The State Treasurer is the state’s chief financial officer and serves on the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, the Public Employee Trust Fund and the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands.
As a member of the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, the State Treasurer plays a key role in managing the state’s remaining trust lands (more than 77,000 acres of forest), managing trust funds (more than $1 billion), primarily for the benefit of public school libraries (these funds are the sole source of state funding for public school libraries), and maintains the state’s archive of 19th-century land survey and land sales records.
Why does this matter?
As the state’s chief financial officer, the State Treasurer plays a role in ensuring the financial health of our state , being responsible for signing certain checks and financial instruments and helping publicize the state’s unclaimed property program. The State Treasurer can also provide greater transparency and accountability in the state’s finances.
The role of the State Treasurer has received increased attention over the last few years after a proposed constitutional amendment to remove the office was rejected by voters in 2018. Voters decided that they wanted to keep the role of treasurer as a statewide elected office. |