User:Nervousmonkey/Office of the Assembly

Service to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly and MPP's
The Office of the Assembly is a corporate entity created to support the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and Ontario's Members of Provincial Parliament in the excercise of their Parliamentary duties. Independent of the Government of Ontario, the Office of the Assembly provides administrative and procedural services to all MPPs, as well as operational support for the daily activities of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and its Committees.

=== Current Organizational Structure ===

Speaker of the Legislative Assembly
The Speaker of the Legislative Assembly is responsible for both policy and operations of the Legislative Precinct which includes the Legislative Building, its surrounding grounds and the 1st, 2nd and 3rd floors of the Whitney Block. The Speaker also chairs the Board of Internal Economy which reviews and approves operating policy for the Office of the Assembly, governs the Assembly's financial affairs, including the review of the estimates.

Office of the Clerk
The Clerk's Office supports the activities of the Clerk of the Legislative Assembly. The office maintains the public disclosure statements of Members of the Legislative Assembly and the Executive Council for examination by Members and the public.

Administrative Services Division
The Administrative Services Division provides administrative services to Members and staff in the areas of Financial Services, Human Resources and Purchasing & Operations. The Executive Director is a senior officer of the Office of the Assembly, with responsibility for the overall administration, planning and direction of the Administrative Services Division which includes three branches: Financial Services; Human Resources; and Purchasing & Operations. The Executive Director oversees the provision of all Members' salaries and expenses and all appropriations to the parties; administers the preparation, review and implementation of the estimates of the Office of the Assembly; makes policy decisions in the Financial Services, Human Resources and Purchasing & Operations areas.

Financial Services
Financial Services provides support to Members of the Legislative Assembly, Assembly Offices, Commissions and the parties with a variety of financial services including payment processing, accounts receivable invoicing and collections, financial analysis, development, communication and advice on financial policies and procedures. It is also responsible for: coordinating the annual estimates process for all the offices that are under the jurisdiction of the BOIE; providing internal financial reports to Members and other offices; external financial reporting including Members' Expenses & Public Accounts-both tabled annually in the House; coordinating the annual financial audit for the Office of the Assembly; providing information and support to other offices re: Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act and the Accountability for Expenses Act - Cabinet Ministers and Opposition Leaders, and coordinating the Assembly's Insurance & Corporate Credit Card Programs.

Human Resources
Human Resources offers services to the office of the Assembly staff and Commissions reporting to the Legislature, in the areas of: staffing; learning and development; payroll; staff relations and counselling; policy development and establishment of classification; compensation and benefits for offices of the Assembly. Benefits and payroll administration is also provided for MPPs and their staff, as well as staff of all parties.

Purchasing and Operations
Purchasing and Operations provides centralized purchasing, contract administration, mail handling, receiving, and asset management activities for the Legislative Assembly. This office also manages the Members' furniture and equipment entitlements for both Queen's Park and constituency offices through a central budget. All telecommunications requirements for both Legislative Precinct offices and constituency offices across Ontario are coordinated through this office.

Legislative Services Division
The Legislative Services Division oversees the branches which are essential to the House and Committee proceedings. The division is responsible for Hansard Reporting and Interpretation Services, Broadcast and Recording Service, Interparliamentary and Public Relations Branch, Journals and Procedural Research Branch, and Committees Branch.

Broadcast and Recording Service
The Broadcast and Recording Service operates the Ontario Legislative Television Satellite Network (ONT.PARL.), the audio recording of House and Committee proceedings for transcription by Hansard, and the "in- house" closed circuit television system. All House proceedings are real-time captioned for the hearing impaired.

Committees Branch
An important feature of the Legislative Assembly is the Committee system. Composed of Members drawn from each political party, Committees are created to study specific areas of jurisdiction or appointed on an ad hoc basis to inquire into specific issues.

The Committees Branch provides procedural and administrative support to Standing and Select Committees, and offers advice and assistance on the drafting of motions relating to Committee business. The branch will answer questions about parliamentary procedure in Committees, matters referred to and being considered in Committees, and dates and times of Committee meetings. Callers will be referred to the offices of Committees for more detailed information on Committee matters.

