LEGISLATIVE AGENCIES


                                 Joint Committee on
                        LEGISLATIVE ORGANIZATION
Members: SENATOR RISSER (president of the Senate), REPRESENTATIVE LOFTUS
(speaker of the
  Assembly), cochairpersons; SENATORS STROHL (majority leader), ENGELEITER
(minority
  leader), NORQUIST (assistant majority leader), ELLIS (assistant minority
leader); REPRESENTA-
  TIVES HAUKE (majority leader), NELSEN (minority leader), MEDINGER (assistant
majority
  leader), TREGONING (assistant minority leader).
Mailing Address: Legislative Council, Room 147 North, State Capitol, Madison
53702.
Telephone: (608) 266-1304.
Statutory Reference: Section 13.80 and Joint Rule 23.
  History: The Joint Committee on Legislative Organization was created by
Chapter 149, Laws
of 1963, and by 1963 Assembly Joint Resolution 91; and was amended by Chapter
659, Laws of
1965; Chapters 3 and 325, Laws of 1977; 1977 Assembly Joint Resolution 23;
Chapter 34, Laws
of 1979; and by 1985 Wisconsin Act 29.
  Organization: The committee is a permanent joint legislative committee
which consists of 10
ex officio members: the president of the Senate, the speaker of the Assembly,
and the majority
and minority and assistant majority and minority leaders of each house. The
committee has
established a Subcommittee on Legislative Services to advise the committee
on text processing
matters and other matters referred to the subcommittee by the Joint Committee.
Staff assistance
is provided by the Legislative Council staff.
  Functions:
  1. Supervise and make policy for all legislative staff services.
  2. Serve as the policy-making board for the legislative service agencies;
to wit, the Legislative
      Reference Bureau, the Revisor of Statutes Bureau, the Legislative Audit
Bureau and the
      Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
  3. Determine the types of tasks to be assigned to the bureaus within statutory
limitations,
       and the quantity and quality thereof.
  4. Consider and approve the budget of each bureau.
  5. Determine the salary level of each bureau head.
  6. Make such rules and regulations as are necessary for the operation of
the bureaus.
  7. Select the director of each bureau. 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.
   8. Employ outside professional consultants to study ways of improving
legislative staff ser-
      vices and organization.
   9. Inquire into misconduct of members or employes of the legislature.
   10. Supervise the development of programs for computer use and approve
and monitor
        computer operations in the legislative process.
   11. Advise the Ethics Board on matters relating to the board's operations.
   12. Investigate, at the request of the Legislative Audit Committee, any
matter within the
        scope of a postaudit completed or being conducted by the Legislative
Audit Bureau and
        generally supervise the responsibility of the Legislative Audit Committee.
   13. Reserve such space as is necessary in the Capitol for the use of the
legislature.
   14. Determine the officer who has operational responsibility for legislative
document sales
        and distribution.
   15. Recommend to the legislature a newspaper to serve as the official
state newspaper.
   16. Designate a member of the Council on Data Processing (DOA).
   17. Adopt a biennial parking plan for legislators and officers of the
Senate and Assembly.
   18. Designate the individuals authorized to sign joint purchasing contracts
for the Senate
        and Assembly and the legislative service agencies.
   19. Has concurrence authority over Governor's appointment of the director
and staff assis-
        tant of the Wisconsin Federal-State Relations Office in Washington
D.C.


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