Role of Sergeant at Arms

What is the Senate Sergeant at Arms?

Elected by the members of the Wisconsin State Senate every two years, the Sergeant at Arms is responsible for hiring and supervising a staff of support clerks and full and part time messengers. By custom and precedent, this Senate messenger staff assists the Sergeant at Arms in executing those services necessary for the Senate to function efficiently.

Who makes up the Sergeant's staff?

Full-time support staff consists of one Assistant Sergeant at Arms,  three Deputy Sergeants at Arms, one Legislative Mailing Services Coordinator, and six Senate Messengers. These are salaried positions with regular state benefits.

There are approximately 15-20 (depending on session schedules) part time Senate Messengers employed by the Senate Sergeant. These messengers are part time, limited term employees (LTE) and are generally only employed for the duration of the legislative session. Most are students or recent graduates. Hiring periods typically coincide with the semesters of the University of Wisconsin, Edgewood College and Madison Area Technical College.

What does a messenger do?

The primary responsibilities of a messenger include responding to a Senator’s requests from the Senate floor during Legislative sessions, providing assistance at committee hearings at the Capitol and throughout the State, responding to requests from offices for messengers to run errands in the Capitol and out, help with bulk mailings, specialized mailings and other various projects, and carrying out all other directions given them by the Senate Sergeant and the Sergeant’s supervisory staff.