(1) The joint committee on legislative organization shall be the policy-making board for the legislative reference bureau, the legislative fiscal bureau, the legislative audit bureau, the legislative human resources office, and the legislative technology services bureau. The committee shall: (a) Determine the types of tasks to be assigned to each legislative service bureau or staff within statutory limitations, and the quantity and quality thereof. (b) Consider and approve the budget of each bureau or staff. (c) Meet at such times as it may determine to carry out its policy-making duties, and for the purposes of this paragraph the committee may provide a method of procuring decisions by mail. (d) Promulgate rules under ch. 227 required for the proper operation of each legislative service bureau or staff. (f) Employ an outside staff of professional consultants for the purpose of studying ways to improve legislative staff services and organization. Without limitation because of enumeration, this study shall cover legislative service agencies, the management of legislative business, legislative compensation, legislative office space, and the increasing amounts of time required by legislative duties. (g) Supervise the development of programs for computer use and approve and monitor computer operations in the legislative process. All contracts for legislative computer equipment and services shall be signed by the cochairpersons. (h) Determine the officer who has operational responsibility for legislative document sales and distribution under s. 35.87. (i) Determine and approve a parking plan for the state capitol park consistent with s. 16.843. (j) Recommend to the legislature a newspaper to serve as the official state newspaper as provided in s. 985.04. (k) Designate the individuals authorized to sign joint purchasing contracts for the senate and assembly and the legislative service agencies under s. 16.74 (2). (L) Determine the method of sale and prices for subscriptions to legislative documents and the operational responsibility for any legislative document subscription services provided under s. 35.87. (1m) (a) In this subsection, “legislative service agency” means the legislative council staff, the legislative audit bureau, the legislative fiscal bureau, the legislative reference bureau, the legislative human resources office, and the legislative technology services bureau. (b) The joint committee on legislative organization shall select the head of each legislative service agency. The appointment of each legislative service agency head shall be made without regard to political affiliation in order to safeguard the nonpartisan character of each legislative service agency. 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. The committee shall designate an employee of each legislative service agency to exercise the powers and authority of each legislative service agency head in case of absence or disability. (2) The cochairpersons of the joint committee on legislative organization or their designated agent shall accept service made under ss. 806.04 (11) and 893.825 (2). If the committee, the senate organization committee, or the assembly organization committee determines that the legislature should intervene in the proceeding as provided under s. 803.09 (2m), the assembly shall represent the assembly, the senate shall represent the senate, and the joint committee on legislative organization shall represent the legislature. The costs of participation in the proceeding shall be paid equally from the appropriations under s. 20.765 (1) (a) and (b), except that such costs incurred by the department of justice shall be paid from the appropriation under s. 20.455 (1) (d). (3) (a) In this subsection, “legislative service agency” has the meaning given in sub. (1m). (b) The cochairpersons of the joint committee on legislative organization shall lease or acquire office space for legislative offices or legislative service agencies under par. (c). (c) The joint committee on legislative organization shall assign office space for legislative offices and the offices of the legislative service agencies. The joint committee may assign any space in the capitol not reserved for other uses under s. 16.835. Except as provided in ss. 13.09 (6) and 13.45 (4) (c) , the joint committee may locate any legislative office or the office of any legislative service agency outside the capitol at another suitable building in the city of Madison. (4) The cochairpersons of the joint committee on legislative organization shall authorize payment of fees entitling the legislature to membership in national organizations from the appropriation under s. 20.765 (3) (fa). (5) The joint committee on legislative organization may contract for the services of persons to advise those building commission members who also are legislators on matters related to the state’s issuance of state debt, revenue obligations and operating notes under ch. 18. (6) The joint committee on legislative organization shall adopt, revise biennially and submit to the cochairpersons of the joint committee on information policy and technology, the governor and the secretary of administration, no later than September 15 of each even-numbered year, a strategic plan for the utilization of information technology to carry out the functions of the legislature and legislative service agencies, as defined in s. 16.70 (6). The plan shall address the business needs of the legislature and legislative service agencies and shall identify all resources relating to information technology which the legislature and legislative service agencies desire to acquire, contingent upon funding availability, the priority for such acquisitions and the justification for such acquisitions. The plan shall also identify any changes in the functioning of the legislature and legislative service agencies under the plan. (8) The joint committee on legislative organization may designate a joint committee or another body within the legislative branch to oversee the provision of information technology support and services by the legislative technology services bureau. (9) The joint committee on legislative organization may direct the department of administration to take possession of any furnishing to which the department has title under s. 16.838 (2), to restore any furnishing in the department’s possession, if necessary, and to locate any such furnishing at the place in the capitol building specified by the committee.
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