Friday, August 11, 2000
Ninety-Fourth Regular Session
The Chief Clerk makes the following entries under the above date:
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Relating to nonmunicipal electric utility public benefits fees.
Submitted by Department of Administration.
Report received from Agency, August 7, 2000.
To committee on Utilities.
Referred on August 11, 2000
.
Relating to energy conservation and efficiency and renewable resource programs.
Submitted by Department of Administration.
Report received from Agency, August 7, 2000.
To committee on Utilities.
Referred on August 11, 2000
.
Relating to low income assistance benefits.
Submitted by Department of Administration.
Report received from Agency, August 7, 2000.
To committee on Utilities.
Referred on August 11, 2000
.
Relating to the uniform standards of professional appraisal practice.
Submitted by Department of Regulation and Licensing.
Report received from Agency, August 3, 2000.
To committee on Consumer Affairs
.
Referred on August 11, 2000
.
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Referral of Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Department of Health and Family Services
Madison
August 7, 2000
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
Section
46.972(4), Wis. Stats., requires the Department of Health and Family Services to submit to the chief clerk of each house of the Legislature a report on June 30 annually on the allocation and expenditure of funds for services for homeless individuals. Attached is the Department's annual report.
Departmental staff is available if you have any questions or need additional information.
Sincerely,
Joe Leean
Secretary
Referred to committee on Health.
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Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Department of Employment Relations
Madison
August 2000
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Pursuant to s.
230.04(9)(em), Wis. Stats., I am pleased to submit the Veterans Employment Report for 1999. The report summarizes veteran new hires and on-board statistics for the time period and includes information for each state agency and each institution of the UW System.
Veterans comprise an important segment of the Wisconsin workforce in both the private and public sectors. State government - and any other employer - can benefit greatly by recruiting and retaining our nation's trained and motivated veterans.
Sincerely,
Peter D. Fox
Secretary
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
August 9, 2000
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
A989
We have completed a best practices review of local government operations, as directed by s.
13.94(8), Wis. Stats. Efforts to reduce truancy in Wisconsin public schools are the topic of this review.
On average, approximately 15,600 students are truant from school on any given day, and nearly one-third of absences in the 1998-99 academic year were caused by truancy. To address the problem of truancy, state statutes were significantly modified in
1997 Wisconsin Act 239, which expanded the definition of habitual truancy and provided municipal governments with additional options for addressing both simple and habitual truancy. Many of the local governments with which we spoke have moved to strengthen their truancy ordinances as a result, and most local government officials, school administrators, and law enforcement officials believe the changes assist municipalities in addressing truant behavior.
We found, however, that the statutory changes intended to reduce truancy have not yet resulted in lowered truancy rates. The proportion of students classified as habitual truants increased significantly during 1998-99, the first year for which the expanded definition of habitual truancy applied: 74,569 students, or 8.7 percent of the total enrollment in Wisconsin public schools, were classified as habitual truants in that year. In the previous year, 59,304 public school students, or 6.9 percent of the total enrollment, had been classified as habitual truants. It is important to note that changes to truancy laws occurred relatively recently, and improvement in truancy rates may occur in the future as municipalities take advantage of the increased number of options provided by the changes.
Schools, municipal courts, law enforcement agencies, and community organizations play a role in addressing truant behavior. Our review describes several best practices used by these organizations.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by the Department of Public Instruction, local government officials, school administrators, truancy abatement center staff, and law enforcement agencies.
