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State Programs, Administration and Revenue (SPAR)Public Records Notice [PDF] Wisconsin Legal Resources on the Web The State Programs, Administration and Revenue Unit provides legal advice and handles litigation in a variety of areas, with an emphasis on issues relating to governmental authority, constitutional and administrative law and revenue and finance. The unit represents state constitutional officers and about 50 agencies and boards in constitutional and civil rights litigation, and in judicial review of administrative agency actions. The unit’s substantive areas of law include tax, elections, public benefits and social services, professional licensing, insurance, education, health care regulation and finance, and commercial law. The unit defends its clients in litigation challenging the lawfulness of state statutes or the administration of state programs and handles the defense of complex systemic challenges affecting entire agency programs or substantial agency functions. The unit provides legal advice relating to state bonds, contracts relating to the procurement of goods and services, intellectual property, and economic development matters, and represents state agencies in lawsuits relating to those matters. In addition, the unit brings actions to recover debts owed to the state, unpaid wages owed to private-sector employees, and represents the state’s interest in bankruptcy proceedings, and foreclosures. The unit provides advice and renders opinions with respect to the acquisition, sale and lease of property, and defends the state’s interest in disputes involving real property. This unit also enforces the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement and related legislation, defends state agencies before the Claims Board, advises the public and governmental agencies on open meetings and public records issues, and defends state agencies in these cases. The majority of the attorney general opinions to the governor, the Legislature, state agencies, district attorneys and county corporation counsel are drafted by staff in this unit. The Attorney General and the Department of Justice continue to advocate for open government. Wisconsin's Open Meetings Law, enacted in 1976, attempts to promote openness in government and to provide Wisconsin citizens with an opportunity to observe and educate themselves about their government's operations. As a public service, the Attorney General's Office has developed and recently revised a document that explains Wisconsin's Open Meetings Law and discusses significant cases that have an impact on the law's implementation. This document is now available to you through this website to be reviewed and downloaded for your convenience. The Compliance Guide includes appendices that list the authorities and correspondence cited in the text, that reproduce the open meetings law sections of the statutes (current as of the September 2007 date of publication), and a complaint form.
2007 Open Meetings Compliance Guide (PDF) The state's Public Records Law took much of its present form in 1981 and is in place to provide the public with reasonable access to public records at reasonable costs. Portions of the law were substantially revised in 2003 as a legislative response to several court decisions interpreting the law. As a public service, the Department of Justice has developed and recently revised a document in outline format that explains Wisconsin's Public Records Law and discusses significant cases that have an impact on the law's implementation. This document is now available to you through this website to be reviewed and downloaded for your convenience.
2008 Public Records Compliance Outline (PDF) In addition to the Department of Justice's role providing guidance on open records law, the Department of Justice is also a government agency subject to the Public Records Law. To find out how you can request public records from the Department of Justice, click below on DOJ's Public Records notice. Local officials and private citizens frequently contact the State Programs, Revenue and Administration (SPAR) unit with specific questions on the Wisconsin Open Meetings Law and the Wisconsin Public Records Law. If you have additional comments or questions about these laws that are not addressed in the resources on this website, please feel free to call the Lead Legal Secretary of the SPAR unit of the Department of Justice at 608-266-3952. Information about your question or concern will be obtained, and one of the unit's attorneys will be in contact with you. In addition, you may also write to SPAR, using the following address: Wisconsin Department of Justice, Legal Services Division, Post Office Box 7857, Madison, WI 53707-7857. When writing, please clearly identify that your concern relates to open meetings and/or public records, so that your correspondence is routed appropriately. Wisconsin Legal Resources on the Web Wisconsin Open Meetings Law, Wis. Stat. §§ 19.81 through 19.98 Wisconsin Public Records Law, Wis. Stat. §§ 19.31 through 19.39 State of Wisconsin Law Library, containing links to Wisconsin Statutes, selected Attorney General Opinions, selected court decisions from the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Wisconsin Court of Appeals, etc. |
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