Gwendolynne Moore
Chairperson
The committee on Insurance, Tourism and Rural Affairs reports and recommends:
Assembly Bill 11
Relating to: requiring the office of the commissioner of insurance to provide information and technical assistance to employes and former employes who lose health care coverage and requiring information about an employe benefit plan in the notice to the department of industry, labor and job development before a business closing or mass layoff.
Concurrence.
Ayes, 5 - Senators Breske, Jauch, Shibilski, Schultz and Drzewiecki.
Noes, 0 - None.
Roger Breske
Chairperson
The committee on Judiciary, Campaign Finance Reform and Consumer Affairs reports and recommends:
Senate Bill 313
Relating to: restrictions on the sale or giving away of cigarettes or tobacco products.
Introduction and adoption of Senate amendment 1.
Ayes, 4 - Senators Adelman, Risser, Clausing and Huelsman.
Noes, 0 - None.
Passage as amended.
Ayes, 3 - Senators Adelman, Risser and Clausing.
Noes, 1 - Senator Huelsman.
Senate Bill 314
Relating to: the authority of counties, towns, villages and cities to enact ordinances regulating the purchase, possession, sale or giving away of cigarettes and tobacco products.
Passage.
Ayes, 3 - Senators Adelman, Risser and Clausing.
Noes, 2 - Senators Huelsman and Drzewiecki.
Senate Bill 321
Relating to: increasing the number of circuit court branches.
Introduction and adoption of Senate amendment 2.
Ayes, 5 - Senators Adelman, Risser, Clausing, Huelsman and Drzewiecki.
Noes, 0 - None.
Ayes, 5 - Senators Adelman, Risser, Clausing, Huelsman and Drzewiecki.
Noes, 0 - None.
Senate Bill 330
Relating to: calculating the probate filing fee.
Introduction and adoption of Senate substitute amendment 1.
Ayes, 5 - Senators Adelman, Risser, Clausing, Huelsman and Drzewiecki.
Noes, 0 - None.
Passage as amended.
Ayes, 5 - Senators Adelman, Risser, Clausing, Huelsman and Drzewiecki.
Noes, 0 - None.
Lynn Adelman
Chairperson
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
November 12, 1997
The Honorable, The Legislature:
At the request of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, we have been monitoring construction of Miller Park, a new baseball stadium for the Milwaukee Brewers Baseball Club. Stadium construction is the responsibility of the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District, created in
1995 Wisconsin Act 56. This review provides the information about financial aspects of stadium construction.
In a memorandum of understanding signed by representatives of the State, Milwaukee County, the City of Milwaukee, and the Brewers before enactment of Act 56, the total cost of the stadium project was budgeted at $322 million. However, we estimate the project's current total cost is $397.6 million, consisting of $303.3 million for construction; $82.5 million for infrastructure improvements, such as improvements to the site, U.S. Highway 41, and the Stadium Interchange on Interstate 94; and $11.8 million for the District's day-to-day operating expenses, including expenditures associated with Milwaukee County Stadium.
Through June 1997, a total of $32.7 million was expended on the stadium project, independent of revenue bond interest and fiscal charges: $17.9 million for stadium construction, $11.3 million for infrastructure improvements, and $3.5 million for day-to-day operations. The District expended $28.9 million of this amount directly. The remaining $3.8 million was expended by the Wisconsin Department of Transportation.
To fund its expenditures, the District has issued $160 million in revenue bonds supported by a 0.1 percent local sales and use tax that was imposed beginning January 1, 1996. More than $21.4 million in sales and use tax revenues was distributed to the District by the Wisconsin Department of Revenue through June 1997. Additional funds were generated through the issuance of $45.5 million in Lease Certificates of Participation in August 1997.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by the staff of the Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District, as well as by the District's outside service providers, in completing our monitoring responsibilities. The District's response in Appendix IX.
Sincerely,
Dale Cattanach
State Auditor
State of Wisconsin
November 17, 1997
The Honorable, The Senate:
Attached to this letter is the Clean Water Fund Biennial Finance Plan for the 1997-1999 biennium.
The Clean Water Fund program legislation (s.281.59(3), Wis. Stats.) requires the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Administration to submit a final version of the Biennial Finance Plan to the Legislature and to the State Building Commission following enactment of the biennial budget. The purpose of the plan is to provide information on loan, loan subsidy, and bonding levels for program operations in the 1997-1999 biennium.
Also included is a copy of the Clean Water Fund report for the 1995-1997 biennium. The report provides information on the activities and operations of the program during the previous biennium. This report is also submitted in accordance with s.
281.59(3), Wis. Stats.
If you have any questions regarding the Biennial Finance Plan or the Biennial Report, please contact Kathryn A. Curtner at 266-0860 or Frank Hoadley at 266-2305.
Sincerely,
Kathryn A. Curtner
Director, Bureau of Community Financial Assistance
Department of Natural Resources
Frank R. Hoadley
Capital Finance Director
Department of Administration
State of Wisconsin
Ethics Board
November 18, 1997
To the Honorable the Senate:
At the direction of s.
13.685(7),
Wisconsin Statutes, I am furnishing you with the names of organizations recently registered with the Ethics Board that employ one or more individuals to affect state legislation or administrative rules, and notifying you of changes in the Ethics Board's records of licensed lobbyists and their employers. For each recently registered organization I have included the organization's description of the general area of legislative or administrative action that it attempts to influence and the name of each licensed lobbyist that the organization has authorized to act on its behalf.
Organizations recently registered:
Below are the names of organizations recently registered with the Ethics Board as employing one or more individuals to affect state legislation or administrative rules.
Sherwin-Williams Company The
Subject(s): Taxes and/or fees affecting paint manufacturers.
Peshek, Peter
Wiley, Lawrence A
Organization's authorization of additional lobbyists:
The following organizations previously registered with the Ethics Board have authorized to act on their behalf these additional licensed lobbyists:
S345
Emergency Physicians, Wisconsin Chapter of the American College of
Leitch, Laura J
Family Physicians, Wisconsin Academy of
Leitch, Laura J
Harnischfeger Industries Inc
