Chapter 13

13.92(1)(bm) (bm) Revision of statutes. The legislative reference bureau shall prepare the Wisconsin statutes for publication under s. 35.18 (1), and for this purpose it:

13.92(1)(bm)1. 1. Shall formulate and prepare a definite plan for the order, classification, arrangement, and publication of the statutes, and prepare and at each session of the legislature present bills to the law revision committee of the joint legislative council containing such consolidation, revision, and other matter relating to the statutes as time permits.

13.92(1)(bm)2. 2. May renumber any chapter or section of the statutes for the purpose of revision, and shall change reference numbers to agree with any renumbered chapter or section. Where the term “preceding section” or similar expressions are used in the statutes the bureau may change the same by inserting the proper section or chapter reference.

13.92(1)(bm)3. 3. May, where the application or effect of a statute, by its terms, depends on the time when the act creating the statute took effect, substitute the actual effective date for the various forms of expression which mean that date, such as “when this act (or chapter, or section) takes effect”, or “after (or before) the effective date of this act (or chapter, or section)”, in publishing the Wisconsin statutes under s. 35.18 (1).

13.92(1)(bm)4. 4. May delete useless words such as “of the statutes”, “of this section”, “hereof”, “immediately above”, “inclusive” and the like, where such words appear immediately after a chapter, section or subsection reference.

13.92(1)(bm)5. 5. May delete useless words in statutory references such as “any of the provisions of” or “any of the requirements of” and the like when they appear immediately before a reference to a chapter, section, subsection or paragraph of the statutes.

13.92(1)(bm)6. 6. May delete the word “hereby” wherever used in connection with the verbs “consents”, “grants”, “gives” or “declares” or other verbs.

13.92(1)(bm)7. 7. May substitute the word “deems” for the words “may deem”.

13.92(1)(bm)8. 8. May substitute the word “may” for the phrase “is hereby authorized to” or similar phrases.

13.92(1)(bm)9. 9. May substitute “this state” for the phrase “the state of Wisconsin”.

13.92(1)(bm)10. 10. May change an incorrect form of a pronoun to the correct form.

13.92(1)(bm)11. 11. May insert the USC citations for federal acts.

13.92(1)(bm)12. 12. May delete surplus words and modernize language in penalty provisions to correspond to current drafting style. No such change shall have the effect of increasing or decreasing any penalty.

13.92(1)(bm)13. 13. Shall, whenever any statute is affected by any act of the legislature, and may, at the bureau’s discretion, ensure that the statutory language does not discriminate on the basis of sex by making the following corrections, which shall have no substantive effect:

13.92(1)(bm)13.a. a. Delete any masculine or feminine pronoun or adjective, except where the statute clearly applies to one sex only, and replace it, if necessary, with terminology which does not discriminate on the basis of sex.

13.92(1)(bm)13.b. b. Replace words of male or female gender, such as man, wife and widow, with terms such as person, spouse and surviving spouse, except where the statute clearly applies to one sex only.

13.92(1)(bm)13.c. c. Make other corrections to remove from the statutes or to replace terminology which discriminates on the basis of sex.

13.92(1)(bm)14. 14. Shall prepare for introduction in the legislature legislation substituting English terms for Latin terms in the statutes.

13.92(1)(bm)15. 15. Shall identify for deletion by the legislature provisions that have no legal effect.

13.92(1)(bm)16. 16. Shall include an index of statutes of limitation and statutes establishing procedures for assertion of claims against governmental units or their employees in ch. 893 of each biennial edition of the Wisconsin statutes.

13.92(1)(c) (c) Drafting records; when confidential. While the legislature remains in session the drafting section shall maintain the files for all drafting requests received during such session, but after final adjournment the drafting records to legislation introduced shall be turned over to the reference section under par. (a) 3. Records of drafting requests which did not result in legislation introduced shall remain confidential at all times and may be maintained by the drafting section in such form as will facilitate its operations.

13.92(1)(e) (e) Legislative documents. Payments for the following costs shall be administered by the legislative reference bureau:

13.92(1)(e)1. 1. Providing printing and duplicating services to the legislature and its service agencies.