Hansard Reporting and Interpretation Services
Hansard Reporting and Interpretation Services provides substantially verbatim transcripts of the sittings of the Legislature of Ontario and its committees, publishes an official report (Hansard) and offers French and English interpretation services. Index information on Hansard for the current and past sessions of the Legislature is available. Hansard is distributed to each Member of the Provincial Parliament (MPP), the Legislative Library, public libraries, and various offices throughout the Assembly. Draft and Final Hansards are available electronically within Queen's Park on the Legislative Assembly Intranet. Hansard reports, for both the proceedings in the Ontario Legislature and its committees, are also available on the Internet.

Parliamentary Protocol and Public Relations Branch
Parliamentary Protocol and Public Relations Branch provides a wide range of services to the Members of Provincial Parliament, staff of the Legislative Assembly and visitors to the Legislative Building. The following provides an overview of services offered by the branch: Tours and educational programs (bilingual); public inquiry service and tourist information; Exhibit programs for the Legislative Building; Legislative Gift Shop featuring Ontario products (Visa, Mastercard and debit accepted); Parliamentary Protocol (coordination of parliamentary associations/visiting dignitaries, parliamentary events and conferences); Messenger Service for the Legislative Precinct; Legislative Page Program for Grade 7 and 8 students; Legislative Student Usher Program for university students; and coordination of Special Events.

French Language Services
The French Language Services coordinator provides guidance and assistance relating to the effective delivery of activities and services in French for the Legislative Assembly.

Journals and Procedural Research Branch
The Journals and Procedural Research Branch coordinates daily publication of the Orders and Notices paper and the Votes and Proceedings. These documents are the official record of the activities of the Legislature. In addition to the Journals, the official permanent record of the Legislative Assembly's proceedings, the branch compiles and distributes a final Status of Business Report for each Session, consisting of information on legislation, Estimates, committee orders of reference, petitions, Sessional Papers and resolutions considered by the House. All current Sessional documents tabled in the House are retained in the branch and are available for public inspection. The branch will also answer questions on the status of legislation (bills) from current and previous Sessions of the Legislature. The Procedural Research Section provides procedural research and analysis services to the Speaker, the Clerk of the House and MPPs.

Legislative Security Service
The Legislative Security Service provides a full range of in-house security services to the Legislative Precinct under the direction of the Sergeant-at-Arms. The Legislative Precinct represents the Main Legislative Building, its grounds, and the Whitney Block.

Precinct Properties Branch
The Precinct Properties Branch is responsible for building operations and maintenance for the Main Legislative Building and the first three floors of the Whitney Block. The branch provides general building services which include interior design and repair services. It is also responsible for heritage conservation and a long-term program to upgrade the Legislative Building. Plans include compliance with life and fire safety and accessibility standards.

Information and Technology Services Division
This division supports the technological delivery of Assembly information and services, provides reference and research services and access to the Assembly's print and electronic resources, and manages the Assembly's heritage and documentation. The division consists of the Executive Diretor's Office, the Information Management Office, Legislative Information Systems (LIS), the Legislative Library and the Legislative Research Service.

Legislative Library
The Legislative Library provides a wide range of reference, circulation, news and access services to MPPs and their staff, staff of the Legislative Assembly, staff for all parties, and members of the Legislative Press Gallery. Direct service to others is limited to those materials not available elsewhere in the Greater Toronto area. The branch also compiles and edits the Ontario Government Publications Monthly Checklist and assigns international Standard Book Numbers (ISBN) and serial numbers for Ontario Government Publications. The Legislative Library consists of Client Services, Collection Management, and Library Technology Applications.

Legislative Information Systems
Legislative Information Systems (LIS), in partnership with our clients, develops strategies for investment in information systems and provides high quality information service and support required by Members and the Office of the Assembly to achieve their business goals. The service is centered at Queen's Park and extends across the province to all constituency offices.

Information Management Office
The Information Management Office has three roles: to develop Assembly-wide information management plans, policies and standards for approval by Assembly Senior Managers; to manage and develop the Assembly's Internet and intranet sites; and to provide Assembly branches and groups with expert help in planning, directing, controlling and evaluating Assembly information assets.

Legislative Research Service
Legislative Research Service provides confidential, non-partisan research services to MPPs and their staff, Standing and Select Committees, and staff of the Legislative Assembly. Direct service to ministry staff and others is limited to access to those materials not available elsewhere in Toronto. The Service publishes research papers and other electronic information products geared to the interests of MPPs on the division's intranet site.