13.96 Legislative technology services bureau. There is created a service agency known as the “Legislative Technology Services Bureau", headed by a director. The legislative technology services bureau shall be strictly nonpartisan and shall at all times observe the confidential nature of the data and information originated, maintained or processed by electronic equipment supported by it.

(1) Duties of the staff. The legislative technology services bureau shall:

(a) Provide and coordinate information technology support and services to the legislative branch.

(b) Upon receipt of municipal boundary information at each reporting interval under s. 5.15 (4) (br), reconcile and compile the information received to produce a statewide data base consisting of municipal boundary information for the entire state.

(c) Participate, on behalf of this state, in geographic boundary information programs when offered by the U.S. bureau of the census.

(2) Duties of the director. The director of the legislative technology services bureau shall:

(a) Direct the operations of the staff.

(b) Employ, train and supervise the personnel assigned to the director.

(c) Supervise all expenditures of the legislative technology services bureau.

(d) Oversee the execution and completion of all contracts for legislative information technology-related equipment, software or services.

(e) Plan for and execute such electronic information programs and services as are needed within the legislative branch.

(f) Participate in such midwest and national meetings and organizations as will benefit the operations of the legislative technology services bureau.

History: 1997 a. 27, 237; 2015 a. 55; 2017 a. 360.

The confidentiality requirement of this section did not create a privilege to refuse to comply with a subpoena duces tecum issued by a John Doe judge. Legislative Technical Services Bureau Custodian of Records v. State 2004 WI 65, 272 Wis. 2d 208, 680 N.W.2d 792, 02-3063.

The requirement that all data stored by LTSB be kept confidential supports an objectively reasonable expectation of privacy by legislators in the data on LTSB computer backup tapes. Therefore the 4th amendment required determining if a subpoena issued by a John Doe judge for backup tape material was overbroad. Legislative Technical Services Bureau Custodian of Records v. State 2004 WI 65, 272 Wis. 2d 208, 680 N.W.2d 792, 02-3063.