COMMENTARY: Lawmakers can save some green on Blue Book

Wisconsin Reporter ^ | 1-23-12 | Kevin Binversie

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It is the equivalent of the bible for Wisconsin political and media junkies, and its biennial publication makes its release celebrated among the state’s political class. It is the Wisconsin Blue Book.

First published in 1853, the Blue Book is a product of the Wisconsin Legislative Reference Bureau. It was one of the best legislative and political resources available to Wisconsinites on their state government, filled with the biographies of all state and federal office holders, information on state government agencies, statistical data, recent election results and the Wisconsin Constitution.

But is it time to make changes to the Blue Book, both in its delivery format and to cut down on production costs? To begin the debate, state Rep. Tyler August, R-Lake Geneva, has introduced AB 351, which would end the Blue Book.

But August’s end goal isn’t the Blue Book’s elimination. He just wants to talk changes.

“There’s one thing I’ve learned over the past couple of months,” the freshman legislator testified in a hearing last Wednesday on his proposal, “it’s that people in this building like their Blue Books.”

That may be well and good for those inside the state Capitol, but are taxpayers getting their money’s worth out of the $300,000 in printing costs for the Blue Book?

Gail Endres, a procurement specialist at the Department of Administration who has worked on the Blue Book for years, said the state printed 64,600 of the 2011-12 edition. What you may not know is the number of books printed and who gets one is a statutory requirement. Every school library, public library and library branch, college library, law library, school administrator’s office and University of Wisconsin System school in the state is required to receive one. So must every sheriff, city and county clerk.

No questions about the need for schools, libraries and local public officials to have a copy. But why do legislative offices get so many?

Distribution of the Blue Book is dictated in statute 35.84. The governor gets 400 to spread around, the lieutenant governor, 300. The secretary of state, treasurer, attorney general and superintendent of public instruction each get 200.

But the lion’s share of the books goes to state legislators. Each of the 33 senators gets 600 to distribute to their constituents, while all 99 state Assembly offices get 350. In total, state legislators received 54,450, or 84 percent of last year’s printing.

Some legislators ship them at taxpayer expense to constituents. Others haul as many books as their cars can carry to hand out in their districts throughout the year.

“They’re a great substitute for sand bags in my trunk,” state Rep. Janet Bewley, D-Ashland, said in jest during a discussion among members of the Assembly Homeland Security and State Affairs Committee.

But when talking about eliminating the book, Bewley took a more serious tone, “I’d miss handing them out, and the fact of the matter is our constituents like having them.”

Yet walk into any legislative office in the state Capitol and you will find copies of the latest Blue Book lying around or dozens of unopened cases of 10 stacked to the ceiling. This means hundreds, if not thousands, of books are wasted. They often are handed off to the building’s information desk, or recycled or destroyed, when the new edition arrives.

So what should be done regarding the future of the Blue Book? Well, for starters, the easiest way to save money would be to repeal Wisconsin State Statute 35.24 (2), which requires the Blue Book be “case-bound in hard covers.” A switch to a paperback Blue Book would save thousands in printing and binding costs.

Secondly, legislative offices should be allowed to ask for fewer books then they are required to take. Allowing lawmakers to do this will eliminate waste both in printing costs and stop unused books ending up in dumpsters.

The name of the publication is a throwback to the 15th century, when blue covers were used for record-keeping books in the Parliment of the United Kingdom.

While a very distinct digital divide exists between rural and urban Wisconsinites and their access to Internet service, the Legislative Reference Bureau should begin investigating other ways to digitally distribute the Blue Book beyond the free, downloadable PDF it currently offers online. Is a Kindle or Nook e-book version of the Blue Book possible? Can the same be said about an iPhone or iPad app? Are efforts being made to accommodate this growth in technology and its uses?

There are a number of legitimate ways the Legislature can contain costs and advance technology for one of the best resources on state government. All that stands in the way is how many state legislators are willing to embrace necessary changes to move into the 21st century.

Kevin Binversie is a Wisconsin native who has been blogging on the state’s political culture for more than eight years. He has served in the George W. Bush administration from 2007-2009, worked at the Heritage Foundation and has worked on numerous Wisconsin Republican campaigns in various capacities, most recently as research director for Ron Johnson for Senate. Contact him at kevin.binversie@franklincenterhq.org.

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