Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

2021 - 2022 LEGISLATURE
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                  2021 ASSEMBLY BILL 407
    June 23, 2021 - Introduced by JOINT COMMITTEE        ON   FINANCE. Referred to Joint
        Committee on Finance.
1   AN ACT to repeal 13.15 (2) (a); to amend 13.15 (2) (title), 13.22, 13.90 (1) (intro.)
2        and 13.90 (1m) (a); and to create 13.97, 20.923 (4) (f) 6f., 20.923 (6) (fm) and
3        230.08 (2) (fr) of the statutes; relating to: creating a Legislative Human
4        Resources Office.
                      Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
          This bill creates a Legislative Human Resources Office (LHRO), a nonpartisan
    legislative service agency, headed by a director. The Joint Committee on Legislative
    Organization appoints the director and the director reports to JCLO. The director
    is assigned to executive salary group six, and the director and all LHRO staff hold
    positions in the unclassified service of the state civil service system. The LHRO must
    perform all of the following duties:
          1. Provide human resources services to the legislative branch, as directed by
    JCLO.
          2. Establish a formal complaint process to review and investigate allegations
    of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, violence, or bullying by legislators,
    legislative employees, and legislative service agency employees. The office shall
    investigate all such allegations, unless the director designates another person or
    entity to review and investigate any specific allegation.
          3. At all times observe the confidential nature of records, requests, advice,
    complaints, reviews, investigations, disciplinary actions, and other information in
    its possession relating to human resources matters.
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     ASSEMBLY BILL 407
          4. Certify to the Department of Administration the payroll for legislative
     employees in the assembly and senate and for legislative service agency employees.
          In addition, under the bill, the LHRO director must perform the following
     duties:
          1. Direct the operations of the LHRO staff.
          2. Employ, train, and supervise the personnel assigned to the director.
          3. Supervise all expenditures of the LHRO.
          4. Manage reviews and investigations of the formal complaint process. Upon
     completion of an investigation, report the findings to the appropriate legislative
     leader or employee supervisor.
          5. On a periodic basis, recommend to JCLO improvements to human resources
     services and programs.
          For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
     an appendix to this bill.
     The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
         enact as follows:
 1        SECTION 1. 13.15 (2) (title) of the statutes is amended to read:
 2        13.15 (2) (title) SALARY AND EXPENSES EXPENSES.
 3        SECTION 2. 13.15 (2) (a) of the statutes is repealed.
 4        SECTION 3. 13.22 of the statutes is amended to read:
 5        13.22 Payroll, legislative employees. The chief clerk and sergeant at arms
 6   of each house legislative human resources office shall certify to the department of
 7   administration the payrolls for legislative employees in their respective houses the
 8   assembly and senate. Such certificates shall be approved as provided by the rules
 9   of each house.
10        SECTION 4. 13.90 (1) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
11        13.90 (1) (intro.) The joint committee on legislative organization shall be the
12   policy-making board for the legislative reference bureau, the legislative fiscal
13   bureau, the legislative audit bureau, the legislative human resources office, and the
14   legislative technology services bureau. The committee shall:
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     ASSEMBLY BILL 407                                                          SECTION 5
 1        SECTION 5. 13.90 (1m) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
 2        13.90 (1m) (a) In this subsection, “legislative service agency" means the
 3   legislative council staff, the legislative audit bureau, the legislative fiscal bureau,
 4   the legislative reference bureau, the legislative human resources office, and the
 5   legislative technology services bureau.
 6        SECTION 6. 13.97 of the statutes is created to read:
 7        13.97 Legislative human resources office. There is created a service
 8   agency known as the “Legislative Human Resources Office,” headed by a director.
 9   The legislative human resources office shall be strictly nonpartisan and shall at all
10   times observe the confidential nature of records, requests, advice, complaints,
11   reviews, investigations, disciplinary actions, and other information in its possession
12   relating to human resources matters.
13        (1) DUTIES OF THE OFFICE. The legislative human resources office shall:
14        (a) Provide human resources services to the legislative branch, as directed by
15   the joint committee on legislative organization.
16        (b) Establish a formal complaint process to review and investigate allegations
17   of harassment, discrimination, retaliation, violence, or bullying by legislators,
18   legislative employees, and legislative service agency employees. The office shall
19   investigate all such allegations, unless the director designates another person or
20   entity to review and investigate any specific allegation.
21        (c) Certify to the department of administration payroll for legislative service
22   agency employees.
23        (2) DUTIES   OF THE DIRECTOR.   The director of the legislative human resources
24   office shall:
25        (a) Report to the joint committee on legislative organization.
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     ASSEMBLY BILL 407                                                         SECTION 6
 1        (b) Direct the operations of the staff.
 2        (c) Employ, train, and supervise the personnel assigned to the director.
 3        (d) Supervise all expenditures of the legislative human resources office.
 4        (e)   Manage reviews and investigations of the formal complaint process
 5   established under sub. (1) (b). Upon completion of an investigation, report the
 6   findings to the appropriate legislative leader or employee supervisor.
 7        (f) On a periodic basis, recommend to the joint committee on legislative
 8   organization improvements to human resources services and programs.
 9        SECTION 7. 20.923 (4) (f) 6f. of the statutes is created to read:
10        20.923 (4) (f) 6f. Legislature; legislative human resources office: director.
11        SECTION 8. 20.923 (6) (fm) of the statutes is created to read:
12        20.923 (6) (fm) Legislative human resources office: all positions.
13        SECTION 9. 230.08 (2) (fr) of the statutes is created to read:
14        230.08 (2) (fr) The director and staff of the legislative human resources office.
15                                        (END)
Statutes affected: 
Text as Enrolled: 13.90(1m)(a), 13.90
Bill Text: 13.15(2)(title), 13.15, 13.15(2)(a), 13.22, 13.90(1)(intro.), 13.90, 13.90(1m)(a)