The Chief Clerk makes the following entries dated Tuesday, August 30, 2005.
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Read first time and referred:
Senate Bill 310
Relating to: school policies on bullying.
By
Senators
Kedzie, Coggs, Carpenter, A. Lasee, Wirch, Brown, Zien, Roessler and Lassa; cosponsored by Representatives Jeskewitz, Lothian, Kerkman, Turner, Fields, Davis, Lehman, Ott, Townsend, Owens and Pope-Roberts.
To committee on Education.
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Read first time and referred:
Senate Bill 311
Relating to: restrictions on employment of former commissioners and certain staff of the Public Service Commission and providing a penalty.
By
Senators
Lassa, Miller, Carpenter, Coggs and Hansen; cosponsored by Representatives Black, Boyle, Zepnick, Berceau, Cullen, Pocan, Sheridan, Lehman and Molepske.
To committee on Energy, Utilities and Information Technology.
Senate Bill 312
Relating to: expanding relocations from nursing homes under a community integration program to include persons who are diverted from imminent entry into nursing homes.
By
Senators
Roessler, Darling, Robson, Brown, Decker, Miller, Grothman, Harsdorf, Taylor, Breske, Hansen, Risser, Wirch and Leibham; cosponsored by Representatives Hundertmark, Ainsworth, Benedict, Davis, LeMahieu, Hines, Berceau, Grigsby, McCormick, Musser, Nass, Van Roy, Molepske, Krusick, Lehman, Pope-Roberts, Seidel, Sheridan, Shilling and Staskunas.
To committee on Health, Children, Families, Aging and Long Term Care.
Senate Bill 313
Relating to: reimbursement for school medical services under the Medical Assistance program.
By
Senators
Darling, Lazich, A. Lasee, Miller and Risser; cosponsored by Representatives Stone, Musser, Townsend, Petrowski, Black, Lothian, Berceau, Hahn, Van Roy, Vos, Grigsby, Gunderson, Pope-Roberts, Kessler, Towns, Kaufert, Young and Rhoades.
To committee on Health, Children, Families, Aging and Long Term Care.
Senate Bill 314
Relating to: granting military service credit under the Wisconsin Retirement System for service in the Commissioned Corps of the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the Commissioned Corps of the federal Environmental Science Services Administration.
By
Senators
Risser and Erpenbach; cosponsored by Representatives Berceau, Turner and Sheridan.
To joint survey committee on Retirement Systems.
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The committee on Veterans, Homeland Security, Military Affairs, Small Business and Government Reform reports and recommends:
Relating to: changing the definition of industrial development project, and limiting the scope of certain projects, under the Industrial Development Law.
Concurrence.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Brown, Zien, Kanavas, Breske and Wirch.
Noes, 0 - None.
Assembly Bill 177
Relating to: requirements for executive budget bill or bills.
Concurrence.
Ayes, 4 - Senators
Brown, Zien, Kanavas and Wirch.
Noes, 1 - Senator
Breske.
Assembly Bill 378
Relating to: college reenrollment of persons called into active military service.
Concurrence.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Brown, Zien, Kanavas, Breske and Wirch.
Noes, 0 - None.
Senate Bill 146
Relating to: authorizing a county to participate in a municipal revenue sharing agreement.
Passage.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Brown, Zien, Kanavas, Breske and Wirch.
Noes, 0 - None.
Ronald Brown
Chairperson
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State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
August 31, 2005
The Honorable, The Legislature:
We have completed an evaluation of the Hunter Education Program, which is administered by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). Participation in hunter education is required for anyone who wishes to purchase a hunting license and was born on or after January 1, 1973. In 2004, 3,328 volunteer instructors and 47 wardens, some of whom were paid to teach, provided hunter education to 33,476 students, mostly children.
In fiscal year (FY) 2004-05, DNR spent $1.2 million to administer the Hunter Education Program. Approximately one-half of these costs were for the salaries and fringe benefits associated with 9.6 full-time equivalent employees who recruit and train volunteer instructors and students and provide administrative program support. The remainder was primarily for course materials and reimbursement of allowable instructor expenses. We identified no serious concern with the instructor reimbursement process.
Although a decline has been perceived in the number of volunteer instructors and students, we found increases in the number of volunteer instructors who taught at least one course, the number of courses held, and the number of students who successfully completed the program from 2000 to 2004. The number of hours DNR staff spent on hunter education also increased substantially in FY 2004-05, but not because additional wardens taught courses on paid time. Instead, more DNR staff time was spent on its public relations efforts and to reimburse volunteer instructors for allowable expenses.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by DNR and the instructors we contacted during our review.
Sincerely,
JANICE MUELLER
State Auditor
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
August 31, 2005
The Honorable, The Legislature:
This report is transmitted as required by sec. 20.002(11)(f) of the Wisconsin Statutes, (for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under sec. 13.172(3) Stats.), 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 balances during the month of July 2005.
On July 1, 2005, the General Fund cash balance closed at a negative $262.7 million. The fund's negative cash balance continued intermittently through July 31, 2005, when the fund's cash balance closed at a negative $417.1 million. The General Fund cash balance reached its intramonth low of a negative $522.6 million on July 25, 2005. The negative balance was due to the difference in the timing of revenues and expenditures.
On July 6, 2005, the Medical Assistance Trust Fund cash balance closed at a negative $5.1 million. The fund's negative cash balance continued through July 31, 2005, when the fund's cash balance closed at a negative $2.6 million. The Medical Assistance Trust Fund cash balance closed at its intramonth low of a negative $5.3 million on July 7, 2005. The negative balance was due to the difference in the timing of revenues and expenditures.
On July 27, 2005, the Wisconsin Health Education Loan Repayment Fund cash balance closed at its intramonth low of a negative $3 thousand. This negative balance continued until July 28, 2005, when the fund's cash balance closed at a positive $22 thousand. The negative balance was due to the difference in the timing of revenues and expenditures.
The General fund, Medical Assistance Trust Fund, and the Wisconsin Health Education Loan Repayment Fund shortfalls were not in excess of the statutory interfund borrowing limitations 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 joint committee on Finance.
State of Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources
Department of Administration
August 24, 2005
The Honorable, The Legislature:
Attached to this letter is the Environmental Improvement Fund Biennial Finance Plan for the 2005-2007 biennium.
S335
Environmental Improvement fund program legislation (s.
281.59(3), Wis. Stats.) requires the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Administration to submit the final version of the Biennial Finance Plan to the Legislature and to the State Building Commission following enactment of the biennial budget. The purpose of the plan is to provide information on loan, loan subsidy, and bonding levels for program operations in the 2005-2007 biennium.
If you have any questions regarding the Biennial Finance Plan, please contact Robert Ramharter at 266-3915 or Frank Hoadley at 266-2305.
Sincerely,
MICHELE A. YOUNG
Bureau of Community Financial Assistance
