Legal services

The LRB drafts all bills, resolutions, and amendments for introduction in the legislature. LRB attorneys assist legislators in all phases of the development of legislation. Typically, during a legislative session, LRB attorneys will draft about 6,500 bills and 4,500 amendments.

The LRB drafts the governor's executive budget bill, the Joint Committee on Finance substitute amendment to the budget bill, and all other amendments to the budget bill. LRB attorneys write an analysis of the governor's executive budget bill and are available to brief legislators on policy proposals in the budget bill.

The LRB provides confidential, nonpartisan legal advice and services to legislators and conducts legal research on issues of legislative concern. LRB attorneys are available at all times to meet with legislators and staff in their capitol offices. LRB attorneys assist with legal matters relating to legislative operations and business.

The LRB provides training on all aspects of the legislative process. LRB attorneys brief legislators and partisan caucuses on legislation and legal issues.

The LRB provides gavel-to-gavel coverage of Assembly and Senate floor sessions. LRB attorneys are on the floor in each house during floor periods to answer all legislative inquiries and draft amendments. The LRB provides legal assistance on matters relating to legislative and parliamentary procedure and the rules of each house.

The LRB works with legislative offices, the Legislative Technology Services Bureau, and local municipalities in legislative redistricting activities. The LRB drafts all redistricting legislation and publishes a guidebook on redistricting in Wisconsin.

Research and analysis

The LRB conducts legal and public policy research for legislators, their staffs, and legislative committees. LRB memos are carefully researched, well documented, and timely. LRB research and information services are nonpartisan and confidential at all times.

The LRB oversees several research projects that present original content and data analysis about Wisconsin government and politics. These projects include the Wisconsin Policy Project, Reading the Constitution, the Wisconsin History Project, the Wisconsin Elections Project, and LRB Reports.

The LRB Library maintains an extensive collection of current and archival materials relating to the Wisconsin Legislature and provides access to Wisconsin state government publications and reports. The LRB is the authoritative source for research material on the history of the Wisconsin Legislature.

The LRB maintains bill drafting files for all introduced legislation since 1927 and provides access to other materials related to legislative enactments. The LRB conducts legislative histories for legislators and their staffs and responds to judicial, public, and press or media inquiries about legislation and legislative history.

The LRB serves as a liaison to national legislative clearinghouse organizations such as the National Conference of State Legislatures, the Council of State Governments, and the Uniform Law Commission. LRB analysts assist legislators in finding legislation from other states, developing public policy ideas, and in researching legislative proposals for introduction in Wisconsin.

General legislative services

The LRB publishes the Laws of Wisconsin and the Wisconsin Statutes and Annotations. The LRB publishes legislative acts electronically on the legislature’s website and continuously updates the statutes throughout the session.

The LRB publishes the Wisconsin Administrative Code and the Wisconsin Administrative Register. The LRB posts these publications in electronic format on the legislature’s website and continuously updates them throughout the session. The LRB won the 2020 Robert J. Colborn, Jr. Innovation Award for managing and providing public access to state administrative rules.

The LRB regularly publishes original research and data analysis in the Wisconsin Policy Project, Reading the Constitution, the Wisconsin History Project, the Wisconsin Elections Project, and LRB Reports publication series. Courts and the press regularly cite these publications.

The LRB publishes the Wisconsin Blue Book, which includes legislative biographies and statistics, information on state and local government, essays on the operation of Wisconsin government, and election statistics.

The LRB compiles, indexes, and publishes the Assembly Rules, the Senate Rules, and the Joint Rules. Legislative rules govern the organization and proceedings of the Assembly and the Senate. The LRB also publishes the Rulings of the Chair.

The LRB assists the Assembly Chief Clerk and the Senate Chief Clerk in the publication of the Bulletin of the Proceedings of the Wisconsin Legislature. This publication tracks the activities of the Wisconsin Legislature and contains each house’s official journals.