State Representative
42nd Assembly District
__________________
Referral of Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Department of Commerce
Madison
DATE: October 9, 2000
TO: Charles R. Sanders, Chief Clerk
Wisconsin State Assembly
FROM: Brenda J. Blanchard, Secretary
Wisconsin Department of Commerce
SUBJECT: 1997-99 Biennial Report
Pursuant to s.
15.04 (d), Stats., I am enclosing a copy of the Department's 1997-99 Biennial Report.
Referred to committee on Small Business and Economic Development.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
Madison
October 30, 2000
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Chapter
34, Laws of 1979, requires that when the Department of Administration maintains an office in Washington, DC, for the purpose of promoting federal/state cooperation, it should submit a report detailing the activities of the office and reporting the status of federal legislation of concern to the Legislature and other state agencies (Wis. Stats. 16.548(2)).
The report for the period July, 2000 through September, 2000 is attached.
Sincerely,
George Lightbourn
Secretary
Referred to committee on State Affairs.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
Madison
November 6, 2000
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Included with this correspondence, I am submitting the report of the Department of Administration, Division of Gaming (Gaming), for the first quarter of fiscal year 2001 (July 1, 2000 through September 30, 2000). As required by s.
562.02(1)(g), Wis. Stats., the attached materials contain pari-mutuel wagering and racing statistical information, as well as the revenues for the program areas of Racing, Charitable Gaming and Indian Gaming. Please note that Bingo revenues are now captured in a new appropriation (836) and therefore are shown on a separate chart from the rest of Charitable Gaming.
If you have any questions or comments regarding this report, please do not hesitate to contact Richard Pederson at (608) 270-2546.
Sincerely,
F. Scott Scepaniak
Administrator
Referred to committee on State Affairs.
State of Wisconsin
Technical College System Board
Madison
November 13, 2000
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
This letter is to certify that all sixteen Wisconsin Technical Colleges have provided sexual assault and harassment orientation, materials and information as required under state statute 38.12(11) for the 2000-2001 school year.
Individual college letters assuring compliance along with sample information and materials provided to students are on file in our office at this time. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Keith Krinke, System Equal Opportunity Officer, of my staff at 266-1844.
Sincerely,
Edward Chin
State Director
Referred to committee on Colleges and Universities.
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Milwaukee Public Schools
Division of Curriculum and Instruction
Madison
November 13, 2000
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
Enclosed you will find a copy of the report entitled "High/Scope All-Day Five-Year-Old Kindergarten Program and High/Scope First Grade Program." This report summarizes the projects and the data collected for the 1999-2000 school year.
Each year a report is prepared in response to Sections
119.71,
119.73 and
119.75 of the current state statutes.
Sincerely,
Mickey Beil
Governmental Relations Specialist
Office of Governmental Relations
Referred to committee on Education.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Milwaukee Area Technical College
Madison
November 15, 2000
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
Attached is a copy of the information provided to all students, in accordance with Wisconsin Statutes 38.12.
a. All new students are required to attend a Student Orientation. During these orientations, detailed information is shared regarding sexual assault and sexual harassment.
b. All students have electronic access to the MATC Web page which is
www.matc.edu/.
If you have any further questions or concerns, please feel free to contact Archie Graham, Director of Student Life at (414) 297-6870.
Sincerely yours,
Archie L. Graham
Director, Office of Student Life
Referred to committee on Colleges and Universities.
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State of Wisconsin
State Treasurer
Madison
November 15, 2000
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
Attached to this letter is the EDVEST Wisconsin College Savings Program Annual Report for the 1999-2000 Fiscal Year. Legislation for the EDVEST Wisconsin program requires the Office of the State Treasurer to annually report to the Governor and the Legislature on the program. This third annual report includes the required actuarial valuation, prepared by Milliman & Robertson, Inc. It also includes a summary of program improvements authorized in
1999 Wisconsin Act 44.
The most significant event of the year for the program involved the development, introduction and passage of state legislation designed specifically to give EDVEST new authority to take advantage of benefits and flexibility currently allowed under federal law.
1999 Wisconsin Act 44 was approved by unanimous vote in the Wisconsin Assembly and Senate and signed into law April 11, 2000. This important legislation will allow EDVEST to offer families a more attractive and competitive structure in which to save for college expenses.
The EDVEST program was transferred from the Department of Administration to the Office of the State Treasurer during the fiscal year. Some of the provisions of Act 44 have already been implemented, and the new College Savings Program Board, EDVEST staff and I look forward to completing this exciting project in the near future.
If you have any questions regarding the EDVEST Wisconsin Annual Report, please contact Marty Olle at 264-7886.
Sincerely,
Jack Voight
State Treasurer
Referred to committee on Colleges and Universities.
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State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
November 3, 2000
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
As required by s.
13.94(1)(de), Wis. Stats., we have completed a financial audit of the Local Government Property Insurance Fund, which provides property insurance to counties, towns, villages, school districts, and other local units of government and is administered by the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance. As of June 30, 2000, the Property Fund insured 1,113 local units of government with an insured property value of approximately $25.1 billion. We were able to provide an unqualified auditor's report on the Property Fund's financial statements for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2000, 1999, and 1998.
The Property Fund earned net income totaling $4.3 million for the three-year period ended June 30, 2000, and as of that date had a surplus of $23.4 million. The Property Fund surplus, which has been an issue discussed in prior audit reports, is still being maintained at a level above the industry standard. The Office of the Commissioner of Insurance monitors the surplus level and believes it is currently appropriate considering recent loss experience. The Property Fund had several large fire and windstorm claims during the last three years, but reinsurance limited the effect of these losses on the Fund. If the Fund's loss experience results in increased reinsurance premiums and coverage levels in the future, its fund surplus can help limit the effect of future reinsurance increases on policyholder premiums and help ensure a financially stable program.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by the staff of the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance and the private firms responsible for the administration of the Property Fund.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
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State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
November 9, 2000
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
At the request of the Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS), we have completed a financial audit of the Health Insurance Risk-Sharing Plan (HIRSP) for fiscal year 1998-99. HIRSP provides medical insurance for individuals unable to obtain coverage in the private market. At the end of calendar year 1999, 7,904 policyholders were enrolled in the plan. We were able to provide an unqualified opinion on the HIRSP financial statements and we note that HIRSP had net income of $6.6 million, which is a considerable improvement over the $9.4 million loss the previous year.
