AB981,26 Section 26. 5.05 (2m) (d) 2. of the statutes is renumbered 5.05 (2m) (d) and amended to read:

AB981,14,23 5.05 (2m) (d) No employee of the commission office of the secretary of state, while so employed, may become a candidate, as defined in s. 11.0101 (1), for a state or partisan local office. No individual who is retained by the commission office of the secretary of state to serve as a special investigator or as special counsel may, while so retained, become a candidate, as defined in s. 11.0101 (1), for any state or local office. A filing officer shall decline to accept nomination papers or a declaration of candidacy from any individual who does not qualify to become a candidate under this paragraph.

AB981,27 Section 27. 5.05 (2m) (e) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB981,15,10 5.05 (2m) (e) No individual who serves as an employee of the commission office of the secretary of state and no individual who is retained by the commission office of the secretary of state to serve as a special investigator or a special counsel may, while so employed or retained, make a contribution to a candidate for state or local office. No individual who serves as an employee of the commission office of the secretary of state and no individual who is retained by the commission office of the secretary of state to serve as a special investigator or as special counsel, for 12 months prior to becoming so employed or retained, may have made a contribution to a candidate for a partisan state or local office. In this paragraph, contribution has the meaning given in s. 11.0101 (8).

AB981,28 Section 28. 5.05 (2m) (f) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB981,15,13 5.05 (2m) (f) (intro.) Pursuant to any investigation authorized under par. (c), the commission secretary of state has the power:

AB981,29 Section 29. 5.05 (2m) (f) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB981,15,18 5.05 (2m) (f) 1. To require any person to submit in writing such reports and answers to questions relevant to the proceedings as the commission office of the secretary of state may prescribe, such submission to be made within such period and under oath or otherwise as the commission office may determine.

AB981,30 Section 30. 5.05 (2m) (f) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:

AB981,15,23 5.05 (2m) (f) 2. To order testimony to be taken by deposition before any individual who is designated by the commission secretary of state and has the power to administer oaths, and, in such instances, to compel testimony and the production of evidence in the same manner as authorized by sub. (1) (b).

AB981,31 Section 31. 5.05 (2m) (h) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB981,16,6 5.05 (2m) (h) If the defendant in an action for a civil violation of chs. 5 to 10 or 12 is a district attorney or a circuit judge or a candidate for either such office, the action shall be brought by the commission secretary of state. If the defendant in an action for a civil violation of chs. 5 to 10 or 12 is the attorney general or a candidate for that office, the commission secretary of state may appoint special counsel to bring suit on behalf of the state.

AB981,32 Section 32. 5.05 (2m) (i) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB981,16,13 5.05 (2m) (i) If the defendant in an action for a criminal violation of chs. 5 to 10 or 12 is a district attorney or a circuit judge or a candidate for either such office, the action shall be brought by the attorney general. If the defendant in an action for a criminal violation of chs. 5 to 10 or 12 is the attorney general or a candidate for that office, the commission secretary of state may appoint a special prosecutor to conduct the prosecution on behalf of the state.

AB981,33 Section 33. 5.05 (2m) (k) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB981,16,17 5.05 (2m) (k) The commission's power of the secretary of state to initiate civil actions under this subsection for the enforcement of chs. 5 to 10 or 12 shall be the exclusive remedy for alleged civil violations of chs. 5 to 10 or 12.

AB981,34 Section 34. 5.05 (2q) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB981,17,17 5.05 (2q) Supplemental funding for ongoing investigations. The commission secretary of state may request supplemental funds to be credited to the appropriation account under s. 20.510 (1) 20.575 (2) (be) for the purpose of continuing an ongoing investigation initiated under sub. (2m). A request under this subsection shall be filed with the secretary of administration and the cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance in writing and shall contain a statement of the action requested, the purposes therefor, the statutory provision authorizing or directing the performance of the action, and information about the nature of the investigation for which the commission secretary of state seeks supplemental funds, excluding the name of any individual or organization that is the subject of the investigation. If the cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance do not notify the secretary of administration that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the request within 14 working days after the commission secretary of state filed the request, the secretary of administration shall supplement the appropriation under s. 20.510 (1) 20.575 (2) (be) from the appropriation under s. 20.505 (1) (d) in an amount not to exceed the amount the commission secretary of state requested. If, within 14 working days after the commission secretary of state filed the request, the cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance notify the secretary of administration that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the commission's secretary of state's request under this subsection, the secretary of administration may supplement the appropriation under s. 20.510 (1) 20.575 (2) (be) only with the committee's approval. The committee and the secretary of administration shall notify the commission secretary of state of all their actions taken under this subsection.

AB981,35 Section 35. 5.05 (2w) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB981,17,20 5.05 (2w) Elections commission Secretary of state. The elections commission secretary of state has the responsibility for the administration of chs. 5 to 10 and 12.

AB981,36 Section 36. 5.05 (3d) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB981,18,4 5.05 (3d) Administrator Personnel. The commission shall appoint an administrator in the manner provided under s. 15.61 (1) (b). The administrator shall be outside the classified service. The administrator secretary of state shall appoint such other personnel as he or she requires to carry out the duties of the commission office of the secretary of state in the administration of chs. 5 to 10 and 12 and may designate a commission an employee to serve as the commission's legal counsel. The administrator shall perform such duties as the commission assigns to him or her in the administration of chs. 5 to 10 and 12.

AB981,37 Section 37. 5.05 (3g) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB981,18,7 5.05 (3g) Chief election officer. The commission administrator secretary of state shall serve as the chief election officer of this state.

AB981,38 Section 38. 5.05 (4) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB981,18,10 5.05 (4) Employees. All employees of the commission office of the secretary of state involved in the administration of chs. 5 to 10 and 12 shall be nonpartisan.

AB981,39 Section 39. 5.05 (5e) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB981,19,2 5.05 (5e) Annual report. The commission office of the secretary of state shall submit an annual report under s. 15.04 (1) (d) and shall include in its annual report the names and duties of all individuals employed by the commission office and a summary of its determinations and advisory opinions issued under sub. (6a). Except as authorized or required under sub. (5s) (f), the commission office shall make sufficient alterations in the summaries to prevent disclosing the identities of individuals or organizations involved in the decisions or opinions. The commission office shall identify in its report the statutory duties of the commission administrator secretary of state, together with a description of the manner in which those duties are being fulfilled. Notwithstanding sub. (5s) and s. 12.13 (5), the commission office of the secretary of state shall also specify in its report the total number of investigations conducted by the commission office since the last annual report and a description of the nature of each investigation. The commission office shall make such further reports on the matters within its jurisdiction and such recommendations for further legislation as it deems desirable.

AB981,40 Section 40. 5.05 (5f) of the statutes is amended to read: