Lawmakers praised the Senate and Assembly chief clerks’ decision to follow a judge’s orders and identify the names of state employees receiving state-funded legal assistance.
Senate Chief Clerk Donald Schneider and Assembly Chief Clerk Patrick Fuller said they would not appeal a ruling by Dane County Circuit Judge Sarah O’Brien.
Schneider and Fuller, along with former Assembly Clerk John Scocos, have been fighting to keep the names secret for four months. They said they will release the names Friday.
The investigation into accusations that caucus employees were illegally campaigning began last summer. The Legislature voted to pay for the investigation without a funding cap. The tab exceeded $520,000.
In their joint statement, the clerks said the courts cleared the way for release of information.
“The court has made it clear that the custodian of records, in releasing the information, would not create any adverse impact on the legal proceedings or violate any court law,” they said. “As the custodian of the records, we have made every opportunity to provide as much information about the invoices as we believed the law permitted. The court decision has clarified the application of the various statutes and established a precedent that will serve as a guide for records custodians in the future.”
U.S. Rep. Tom Barrett, D-Wis., praised the clerks’ decision to release the names.
“The Senate and Assembly clerks did the right thing today in finally agreeing to release the complete records regarding the payment of legal fees in the ongoing caucus inquiry,” Barrett said.
Rep. Stephen Nass, R-Whitewater, said he has always believed the information should be public and that it is important to abide by the judge’s decision because she determined the names were an important part of the investigation.
“An appeal of this ruling is a waste of taxpayer dollars and does not represent the views of most members of the Legislature,” Nass said.
Ed Thompson, Libertarian candidate for governor, accused Sen. Chuck Chvala, D-Madison, and Rep. Scott Jensen, R-Waukesha, of using the state’s fiscal crisis to push back the caucus investigation.
“We are in the middle of the worst fiscal crisis our state has faced in my lifetime, and the leaders of our Legislature have done absolutely nothing about it,” Thompson said. “For over three weeks the joint committee has met, but only occasionally. It’s true that the career politicians have their hands tied by special-interest money, but there is something else going on here. Most people don’t realize that as soon as the legislative session ends, Chuck Chvala and Scott Jensen will be required to give depositions in a court case filed by Common Cause.”
Last winter, Common Cause in Wisconsin filed a lawsuit to stop the use of taxpayer money to pay the legal bills of state workers. In the suit, Common Cause asked for depositions from Chvala and Jensen, but under state law they do not have to participate in civil court cases while the Legislature is in session. Thompson said they have been in session, or special session, ever since.
