Thursday, June 24, 1999
10:00 A.M.
Ninety-Fourth Regular Session
The Assembly met in the Assembly Chamber located in the State Capitol.
Representative Vrakas in the chair.
The Assembly dispensed with the call of the roll.
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Read first time and referred:
Assembly Bill 390
Relating to: the definition of tangible personal property that is subject to a sales or use tax.
By
Representatives M. Lehman and Wood, by request of Department of Revenue
.
To committee on Ways and Means.
Assembly Bill 391
Relating to: disposable earning exempt from garnishment.
By
Representatives Gunderson, Musser, Townsend, Turner, Sykora, Hahn, Petrowski, Hundertmark, Spillner, Gronemus, Kelso, Albers and Powers; cosponsored by Senator Darling
.
To committee on Judiciary and Personal Privacy
.
Assembly Bill 392
Relating to: prohibiting certain insurance practices on the basis of domestic abuse and prohibiting collective bargaining by the state with respect to the prohibitions.
By
Representatives Cullen, Wasserman, Carpenter, Young, J. Lehman, Ziegelbauer and Bock; cosponsored by Senators Burke, Robson, Clausing, Roessler and Darling.
To committee on Insurance.
Assembly Bill 393
Relating to: income and franchise tax credits for a business to construct, equip and operate a day care center for the children of employes.
By
Representatives Hoven, Huebsch, Ainsworth, Spillner, Hasenohrl, Plouff, F. Lasee, Kaufert, Kelso, Plale, Jeskewitz, Albers, Goetsch, Sykora, Waukau, Gunderson and Bock; cosponsored by Senators Risser, Darling, Drzewiecki, Panzer, Schultz, Roessler, Robson, Wirch and Clausing.
To committee on Ways and Means.
Assembly Bill 394
Relating to: the eligible ages for special education.
By
Representatives Spillner, Olsen, Klusman, Stone, Kestell, Brandemuehl, Freese, Ainsworth, Goetsch, Montgomery, Hahn, Grothman, Ward, M. Lehman, Owens, Hundertmark, Nass and Powers; cosponsored by Senators Roessler, Rosenzweig, Schultz and Huelsman.
To committee on Education.
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Enrolled Bills
The following Assembly proposals, which have been approved by both the Assembly and Senate, have been enrolled by the Legislative Reference Bureau:
Assembly Bill 156
Assembly Bill 239
Charles R. Sanders
Assembly Chief Clerk
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Referral of Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Department of Health and Family Services
Madison
June 25, 1999
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
On behalf of the Board of Governors of the Health Insurance Risk Sharing Plan (HIRSP), I am pleased to submit the attached report and supporting documents. These materials fulfill the statutory requirement set forth at s.
149.15(2m), stats, which requires the Board to submit to the Governor and the legislature a report on the operation of HIRSP and any recommended changes to the plan. The board authorized me to submit these materials to you at its April 14, 1999 meeting.
As you know, the
1997 Wisconsin Act 27 transferred responsibility for HIRSP from the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance to the Department of Health and Family Services effective January 1, 1998. Act 27 also significantly modified HIRSP, especially with regard to how the plan is funded. Additionally, Act 27 required that the Medicaid fiscal agent, EDS, be the HIRSP plan administrator.
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The Act 27 modifications to HIRSP were intended to keep HIRSP financially solvent. The Department has made tremendous progress to improve the overall financial condition of this important insurance program. However, many of the Act 27 modifications, particularly those related to the funding of the plan, have impeded this Department's ability to effectively and efficiently administer HIRSP.
The Department developed a legislative agenda to address areas of the current statutory language that need to be modified for in order for the Department to be able to more successfully administer HIRSP. I have attached a copy of our legislative agenda. This document was reviewed and endorsed by the Board, with the agreement that the Board will have the opportunity to review the statutory language developed to implement the legislative agenda. This legislative agenda serves as the basis for the report required by s.
149.15(2m). On June 7, 1999, the Joint Committee on Finance approved all aspects of our legislative agenda which were incorporated into the budget bill.
You may also be aware of the recent audit of HIRSP conducted by the Legislative Audit Bureau (LAB) at the request of the Department. The LAB, in its audit report, points to many of the difficulties the Department faces as a result of the statutory language created by Act 27. The LAB offered a number of recommendation, which are consistent with our legislative agenda.
Enclosed you will find the following documents which comprise the Board's report on HIRSP:
* HIRSP Legislative Agenda;
* Legislative Fiscal Bureau Paper, with the approved amendment;
* Summary of audit report of the LAB; and
* The Department's response to the LAB audit.
On behalf of the HIRSP Board, I appreciate the support of the Governor and the legislature to make continued improvements in HIRSP. Please contact me if I may provide additional information.
Sincerely,
Joe Leean
Secretary
Referred to committee on Health.
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Representative Hoven moved that the Assembly stand adjourned until 9:30 A.M. on Tuesday, June 29.
The question was: Shall the Assembly stand adjourned?
Motion carried.
The Assembly stood adjourned.
10:01 A.M.