13.92(1)(e)2. 2. Printing of legislative proposals or amendments and, when so ordered by either house, engrossed or enrolled proposals, under s. 35.05.

13.92(1)(e)3. 3. Publication of the Laws of Wisconsin under s. 35.15 and acts under s. 35.095.

13.92(1)(e)4. 4. Printing of the Wisconsin Blue Book under s. 35.24.

13.92(1)(e)5. 5. Microfilming, optical imaging or electronic formatting of reference materials and legislative drafting records under par. (a) 1. and 3.

13.92(1)(e)6. 6. Acquisition of materials and information for legislative service agency libraries and legislative document production.

13.92(1)(f) (f) Archives.

13.92(1)(f)1. 1. The legislative reference bureau shall permanently maintain each act published under s. 35.095 (3) (a) on the Internet in an electronic file format that the legislative reference bureau determines to be appropriate to allow for the continued usability of the previously published acts and may change the electronic file format over time to assure continued usability.

13.92(1)(f)2. 2. The legislative reference bureau shall maintain a permanent database of the statutes published under s. 35.18 (1) (b) in an electronic file format that the legislative reference bureau determines to be appropriate to allow for the continued usability of the previously published statutes and may change the electronic file format over time to assure continued usability.

13.92(1)(f)3. 3. The legislative reference bureau shall permanently maintain each Wisconsin administrative register published under s. 35.93 (2) on the Internet in an electronic file format that the legislative reference bureau determines to be appropriate to allow for the continued usability of the previously published registers and may change the electronic file format over time to assure continued usability.

13.92(1)(f)4. 4.

13.92(1)(f)4.a. a. The legislative reference bureau shall permanently maintain each chapter of the Wisconsin administrative code published under s. 35.93 (3) on the Internet in an electronic file format that the legislative reference bureau determines to be appropriate to allow for the continued usability of the previously published chapters and may change the electronic file format over time to assure continued usability.

13.92(1)(f)4.b. b. The legislative reference bureau shall print one or more copies of each administrative code chapter published under s. 35.93 (3) and preserve the printed copies as a permanent archive. The legislative reference bureau may print and distribute additional copies to other agencies or persons as it considers to be appropriate for archival purposes.

13.92(2) (2) Duties of the chief. The chief of the legislative reference bureau shall:

13.92(2)(a) (a) Employ, supervise and train the personnel assigned to the chief.

13.92(2)(b) (b) Supervise all expenditures of the legislative reference bureau.

13.92(2)(c) (c) Serve as editor of the biennial Wisconsin Blue Book.

13.92(2)(d) (d) Cooperate with the legislative service agencies of other states and foreign countries toward the better exchange of information.

13.92(2)(f) (f) Attend, personally or through a professional employee under sub. (1) (b) designated by the chief, all meetings of the commission on uniform state laws under s. 13.55 and the midwest and national meetings in which the commission participates.

13.92(2)(h) (h) Recommend to the joint committee on legislative organization prices for subscriptions to the legislative document distribution service under s. 35.87, including any portion of the service provided separately.

13.92(2)(i) (i) Serve as editor of the Wisconsin statutes. If 2 or more acts of a legislative session affect the same statutory unit without taking cognizance of the effect thereon of the other acts and if the chief finds that there is no mutual inconsistency in the changes made by each such act, the chief shall incorporate the changes made by each act into the text of the statutory unit and document the incorporation in a note to the statutory unit. For each such incorporation, the chief shall include in a correction bill a provision formally validating the incorporation. Section 990.07 is not affected by decisions made by the chief under this paragraph.

13.92(2)(j) (j) Prior to the end of each even-numbered year, report to the law revision committee those reported opinions of the attorney general, and those reported decisions of any federal district court, or any state or federal appellate court, in which Wisconsin statutes or session laws are stated to be in conflict, ambiguous, anachronistic, unconstitutional, or otherwise in need of revision.

13.92(2)(jg) (jg) Prior to the end of each even-numbered year, report to the joint committee for review of administrative rules regarding rules in the Wisconsin administrative code that the chief has identified as possibly being in need of revision.

13.92(2)(jm) (jm) Attend all scheduled meetings and serve as the nonvoting secretary of the committee for review of administrative rules under s. 13.56. The chief of the legislative reference bureau may designate an employee to perform the duties under this paragraph.

