Madison — Today, Rep. Amaad Rivera-Wagner (D–Green Bay) and Sen. Chris Larson (D–Milwaukee) introduced legislation to bring common-sense accountability to how the Wisconsin State Legislature hires private attorneys and spends taxpayer dollars.
The bill, LRB-3546, would require a vote of approval by the full Assembly, Senate, or Legislature before entering into contracts with outside legal counsel—putting an end to unchecked, single-leader decisions that have cost taxpayers millions. It does not eliminate the ability to retain counsel—it simply ensures that major financial decisions are debated and voted on by the full body, not decided behind closed doors.
“This is about restoring trust and transparency,” said Rep. Rivera-Wagner. “Right now, Majority Leaders in the Assembly and Senate—can spend unlimited public dollars on private law firms without input from the rest of us or the people we represent. That’s not how democracy should work.”
A recent Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation revealed that the Legislature has spent over $26 million on private attorneys since 2017. The bulk of that spending occurred after the elections of Governor Tony Evers and Attorney General Josh Kaul, when legislative leaders passed laws giving themselves sole authority to retain outside legal counsel—bypassing the full Legislature and public scrutiny.
“In just the last year, over $5 million in taxpayer funds went toward private legal fees—much of it for politically motivated cases, including the Gableman election investigation and redistricting litigation,” Rivera-Wagner noted. “These are resources that could have gone toward helping keep shelters for homeless veterans open or funding classrooms and mental health services across Wisconsin.”
“For too long a small group of partisan elites have had a blank check to spend millions of your tax dollars chasing election conspiracies, taking power away from the Governor, and promoting gerrymandering. If they’re going to continue to act this way, the least they can do is put it to a vote of the full legislature. That’s precisely what this bill requires,” Larson added.
