Jensens lawyers bill state $75,000 for caucus deal
9:16 PM 11/21/01
Phil Brinkman State government reporter
   Private attorneys representing Assembly Speaker Scott Jensen have billed taxpayers more than $75,000 for negotiating an end to the legislative caucuses.
   The bill is in addition to the nearly $186,000 in legal fees submitted so far by other attorneys representing caucus staffers under investigation for possible illegal campaigning.
   Jensen's bill, which covers April through October, was submitted this month by the law firm Michael Best and Friedrich. The firm is the same one Assembly Republicans have hired to help them redraw political boundaries in response to the recent census, at a cost so far of nearly $400,000.
   According to the detailed billing records, attorneys began almost immediately negotiating a settlement with the state Ethics Board and, later, the Elections Board, after allegations of possible illegal campaigning by the legislative caucuses surfaced in May.
   That settlement, announced last month, abolishes the caucus offices in exchange for the boards agreeing not to investigate alleged wrongdoing.
   Efforts to negotiate an agreement with Dane County District Attorney Brian Blanchard, however, proved unsuccessful, and Blanchard continues to investigate the caucuses. At one point, according to the bill, Blanchard questioned Jensen.
   The bill, prepared by attorney Ray Taffora, also shows the firm prepared the initial drafts of legislation to abolish the caucuses, a job normally left to the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau. The legislation was adopted this week.
   Jensen could not be reached for comment Wednesday. But the bill drew the ire of reform advocate Mike McCabe, executive director of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign, who said the Legislature should rely on the state's own attorneys instead of hiring "elite" outside firms.
   "I think it is particularly objectionable for them to (also) use these firms to draft legislation because they already have highly competent bill drafters in the Legislative Reference Bureau," McCabe said.
   The bill does not break down the work by dates or time, or indicate how much attorneys charged per hour.
   That is in contrast to the bills being submitted to defend caucus employees, which the Assembly has capped at $150 an hour and the Senate at $10,000 total per person.
   New bills received this month show some of those attorneys even charged taxpayers to read newspaper stories about the caucus controversy, and to review complaints by Attorney General Jim Doyle against having the state pay their fees.