In 2025, the Levin Center conducted a study of all 50 states to examine how legislatures ensure government programs work effectively for citizens. Factors such as legislative oversight committees, routine engagement with executive agencies, collection of casework data, digital transparency tools, and user-centered policy evaluation were of particular importance. The full report can be found here.
State Summary #
The state of Wisconsin has six legislative committees dedicated to oversight listed on their website, however, half of these committees show no evidence of meeting within the last two years. There are no direct solicitations for public input on either their legislative homepage or on any of the oversight chairs’ personal web pages. There was no evidence of public input or testimony in any of the agendas surveyed for the three oversight committees that were meeting regularly. One highlight in Wisconsin was the Joint Legislative Audit Committee had several audits available directly on their homepage for public viewing.
While some agencies in Wisconsin do provide useful information on key performance metrics and other data, the collection of this data does not seem to be standardized across the state.