13.92(2)(k) (k) Approve specifications and scheduling for computer databases containing the Wisconsin statutes and for the printing of the Wisconsin statutes as prescribed in ss. 16.971 (6) and 35.56 (5).

13.92(2)(L) (L) In cooperation with the law revision committee, systematically examine and identify for revision by the legislature the statutes and session laws to eliminate defects, anachronisms, conflicts, ambiguities, and unconstitutional or obsolete provisions. The chief shall prepare and, at each session of the legislature, present to the law revision committee bills that eliminate identified defects, anachronisms, conflicts, ambiguities, and unconstitutional or obsolete provisions. These bills may include minor substantive changes in the statutes and session laws necessary to accomplish the purposes of this paragraph. The chief may resubmit to the law revision committee in subsequent sessions of the legislature any bill prepared under this paragraph that was not enacted.

13.92(2m) (2m) Publication costs. Payments for the following costs shall be administered by the legislative reference bureau:

13.92(2m)(a) (a) Publication of the Wisconsin statutes under s. 35.18 (1).

13.92(2m)(b) (b) Publication of the Wisconsin town law forms under s. 35.20.

13.92(2m)(d) (d) Publication of the Wisconsin administrative code and register under s. 35.93.

13.92(3) (3) Treatment of certain legislative reference bureau employees.

13.92(3)(a) (a) Notwithstanding s. 230.08 (2) (fc), those employees holding positions in the classified service at the legislative reference bureau on June 16, 1998, who have achieved permanent status in class before that date, shall retain, while serving in the unclassified service at the legislative reference bureau, those protections afforded employees in the classified service under ss. 230.34 (1) (a) and 230.44 (1) (c) relating to demotion, suspension, discharge, layoff or reduction in base pay. Such employees shall also have reinstatement privileges to the classified service as provided under s. 230.33 (1). Those employees of the legislative reference bureau holding positions in the classified service on June 16, 1998, who have not achieved permanent status in class in any position at the legislative reference bureau on that date are eligible to receive the protections, privileges and rights preserved under this subsection if they successfully complete service equivalent to the probationary period required in the classified service for the position which they hold on that date.

13.92(3)(b) (b) Notwithstanding s. 230.08 (2) (fc), those employees holding positions in the classified service at the revisor of statutes bureau on October 27, 2007, who have achieved permanent status in class before that date, if they become employed by the legislative reference bureau under 2007 Wisconsin Act 20, section 9130 (1f) (d) 1. or 2., shall retain, while serving in the unclassified service at the legislative reference bureau, those protections afforded employees in the classified service under ss. 230.34 (1) (a) and 230.44 (1) (c) relating to demotion, suspension, discharge, layoff, or reduction in base pay. Each such employee shall also have reinstatement privileges to the classified service as provided under s. 230.31 (1) and any other reinstatement privileges or restoration rights provided under an applicable collective bargaining agreement under subch. V of ch. 111 covering the employee on October 27, 2007.

13.92(4) (4) Wisconsin administrative code.

13.92(4)(a) (a) The legislative reference bureau shall compile and publish the Wisconsin administrative code as provided in s. 35.93 (3). Whenever the legislative reference bureau receives notice under s. 227.40 (6) of the entry of a declaratory judgment determining the validity or invalidity of a rule, the legislative reference bureau shall insert an annotation of that determination in the Wisconsin administrative code under the rule that was the subject of the determination.

13.92(4)(b) (b) The legislative reference bureau may do any of the following:

13.92(4)(b)1. 1. Renumber any provision of the Wisconsin administrative code and, if it does so, shall change cross-references to agree with the renumbered provision.

13.92(4)(b)2. 2. Change the title of any rule.

13.92(4)(b)3. 3. Insert the proper cross-reference wherever “preceding section” or a similar term is used in the code.

13.92(4)(b)4. 4. Delete surplus words such as “of this rule”, “of this code”, “of the statutes”, “hereof” and “immediately above”.

13.92(4)(b)5. 5. Delete any masculine or feminine pronoun or adjective, except where the rule clearly applies to only one sex, and, if necessary, replace it with sex-neutral terminology.

