Senate Bill 397 amends existing statutes regarding the appointment of legal counsel by the legislature. The bill modifies sections 13.124 (1) (b), (2) (b), and (3) (b) to stipulate that the speaker of the assembly, the senate majority leader, and the cochairpersons of the Joint Committee on Legislative Organization may only obtain legal counsel outside of the Department of Justice with the approval of a majority of the members present and voting in their respective houses. This change is marked by the insertion of "Subject to sub. (4), the" in each of the amended sections, which indicates that the discretion previously held by these leaders is now limited by the new requirements.

Additionally, the bill creates a new section, 13.124 (4), which explicitly states that any appointment of legal counsel by the assembly, senate, or any legislative committee must be submitted for approval to the full house or houses in the case of a joint appointment. This aims to ensure greater oversight and accountability in the process of obtaining legal counsel, thereby restricting the ability of individual leaders to unilaterally make such decisions.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text: 13.124(1)(b), 13.124, 13.124(2)(b), 13.124(3)(b)