The following rules have been published:
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Referral of Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
Madison
February 28, 2003
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
This report is transmitted as required by s.
20.002(11)(f), Wisconsin Statutes, (for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under s.
13.172(3), Wisconsin Statutes), and confirms that the Department of Administration has found it necessary to exercise the "temporary reallocation of balances" authority provided by this section in order to meet payment responsibilities and cover resulting negative cash balances during the month of January 2003.
On January 2, 2003, the Wisconsin Health Education Loan Repayment Fund cash balance closed at a negative $2 thousand. The negative balance continued through January 31, 2003, when the fund cash balance closed at a negative $5 thousand. The negative balance was due to the difference in the timing of revenues and expenditures. This fund's cash balance periodically falls negative due to the fact revenues are drawn only after expenditures are realized.
On January 23, 2003, the Tobacco Control Fund cash balance closed at a negative $21 thousand. The negative balance continued through January 31, 2003, when the fund cash balance closed at a negative $250 thousand. The negative balance was due to the delay of a statutory funding transfer, which has since been corrected.
On January 31, 2003, the University Trust - Principal Fund cash balance closed at a negative $181 thousand. The negative balance was due to the miscoding of a transaction, which has since been corrected.
The Wisconsin Health Education Loan Repayment Fund, Tobacco Control Fund, and the University Trust - Principal Fund shortfalls were not in excess of the statutory interfund borrowing limitation and did not exceed the balances of the funds available for interfund borrowing.
The distribution of interest earnings to investment pool participants is based on the average daily balance in the pool and each fund's share. Therefore, the monthly calculation by the State Controller's Office will automatically reflect the use of these temporary reallocations of balance authority, and as a result, the funds requiring the use of the authority will effectively bear the interest cost.
Sincerely,
Marc J. Marotta
Secretary
Referred to committee on Ways and Means.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Workforce Development
Madison
February 28, 2003
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
Pursuant to Section
109.12(2) and
(3). Wis. Stats., I hereby submit the Department of Workforce Development's (DWD) 2002 annual report on the administration and enforcement of §
109.07 and
109.075, Wis. Stats. The report contains three sections. The first section lists all employers in 2002 that notified DWD of business closings and mass layoffs planned in Wisconsin. The second section of the report lists employers against whom DWD has received business closing or mass layoff notification complaints and the current status or outcome of those complaints. The third section of the report lists employers against whom DWD has received healthcare cessation notification complaints, DWD's actions and the current status or outcome of those complaints.
If you have any questions regarding the information contained in this report, please contact me.
Sincerely,
Roberta Gassman
Secretary
Referred to committee on Labor.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction
Madison
March 1, 2003
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
Wisconsin school laws include the following provision in §
115.45 (6)(b) and
(c), Wis. Stats.:
SECTION 115.45 Grants for preschool to grade 5 programs.
(6) The state superintendent shall:
(b) By March 1, 1986, and annually thereafter, submit to the joint committee on finance and the chief clerk of each house of the legislature, for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under s.
13.172 (3), a budget report detailing the grants he or she intends to award under this section in the next fiscal year. The report shall provide summary data on the results of the annual testing required under sub. (4) (b) and include a description of the guidelines used to determine the individual schools and private service providers that will receive funds under this section and the types of expenditures eligible for such funds.
(c) Annually submit to the legislature under s.
13.172 (2) a report on the academic progress made by pupils enrolled in preschool to grade 5 programs under this section.
All Preschool-to-Grade-5 (P-5) evaluation reports for 2001-2002 are contained herein as well as a report on the academic progress for all schools funded by the P-5 program. If you have any questions, please contact my office or Sandra Dercole in the DPI Office of Urban Education (414-227-4942).
Sincerely,
Elizabeth Burmaster
State Superintendent
Referred to committee on Education.
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Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
February 27, 2003
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed an evaluation of the University of Wisconsin-Madison Center for Tobacco Research and Intervention and the Medical College of Wisconsin, as required by
1999 Wisconsin Act 9, and of the Wisconsin Tobacco Control Board. The Board was created in fiscal year (FY) 1999-2000 and is responsible for administering a statewide tobacco control program. It does so by providing grants to fund anti-tobacco projects, including its own and those operated by the Center and the Medical College.
There has been considerable debate about what the appropriate funding level for the Board should be. From FY 1999-2000 through FY 2002-03, the Legislature appropriated $45.0 million. When considering the 2003-05 biennial budget, we suggest the Legislature take into account all ongoing tobacco control activities in Wisconsin, including those not controlled by the Board, and decide how best to coordinate the State's tobacco control activities.
In recent years, Wisconsin has experienced decreases in smoking rates, which some believe have been influenced by the Board's tobacco control efforts. Nevertheless, Wisconsin's rates remain above national averages. Furthermore, when outcomes are measured against individual program goals, the results of the projects have been mixed. Two of the Center's five projects report that they achieved all of their stated objectives, but three others achieved only some. Similarly, 10 of the Medical College's 19 research projects funded in FY 2000-01 were at least partially successful, but 8 were not, and data were incomplete for the remaining project.
In August 2002, the Board approved $15.9 million in anti-tobacco grants for calendar year 2003. We include a recommendation that the Board restrict future funding to projects that have achieved their goals as determined by objective analyses.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by the Board, the Center, and the Medical College. Their responses follow Appendix 1.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
