Thursday, May 22, 2008
Ninety‐Eighth Regular Session
The Chief Clerk makes the following entries under the above date:
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Referral of Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Department of Transportation
Madison
May 9, 2008
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
2007 Wisconsin Act 20, Section
9148(4c), directs the Department of Transportation to conduct a study of alternative program models for the vehicle emissions inspection and maintenance program.
The enclosed report summarizes alternatives for:
• organizational structures feasible for vehicle emissions inspection maintenance programs.
•methods available for capturing and transmitting data from vehicle on‐board computers.
• tools available for collecting data from vehicle on‐board computers.
The report is submitted for your distribution to the Assembly Committee on Transportation and to the Senate Committee on Transportation and Tourism.
Staff from the Division of Motor Vehicle is available to answer questions about the enclosed paper. Please contact Anna Biermeier, Director of the Bureau of Vehicle Services, at (608) 267‐5121 or
anna.biermeier@dot.state.wi.us.
Sincerely,
Frank J. Busalacchi
Secretary
Referred to committee on Transportation.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction
Madison
May 16, 2008
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
The Department of Public Instruction is submitting the 2007 annual report on the status of bilingual‐bicultural education programs as required under s.
115.996, Wis. Stats. The report provides data from the state‐aided bilingual‐bicultural/ESL education programs for the 2007 fiscal year (July 1, 2006, through June 30, 2007).
This annual report presents details on the state's administration and funding of bilingual education in Wisconsin, including the number of pupils from minority languages served, the locations of the state‐aided programs, and staff‐related data. In addition, the report comments on factors contributing to program growth.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Burmaster
State Superintendent
Referred to committee on Education.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
Madison
May 2008
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Last year, state agencies made strong progress toward the 5 percent minority contracting goal. This report provides information on Fiscal Year 2007 state purchases made with minority business enterprises (MBE) certified by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce. Our progress stems from your commitment to providing full and fair opportunities for all businesses, including MBEs, to compete for state contracts.
In Fiscal Year 2007, Wisconsin state government spent over $62 million with MBE firms for products, services, facilities and highways. This is the second highest amount spent with minority businesses since the MBE program began.
Fiscal Year 2007 MBE results represent 4.02 percent of overall state spending. State agencies led the way with a 38 percent increase in total spending with certified minority firms. In addition, fourteen agencies surpassed the 5 percent MBE goal in Fiscal 2007, up from seven agencies in 2006.
Through your leadership, opening access to minority‐owned businesses who are interested in doing business with the state will continue to be a major focus across state agencies.
Michael L. Morgan
Secretary of Administration
Referred to committee on Small Business.
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Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
May 14, 2008
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
We have completed audit work at the Wisconsin Arts Board to help meet our audit requirements under s.
13.94, Wis. Stats. We have reviewed the Arts Board's fiscal operations to assess whether they are well‐controlled and in compliance with statutory requirements. One of the Arts Board's major activities is to administer artistic and cultural grant and fellowship programs for cultural organizations and individual artists. It also administers the State's Percent for Art Program, which coordinates the acquisition of artwork for public state buildings with building projects exceeding $250,000.
The Arts Board is primarily funded by general purpose revenue. It also receives program revenue from the federal government, Indian gaming compacts, and funds from other state agencies. Grant expenditures represented 61.3 percent and the Percent for Art Program represented 15.6 percent of the Arts Board's total expenditures of $3.9 million during fiscal year 2006‐07.
We identified several significant concerns with the Arts Board's fiscal controls. The major factor contributing to our concerns is that key fiscal responsibilities are primarily completed by one fiscal person with limited management oversight. The Arts Board has taken some steps to address our concerns, but we encourage it to implement all of the improvements we have recommended in a separate management letter.
The Arts Board is an active participant in Wisconsin's sister state relationship with Chiba Prefecture, Japan. The Board's Executive Director serves as the president of the nonprofit organization, Wisconsin‐Chiba, Inc., which provides the primary financial support for the relationship. The Arts Board provides program and administrative support to the organization. Our management letter includes recommendations for formalizing the Arts Board's arrangement with Wisconsin‐Chiba, Inc., in a written agreement and ensuring costs incurred for annual exchange trips are allowable and reasonable under state and federal requirements. The Arts Board has agreed to implement these recommendations.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by Arts Board staff during our review.
Sincerely,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
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State of Wisconsin
Investment Board
Madison
