To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Enclosed is a hard copy of the 2004 Health Care Data Report produced by WHA Information Center pursuant to s.
153.22, Wis. Stats. The report (
www.whainfocenter.com) was posted on our Web site in March 2006. Please feel free to download and print additional copies.
If you have any questions regarding the report you may contact me at 608-274-1820, 800-231-8340 or
jkachelski@wha.org.
Sincerely,
Joseph Kachelski
Vice President, WHA Information Center
Referred to committee on Health.
__________________
Wisconsin Hospital Association
Uncompensated Health Care Report
Madison
June 6, 2006
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Enclosed is a hard copy of the fiscal year 2004 Uncompensated Health Care Report produced by WHA Information Center pursuant to s.
153.22, Wis. Stats. The report was posted on our Web site in March 2006. Please feel free to download and print additional copies.
If you have any questions regarding the report you may contact me at 608-274-1820, 800-231-8340 or
jkachelski@wha.org.
Sincerely,
Joseph Kachelski
Vice President, WHA Information Center
Referred to committee on Health.
__________________
Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
June 5, 2006
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
As requested by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, we have completed an evaluation of expenditures made by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to support fish and wildlife activities. In fiscal year (FY) 2004-05, these expenditures totaled $120.2 million. Of this amount, $68.2 million was generated through the sale of hunting and fishing licenses and other user fees. Fish and wildlife activities were also funded with federal aid, general purpose revenue, and program revenues.
For a number of years, some hunters and anglers have raised concerns about the extent to which the fees they pay are spent on activities related to hunting and fishing. We found that 97.6 percent of DNR's user fee-funded expenditures in FY 2004-05 provided some benefit to hunters and anglers, including 57.3 percent spent primarily for their benefit. User fees also funded $1.6 million in expenditures that did not directly benefit hunters and anglers.
In FY 2004-05, DNR spent $7.5 million in user fees for administrative costs at the department and division level. These costs represented 11.1 percent of all user fee expenditures, which is below the 16.0 percent limit established in statutes.
When we reviewed the financial condition of the Fish and Wildlife Account, we found that expenditures exceeded revenues in each year and the account's balance declined significantly, from $28.3 million in FY 2000-01 to $1.0 million in FY 2004-05. Fee increases that took effect in July 2005 will increase revenues, but preliminary information for FY 2005-06 indicates that sales of some types of licenses declined from 2004 to 2005. These trends will have to be monitored closely.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by staff of DNR and by the interest groups with which we spoke. DNR's response follows the appendices.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
