Terms Used In Wisconsin Statutes 13.20

  • Caucus: From the Algonquian Indian language, a caucus meant "to meet together." An informal organization of members of the legislature that exists to discuss issues of mutual concern and possibly to perform legislative research and policy planning for its members. There are regional, political or ideological, ethnic, and economic-based caucuses.
  • Joint committee: Committees including membership from both houses of teh legislature. Joint committees are usually established with narrow jurisdictions and normally lack authority to report legislation.
  • Legislative session: That part of a chamber's daily session in which it considers legislative business (bills, resolutions, and actions related thereto).
  • Person: includes all partnerships, associations and bodies politic or corporate. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
  • State: when applied to states of the United States, includes the District of Columbia, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the several territories organized by Congress. See Wisconsin Statutes 990.01
   (1)    Number and pay range of legislative employees. The legislature or either house thereof may employ under the unclassified service such policy research personnel, assistants to legislators, and research staff assigned to legislative committees and such clerical, professional, or other assistants as in the judgment of the joint committee on legislative organization or the committee on organization in each house are necessary to enable it to perform its functions and duties and to best serve the people of this state, except that the legislature or a house thereof may not employ a person for, or assign a person to, a party caucus.
   (2)   Pay ranges; duration of employment. All legislative employees shall be paid in accordance with the compensation and classification plan for employees in the classified civil service within ranges approved by the joint committee on legislative organization. The administrator of the division of personnel management in the department of administration shall make recommendations concerning a compensation and classification schedule for legislative employees if requested to do so by the joint committee on legislative organization or by the committee on organization of either house. If the joint committee does not approve pay ranges for legislative employees, the committee on organization of either house may approve pay ranges for its employees. Appointments shall be made for the legislative session, unless earlier terminated by the appointing officer.
   (3)   Application. This section does not apply to employees of any legislative branch agency created under this chapter which is authorized, or the head of which is authorized, to appoint subordinate staff.