To committee on Judiciary and Consumer Affairs.
Senate Bill 134
Relating to: the capital gains income tax exclusion.
By
Senators
Farrow, Welch, Schultz, Darling, Huelsman, Lazich, Ellis, Zien and Roessler; cosponsored by Representatives Jensen, Stone, Handrick, Klusman, Underheim, Ziegelbauer, Musser, Hahn, Kelso, Ladwig, Albers, Nass, Hutchison, Seratti, Owens, Suder, Gunderson, Johnsrud, Plale, Pettis, Townsend, Jeskewitz and Montgomery.
To joint survey committee on Tax Exemptions.
Senate Bill 135
Relating to: prohibiting the department of transportation from providing information compiled and maintained by the department that contains the personal identifiers of 10 or more people.
By
Senators
Erpenbach, Clausing, Drzewiecki, Panzer, Wirch, Darling, Welch, Lazich, Roessler and Schultz; cosponsored by Representatives Foti, Hasenohrl, Sinicki, Klusman, Bock, Wasserman, Hahn, Rhoades, Ziegelbauer, Black, Huebsch, Young, Sherman, Boyle, Spillner, Petrowski, Berceau, Turner, Porter, M. Lehman, Cullen, Staskunas, Ainsworth, F. Lasee, Plouff, Johnsrud, Kreibich, Gronemus, Plale, Kreuser, Kelso, Handrick, Musser, Olsen, Hutchison, Powers, Montgomery, Reynolds, Gunderson, Stone, Freese and Miller.
To committee on Privacy, Electronic Commerce and Financial Institutions.
Senate Bill 136
Relating to: requiring insurance coverage of certain immunizations for children.
By
Senators
Grobschmidt, Clausing, Moen, Rosenzweig, Burke, Darling, Wirch, Robson, Plache and Risser; cosponsored by Representatives Huebsch, Carpenter, Sinicki, Ryba, Bock, Staskunas, Musser, Gronemus, Hahn, Boyle, Black, Young, Pocan, Miller, Plale and Wasserman.
To committee on Insurance, Tourism, Transportation and Corrections.
Senate Bill 137
Relating to: sentences for felony offenses, parole, eliminating extended supervision and providing penalties.
By
Senator
Risser
; cosponsored by Representatives Boyle, Pocan, Young, Miller, Morris-Tatum, Richards and Coggs.
To committee on Judiciary and Consumer Affairs.
Senate Bill 138
Relating to: the confinement of Wisconsin prisoners in other states and withdrawing Wisconsin from the interstate corrections compact.
By
Senators
Risser, George and Plache; cosponsored by Representatives Boyle, Pocan, Young, Morris-Tatum and Coggs.
To committee on Insurance, Tourism, Transportation and Corrections.
__________________
The committee on Human Services and Aging reports and recommends:
Senate Bill 90
Relating to: limitations on and requirements for use of semiautomatic defibrillators by individuals other than emergency medical technicians and first responders - defibrillation, providing civil immunity for the use and requiring the department of health and family services to review training courses for the use.
Introduction and adoption of Senate amendment 1.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Robson, Moore, Wirch, Roessler and Rosenzweig.
Noes, 0 - None.
S131
Adoption as amended.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Robson, Moore, Wirch, Roessler and Rosenzweig.
Noes, 0 - None.
Judy Robson
Chairperson
The committee on Judiciary and Consumer Affairs reports and recommends:
Assembly Joint Resolution 3
Relating to: 4-year terms of office for district attorneys (2nd consideration).
Concurrence.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
George, Risser, Clausing, Huelsman and Darling.
Noes, 0 - None.
Gary George
Chairperson
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Regulation and Licensing
April 8, 1999
The Honorable, The Senate:
In accordance with WSS 961.36(3), enclosed please find the 1998 Controlled Substances Board Annual Report.
It is hoped that the Senate will find this report useful.
Sincerely,
Patrick D. Braatz
Administrator
Division of Health Professionals and Services Licensing
State of Wisconsin
April 26, 1999
The Honorable, The Senate:
This is to request that my name be withdrawn as a cosponsor of Senate Bill 121.
Sincerely,
Rob Kreibich
State Representative
93rd Assembly District
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
April 26, 1999
The Honorable, The Legislature:
At the request of the Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS), we have performed a financial audit of the Health Insurance Risk-Sharing Plan (HIRSP) for fiscal year (FY) 1997-98. HIRSP provides medical insurance for individuals unable to obtain private coverage. During our audit period,
1997 Wisconsin Act 27 transferred oversight responsibility for HIRSP from the Office of the Commissioner of Insurance to DHFS, modified the plan in response to new federal requirements, and required responsibility for its daily operations to be transferred to the State's fiscal agent for Medicaid. Act 27 also made significant changes to plan funding, including providing $17.9 million in general purpose revenue for the 1997-99 biennium and increasing health care providers' responsibility for HIRSP funding.
DHFS had less than three months to prepare for its new program oversight responsibility, and implementation of funding and other program changes has been more complex than expected. As a result, ensuring that HIRSP is funded in accordance with statutory provisions has been difficult; efforts to implement Medicaid cost-containment and reimbursement practices are resulting in operational and administrative problems; and higher-than-anticipated plan administration costs are being incurred. We qualify our opinion for the FY 1997-98 financial statements because DHFS cannot accurately determine and disclose health care providers' actual contributions to HIRSP.
DHFS is taking steps to address these concerns, including proposing significant changes to HIRSP as part of the 1999-2001 biennial budget. These changes would clarify plan operations and facilitate Medicaid cost-containment efforts. As it considers this proposal or any other proposed changes to HIRSP, the Legislature may also wish to require that DHFS take steps to improve financial management of HIRSP by funding it on the same basis used for financial reporting, monitoring claim liabilities, and improving cash management.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by DHFS staff and the plan administrators. The response from DHFS is the appendix.
Sincerely,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
__________________
Relating to the procedure and practice for fair hearings regarding the food stamp and medicaid programs.
Submitted by Division of Hearings and Appeals.
Report received from Agency, April 22, 1999.
Referred to committee on Human Services and Aging, April 28, 1999
.
Relating to operation of the health insurance risk-sharing plan (HIRSP).
Submitted by Department of Health and Family Services.
Report received from Agency, April 27, 1999.
Referred to committee on Health, Utilities, Veterans and Military Affairs, April 28, 1999
.
Relating to inventory reporting for petroleum marketing facilities.
Submitted by Department of Military Affairs.
Report received from Agency, April 21, 1999.
