EXECUTIVE BRANCH: GENERAL EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS            
            603

                                  ETHICS BOARD

Members: THOMAS S. SMITH, chairperson; JAMES R. MORGAN, vice chairperson,-
DIANE B. CON-
  WAY, secretary; JOSEPH F.. FLANAGAN, PAUL M. HOLZEM, DAVID L. McROBERTS.
Executive Director: R. ROTH JUDD.
Mailing Address: State Education Building (GEF 3), 125 South Webster Street,
Madison 53702.
Telephone: (608) 266-8123.
Publications: Annual Report and Opinions of the Ethics Board.
Number of Employes: 3.00.
Total Budget 1987-89: $291,400.
Statutory Reference: Section 15.62.
   History: Chapter 90, Laws of 1973, created the Ethics Board and the statutes
it administers.
Initially, the standards of conduct contained in the ethics code applied
only to key officials of the
executive and legislative branches. Chapter 277, Laws of 1977, extended the
code's application to
state judges, clarified and strengthened the standards of conduct to which
state officials are held,
required officials to identify publicly more information about their personal
financial interests
than had been mandated previously, and facilitated the code's enforcement.
Chapter 120, Laws
of 1979, enhanced the ability of local governments to enforce codes of ethics
for local officials.
The 1981 Legislature applied the ethics code to members and key employes
of Vocational, Tech-
nical and Adult Education district boards and to employes of the Housing
and Economic Devel-
opment Authority (Chapters 269 and 349, respectively, Laws of 1981). 1983
Wisconsin Act 27
extended the ethics code's application to municipal judges. 1987 WisAct 365
applied the code to
division administrators in the classified civil service, increased the penalties
for code violations,
and made it easier to prove a violation by changing the standard of proof
from proof "beyond a
reasonable doubt" to proof by "clear and convincing evidence".
   Organization: The board consists of 6 members appointed by the governor
with the advice and
 consent of the senate to staggered 6-year terms. While serving on the board
and for one year
 prior to appointment, no member may have been a member of a political party
or a partisan
 political organization or a candidate for partisan office. The board appoints
an executive direc-
 tor to oversee the daily administration of the office.
   Agency Responsibility: The Ethics Board has 3 major responsibilities:
to advise state public
 officials and those who work with them about the legality and propriety
of matters to which they
 may be party; to investigate possible ethics code violations and, when appropriate,
to begin legal
 proceedings to enforce the code or to impose penalties; and to maintain
for public examination
 statements of economic interests filed with the board by state officials
and by candidates and
 nominees for public office.
   Interagency Relationships: The board deals with all state offices and
agencies both in receiving
 financial statements and in enforcing the ethics code.






                             Office of The GOVERNOR

 See OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR, page 425, for description.