13.92(4)(b)6. 6. Change any incorrect agency name or address.

13.92(4)(b)7. 7. Change any incorrect cross-reference to a federal or state statute, rule or regulation.

13.92(4)(b)8. 8. Delete “hereby” when it is used in connection with a verb such as “consents”, “grants”, “gives” or “declares”.

13.92(4)(b)9. 9. Substitute “deems” for “may deem”.

13.92(4)(b)10. 10. Substitute “may” for a phrase such as “is hereby authorized to”.

13.92(4)(b)11. 11. Substitute “this state” for “the state of Wisconsin”.

13.92(4)(b)12. 12. Change any incorrect form of a word to the correct form.

13.92(4)(b)13. 13. Insert the U.S. code citation for the citation to a federal act.

13.92(4)(b)14. 14. If the application or effect of a rule, by its terms, depends on the time when the rule takes effect, substitute the actual effective date for a phrase which means that date, such as “when this rule takes effect”, “on the effective date of this rule” or “after the effective date of this rule”.

13.92(4)(b)15. 15. Delete obsolete rules promulgated by an agency that no longer exists.

13.92(4)(b)16. 16. Delete severability provisions.

13.92(4)(bm) (bm) If 2 or more rules filed under s. 227.20 or modified under s. 227.265 affect the same unit of the Wisconsin administrative code without taking cognizance of the effect thereon of the other rules and if the legislative reference bureau finds that there is no mutual inconsistency in the changes made by each such rule, the legislative reference bureau shall incorporate the changes made by each rule into the text of the unit and document the incorporation in a note to the unit. For each such incorporation, the legislative reference bureau shall include in a correction bill a provision formally validating the incorporation. Section 227.27 (2) is not affected by printing decisions made by the legislative reference bureau under this paragraph.

13.92(4)(c) (c) The legislative reference bureau may insert in the Wisconsin administrative code a note explaining any change made under par. (b) or (bm).

13.92(4)(d) (d) Sections 227.114, 227.116, 227.135, and 227.14 to 227.24 do not apply to any change made by the legislative reference bureau under par. (b) or (bm).

13.92(4)(e) (e) The legislative reference bureau shall prepare and keep on file a record of each change made under par. (b) or (bm).

13.92(4)(f) (f) The legislative reference bureau shall notify the agency involved of each change made under par. (b) or (bm).

13.92 History History: 1971 c. 270 s. 104; 1973 c. 90, 333; 1975 c. 41 s. 52; 1975 c. 199, 266; 1977 c. 29; 1977 c. 196 s. 131; 1979 c. 110, 204; 1981 c. 372; 1983 a. 27, 29, 308; 1987 a. 27; 1989 a. 31; 1991 a. 39, 316; 1995 a. 27; 1997 a. 27, 237; 2001 a. 46; 2003 a. 33; 2007 a. 20 ss. 17dr to 17fm, 17he, 17Lr to 17nr, 17re, 17te, 17ve to 17xr; 2011 a. 21, 43; 2013 a. 5, 20, 125, 136, 210, 277, 278, 295, 320, 332, 361, 363; 2017 a. 108.

13.92 Cross-reference Cross-reference: For construction of a revised statute, see s. 990.001 (7) and cases cited under s. 990.001.

13.92 Annotation Reports or comments of nonlegislative committees incorporated in the Legislative Reference Bureau analysis under sub. (1) (b) 2. are valid aids in interpreting a statute that originated from the committee. In re Estate of Haese, 80 Wis. 2d 285, 259 N.W.2d 54 (1977).

13.92 Annotation The duties under s. 13.93 (2) [now sub. (2) (j) to (L)] are mainly ministerial and editorial; the revisor [now the Legislative Reference Bureau] rarely proposes any substantive changes in the law, and if it does, the changes are very minor. Lornson v. Siddiqui, 2007 WI 92, 302 Wis. 2d 519, 735 N.W.2d 55, 05-2315.

