Caucus Staffs", to be headed by a director of legislative caucus staffs. The agency shall be strictly nonpartisan.

AB247,3,22 (2) The agency shall gather such information, prepare such analyses and studies and assist with such policy development as the legislative caucuses may direct.

AB247,3,23 (3) The director of legislative caucus staffs shall:

AB247,3,24 (a) Employ, supervise and train the personnel assigned to the director.

AB247,4,2 (b) Assign an equal number of employes to provide staffing services exclusively to each party caucus in each house of the legislature.

AB247,4,3 (c) Supervise all expenditures of the legislative partisan caucus staffs.

AB247, s. 6 Section 6. 19.45 (8) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB247,4,9 19.45 (8) (intro.) Except in the case where the state public office formerly held was that of legislator, legislative employe under s. 20.923 (6) (f), (g), (gn) or (h), chief clerk of a house of the legislature, sergeant at arms of a house of the legislature or a permanent employe occupying the position of auditor for the legislative audit bureau:

AB247, s. 7 Section 7. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated: - See PDF for table

AB247, s. 8 Section 8. 20.765 (3) (cn) of the statutes is created to read:

AB247,4,15 20.765 (3) (cn) Legislative partisan caucus staffs. For the legislative partisan caucus staffs, biennially, the amounts in the schedule for general program operations under s. 13.97.

AB247, s. 9 Section 9. 20.765 (3) (g) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB247,5,2 20.765 (3) (g) Gifts and grants to service agencies. For the legislative service agency under s. 13.81, 13.82, 13.90, 13.91, 13.92, 13.93, 13.94 or, 13.95 or 13.97 to which directed, as a continuing appropriation, all moneys received from gifts, grants, bequests and devises for the purposes for which made not inconsistent with said sections.

AB247, s. 10 Section 10. 20.923 (6) (gn) of the statutes is created to read:

AB247,5,4 20.923 (6) (gn) Legislative partisan caucus staffs: director and staff employes.

AB247, s. 11 Section 11. 20.923 (6) (h) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB247,5,8 20.923 (6) (h) Legislature: policy research personnel, assistants to legislators, research staff assigned to legislative committees and party caucuses and other persons employed under s. 13.20.

AB247, s. 12 Section 12. 230.08 (2) (f) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB247,5,12 230.08 (2) (f) All legislative officers and, in addition, policy research personnel, assistants to legislators, research staff assigned to legislative committees and party caucuses and other persons employed under s. 13.20.

AB247, s. 13 Section 13. 230.08 (2) (fq) of the statutes is created to read:

AB247,5,15 230.08 (2) (fq) The director and staff employes of the legislative partisan caucus staffs.

AB247, s. 14 Section 14. Nonstatutory provisions; legislature.

AB247,5,17 (1) Deauthorization of existing partisan caucus staffs.

AB247,5,20 (a) The authorized FTE positions for the assembly, funded from the appropriation under section 20.765 (1) (a) of the statutes, are decreased by 30.0 GPR positions to eliminate staffing of party caucuses.

AB247,5,23 (b) The authorized FTE positions for the senate, funded from the appropriation under section 20.765 (1) (b) of the statutes, are decreased by 24.0 GPR positions to eliminate staffing of party caucuses.

AB247,6,2 (2) Authorization of positions for legislative partisan caucus staffs. There is authorized for the legislative partisan caucus staffs 1.0 FTE GPR director position and 24.0 FTE GPR staff employe positions to be funded from the appropriation under section 20.765 (3) (cn) of the statutes, as created by this act.

AB247, s. 15 Section 15. Effective date.

AB247,6,4 (1) This act takes effect on July 1, 1998.

AB247,6,5 (End)