State Agencies

Board of Commissioners of Public LandsBCPL

board

A constitutional board (Treasurer, Secretary of State, and Attorney General) that manages Wisconsin’s remaining trust lands and the Common School Fund, the principal endowment for public-school libraries.

Department of AdministrationDOA

cabinet

The state’s central management agency: budgeting, the executive budget bill, state facilities and procurement, information technology, and the Division of Hearings and Appeals.

Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer ProtectionDATCP

cabinet

Regulates Wisconsin’s farm economy, food safety, animal and plant health, weights and measures, and consumer protection — central to a state whose identity is bound to dairy and agriculture.

Department of Children and FamiliesDCF

cabinet

Administers child welfare, foster care and adoption, child-support enforcement, child care regulation, and the Wisconsin Works (W-2) program.

Department of CorrectionsDOC

cabinet

Operates Wisconsin’s adult prisons, juvenile facilities, and community supervision (probation, parole, and extended supervision).

Department of Employee Trust FundsETF

cabinet

Administers the Wisconsin Retirement System — one of the best-funded public pension systems in the nation — and group health and life insurance for state and local public employees.

Department of Financial InstitutionsDFI

cabinet

Regulates state-chartered banks, credit unions, securities, and the licensing of financial professionals, and maintains the state’s corporate and UCC registries.

Department of Health ServicesDHS

cabinet

The state’s largest agency by budget: administers Medicaid (BadgerCare Plus), public health, behavioral health, long-term care, and the state mental health and care institutions.

Department of JusticeDOJ

cabinet

Wisconsin’s legal department, led by the elected Attorney General. DOJ represents the state in litigation, runs the Division of Criminal Investigation and the state crime laboratories, and administers the Crime Information Bureau and concealed-carry licensing.

Department of Military AffairsDMA

cabinet

Houses the Wisconsin National Guard (Army and Air) and Wisconsin Emergency Management, coordinating disaster response and homeland security across the state.

Department of Natural ResourcesDNR

cabinet

Manages Wisconsin’s air, water, forests, wildlife, parks, and environmental permitting and enforcement, and runs the state’s hunting, fishing, and recreation licensing.

Department of Public InstructionDPI

cabinet

The constitutional agency overseeing Wisconsin’s K-12 public schools, led by the nonpartisan elected State Superintendent of Public Instruction. Administers school aids, licensing of educators, and statewide assessments.

Department of RevenueDOR

cabinet

Administers Wisconsin’s income, sales, and excise taxes, oversees property-tax equalization and the lottery, and regulates alcohol beverage and tobacco enforcement.

Department of Safety and Professional ServicesDSPS

cabinet

Licenses more than 200 professions and trades, administers building and fire-safety codes, and supports the dozens of professional examining boards housed within it.

Department of Tourism

cabinet

Markets Wisconsin as a travel destination and administers the “Travel Wisconsin” brand and tourism grant programs supporting a multibillion-dollar visitor economy.

Department of TransportationWisDOT

cabinet

Plans, builds, and maintains the state highway system, administers the Division of Motor Vehicles, and oversees aeronautics, rail, transit, and motor-carrier programs.

Department of Veterans AffairsWDVA

cabinet

Serves Wisconsin veterans and their families through benefits assistance, the state veterans homes, and education and home-loan programs.

Department of Workforce DevelopmentDWD

cabinet

Administers unemployment insurance, worker’s compensation, job services, vocational rehabilitation, and labor-standards and equal-rights enforcement.

Higher Educational Aids BoardHEAB

board

Administers Wisconsin’s state student financial-aid programs, including the Wisconsin Grant and need- and merit-based scholarships.

Office of the Commissioner of InsuranceOCI

commission

Regulates the Wisconsin insurance industry, licensing insurers and agents, reviewing rates and solvency, and administering the state Life and Health Insurance Guaranty programs.

Office of the Governor

cabinet

The chief executive office of Wisconsin. The Governor appoints and supervises cabinet secretaries, exercises the nation’s strongest partial (line-item) veto, calls special sessions, and commands the Wisconsin National Guard.

Office of the Lieutenant Governor

cabinet

First in the line of succession to the governorship. The Lieutenant Governor assumes the duties of Governor on a vacancy or disability and leads executive initiatives assigned by the Governor.

Office of the Secretary of StateSOS

cabinet

Custodian of the Great Seal of Wisconsin and of official acts of the Governor and Legislature. The office’s constitutional duties were largely reassigned to other agencies over the twentieth century.

Office of the State Public DefenderSPD

board

Provides constitutionally required legal representation to indigent criminal defendants statewide through staff offices and a private-bar assignment system.

Office of the State Treasurer

cabinet

The state’s constitutional financial officer. The Treasurer chairs the Board of Commissioners of Public Lands, administers unclaimed property, and promotes the Edvest 529 college-savings program.

Public Service Commission of WisconsinPSC

commission

The independent three-member commission regulating Wisconsin’s electric, natural gas, water, and telecommunications utilities, including rate cases and the broadband expansion grant program.

State of Wisconsin Investment BoardSWIB

board

The independent agency that invests the assets of the Wisconsin Retirement System and the State Investment Fund — among the ten largest U.S. public pension managers.

Universities of Wisconsin (UW System)UW

authority

The statewide public university system of 13 universities governed by the Board of Regents, anchored by UW-Madison, a flagship land-grant research institution.

Wisconsin Economic Development CorporationWEDC

authority

The public-private authority created in 2011 to replace the cabinet Department of Commerce. WEDC administers business-development tax credits, grants, and the state’s economic-development incentives.

Wisconsin Elections CommissionWEC

commission

The bipartisan six-member commission administering Wisconsin election law, voter registration, and the statewide voter database — a focal point of national attention in presidential battleground years.

Wisconsin Employment Relations CommissionWERC

commission

Administers Wisconsin’s public-sector labor law, including the collective-bargaining framework reshaped by 2011 Act 10, and resolves labor disputes and representation elections.

Wisconsin Ethics Commission

commission

The bipartisan commission overseeing lobbying registration, campaign finance, and public-official ethics. Created in 2016 alongside WEC when the Government Accountability Board was dissolved.

Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development AuthorityWHEDA

authority

A self-supporting authority financing affordable housing and small-business and agricultural lending through bond issuance and federal low-income housing tax credits.

Wisconsin Lottery

authority

Administered within the Department of Revenue, the Wisconsin Lottery is constitutionally dedicated to property-tax relief for state homeowners through the lottery and gaming credit.

Wisconsin Technical College SystemWTCS

authority

Coordinates Wisconsin’s 16 technical colleges, the nation’s oldest state technical-college system, delivering workforce, technical, and transfer education.