13.92 Annotation The following factors all evidenced that no substantive change was intended by a correction bill amendment: 1) the bill was a correction bill; 2) the bill contained a relating clause mirroring the revisor’s [now the Legislative Reference Bureau] duties under s. 13.93 [now this section]; 3) the section of the bill in question contained a note explaining its purpose was remedial; 4) the bill was passed without amendment; and 5) the bill contained no amendment of or reference to the statute section whose meaning was claimed to be changed. Lornson v. Siddiqui, 2007 WI 92, 302 Wis. 2d 519, 735 N.W.2d 55, 05-2315.

13.94 13.94 Legislative audit bureau. There is created a bureau to be known as the “Legislative Audit Bureau,” headed by a chief known as the “State Auditor.” The bureau shall be strictly nonpartisan and shall at all times observe the confidential nature of any audit currently being performed. Subject to s. 230.35 (4) (a) and (f), the state auditor or designated employees shall at all times with or without notice have access to all departments and to any books, records or other documents maintained by the departments and relating to their expenditures, revenues, operations and structure, including specifically any such books, records, or other documents that are confidential by law, except as provided in sub. (4) and except that access to documents of counties, cities, villages, towns or school districts is limited to work performed in connection with audits authorized under sub. (1) (m) and except that access to documents of the opportunity schools and partnership programs under s. 119.33, subch. IX of ch. 115, and subch. II of ch. 119 is limited to work performed in connection with audits authorized under sub. (1) (os). In the discharge of any duty imposed by law, the state auditor may subpoena witnesses, administer oaths and take testimony and cause the deposition of witnesses to be taken as prescribed for taking depositions in civil actions in circuit courts.

13.94(1) (1) Duties of the bureau. The legislative audit bureau shall be responsible for conducting postaudits of the accounts and other financial records of departments to assure that all financial transactions have been made in a legal and proper manner. In connection with such postaudits, the legislative audit bureau shall review the performance and program accomplishments of the department during the fiscal period for which the audit is being conducted to determine whether the department carried out the policy of the legislature and the governor during the period for which the appropriations were made. In performing postaudits under this subsection, the legislative audit bureau shall not examine issues related to academic freedom within the University of Wisconsin System. A postaudit shall not examine into or comment upon the content of the various academic programs, including degree requirements, majors, curriculum or courses within the University of Wisconsin System, nor shall any such postaudit examine into the manner in which individual faculty members or groups of faculty members conduct their instructional, research or public service activities. This subsection does not preclude the bureau from reviewing the procedures by which decisions are made and priorities set in the University of Wisconsin System, or the manner in which such decisions and priorities are implemented within the University of Wisconsin System, insofar as such review is not inconsistent with s. 36.09. The legislative audit bureau shall audit the fiscal concerns of the state as required by law. To this end, it shall:

13.94(1)(b) (b) At the state auditor’s discretion or as the joint legislative audit committee directs, audit the records of each department. Audits of the records of a county, city, village, town, or school district may be performed only as provided in par. (m). Audits of the records of the opportunity schools and partnership programs under s. 119.33, subch. IX of ch. 115, and subch. II of ch. 119 may be performed only as provided in par. (os). After completion of any audit under this paragraph, the bureau shall file with the chief clerk of each house of the legislature, the governor, the department of administration, the legislative reference bureau, the joint committee on finance, the legislative fiscal bureau, and the department audited, a detailed report of the audit, including the bureau’s recommendations for improvement and efficiency and including specific instances, if any, of illegal or improper expenditures. The chief clerks shall distribute the report to the joint legislative audit committee, the appropriate standing committees of the legislature, and the joint committee on legislative organization.

13.94(1)(br) (br)

13.94(1)(br)1. 1. Maintain a toll-free telephone number with voice mail at the bureau’s office to receive reports of fraud, waste, and mismanagement in state government. Except as provided in subd. 2., the bureau shall relay these reports to the appropriate bureau employee for investigation. If the bureau has a bureau employee investigate the report, the employee may, subject to subd. 3., consult with any department for any purpose related to the investigation. The bureau shall publicize the toll-free telephone number on the bureau’s Internet site. The bureau shall maintain records that permit the release of information provided by informants while protecting the identity of the informant. Any records maintained by the bureau that relate to the identity of informants shall be only for the confidential use of the bureau in the administration of this section, unless the informant expressly agrees to release the records. Appearance in court as a witness shall not be considered consent by an informant to release confidential records maintained by the bureau.