[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 128 (Tuesday, September 23, 1997)]
[Senate]
[Page S9803]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




       THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE WISCONSIN LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL

 Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, today, I want to pay tribute to 
an important institution in the Wisconsin State Legislature on its 50th 
anniversary: the Wisconsin Legislative Council.
  The legislative council was created as a joint committee of the State 
legislature in 1947, charged with convening special committees each 
biennium to study the more complex, controversial or sometimes tedious 
but necessary legislative issues, and to develop legislative solutions. 
The unique aspect of the council's directive has been to identify and 
appoint knowledgeable Wisconsin citizens to work alongside legislators 
to craft bills, often recodifying whole chapters of the statutes at a 
time.
  The Wisconsin Legislative Council is derived from the same Wisconsin 
Idea, fostered by the Progressives in the early part of this century, 
that created the Congressional Research Service. Senator ``Fighting 
Bob'' LaFollette saw the importance of having nonpartisan, professional 
staff provide research, analysis and bill-drafting to legislative 
bodies. The Wisconsin version, which has been the model for many other 
State legislatures, further improves on the concept by setting up a 
mechanism for open discussion and citizen participation directly in the 
development of legislative solutions in subjects selected by a 
bicameral body every 2 years.
  Since its inception, the joint legislative council has overseen 426 
individual studies, conducted by not only State legislators but also 
including over 6,000 Wisconsin citizens as full voting members of 
committees. These committees are staffed by the legislative council 
staff under the direction of the joint legislative council. These 
nonpartisan professional staff members further support the work of the 
legislature by staffing committees, providing research and analysis to 
individual legislators and their staff, and performing a technical 
review of all proposed State regulations.
  Many of the members of the Wisconsin congressional delegation have 
had the experience of serving on legislative council committees--I 
served on three, once as chairman of a study committee reviewing laws 
on interstate sales and use taxes.
  On its 50th anniversary, I am pleased to pay tribute to Wisconsin's 
Joint Legislative Council and the dedication of the legislative council 
staff. May they continue their service to the state for many years to 
come.

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