The Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau (LRB) is a

nonpartisan Nonpartisan or non-partisan may refer to: __NOTOC__ General political concepts * Nonpartisanship, also known as Nonpartisanism, co-operation without reference to political parties * Non-partisan democracy, an election with no official recognition ...

agency that provides legal advice, legislative drafting services, and public policy research and analysis to the

Wisconsin Legislature The Wisconsin Legislature is the state legislature of the U.S. state of Wisconsin. The legislature is a bicameral body composed of the upper house, Wisconsin State Senate, and the lower Wisconsin State Assembly, both of which have had Republ ...

, and reference services to the legislature, state agencies, and the public. The LRB staff is responsible for nearly all drafting of legislation in Wisconsin, operating at the request of legislators and state agencies. LRB staff also maintain and update the official Wisconsin statutes and the rules of the legislature. LRB publishes the biennial report of laws passed at each session of the legislature and the biennial report of the state government, the '' Wisconsin Blue Book''. In addition, the LRB operates a legislative library, and provides research and library services to the general public. The Wisconsin Legislature's Joint Committee on Legislative Organization acts as the governing body overseeing the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau and selects the director, who employs and oversees all bureau staff. The director is Richard A. Champagne.

History

The Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau traces its origin to the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library, which was established by an act of the Legislature in 1901
1901 Wisc. Act 168
. The Legislative Reference Library was a first-of-its-kind

Progressive Era The Progressive Era (1890s–1920s) was a period in the United States characterized by multiple social and political reform efforts. Reformers during this era, known as progressivism in the United States, Progressives, sought to address iss ...

innovation which sought to utilize the expertise of the

University of Wisconsin A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...

and the resources of Wisconsin's state law library to improve the quality and consistency of the lawmaking process in the Legislature. The Wisconsin Legislative Reference Library became a model for the

Congressional Research Service The Congressional Research Service (CRS) is a public policy research institute of the United States Congress. Operating within the Library of Congress, it works primarily and directly for members of Congress and their committees and staff on a ...

, which opened in 1914. The Library's duties were expanded over the years. They became responsible for bill drafting in 1907
1907 Wisc. Act 508
, and became responsible for compiling and publishing the ''Blue Book'' in 1929
1929 Wisc. Act 194
. The Legislative Reference Library was renamed to the Legislative Reference Bureau in 1963. Initially under the supervision of the Free Library Commission, the 1963 law also placed the bureau under the supervision of the Legislature's Joint Committee on Legislative Organization.

Publications

* The '' Wisconsin Blue Book'' is a comprehensive report of the status, activities, organization, and personnel of the state government, as well as economic statistics, population data, and other information relevant to the state of the state. The ''Blue Book'' is published biennially. * The ''Wisconsin Elections Project'' is a series of publications offering information on candidates, redistricting, election results, legislative actions, and historical data. * The ''Wisconsin History Project'' is a series of articles on the history of Wisconsin politics and government. * The ''Wisconsin Policy Project'' is a series on Wisconsin's current public policy issues. * The ''LRB Reports'' cover a range of topics on the state government and the legislative process. * ''Legislating in Wisconsin'' is a series of articles focusing on the organization of the Legislature and the legislative process. * ''Reading the Constitution'' is a publication that explains aspects of the Wisconsin Constitution.

References

External links

Official website

Wisconsin Blue Books
{{authority control State agencies of Wisconsin Government agencies established in 1901 1901 establishments in Wisconsin

History

Publications

See also

References

External links