Relating to: creation of a Capitol Council, granting rule-making authority, making appropriations, and providing a penalty.
By
Senators
Taylor, Miller, Carpenter, Wirch and Lassa; cosponsored by Representatives C. Taylor, Sinicki, Barca, Grigsby, Berceau, Molepske Jr, Pasch, Bewley, Pope-Roberts and Clark.
To committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations.
Senate Bill 348
Relating to: eliminating an obsolete reference governing pilot payments to Second Chance Partnership to establish a work-based learning program; changing the name of the Division for Libraries, Technology, and Community Learning, the name of the Reference and Loan Library, and the name of the Division for Learning Support, Equity and Advocacy; participation in a public library system; and the appropriation to the Department of Public Instruction for children-at-risk programs (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Public Instruction).
By
Law Revision Committee.
To committee on Education.
Senate Bill 349
Relating to: the confidentiality of information related to exemptions from the requirement to register livestock premises; membership of county land conservation committees; vehicle scale operators; and changing a reporting requirement for pesticide sales (suggested as remedial legislation by the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection).
By
Law Revision Committee.
To committee on Agriculture, Forestry, and Higher Education.
Senate Bill 350
Relating to: increased penalty for repeated domestic abuse offenses and providing a penalty.
By
Senators
Olsen, S. Coggs, Erpenbach, Lassa, Schultz, Shilling and Wanggaard; cosponsored by Representatives A. Ott, Ballweg, Bies, Billings, Brooks, Doyle, Endsley, Jacque, Marklein, Petrowski, Petryk, Ringhand, Ripp, Sinicki, Spanbauer, Staskunas, Steineke and Wynn.
To committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations.
Senate Bill 351
Relating to: changing the deadline for approval of a certain federal law waiver request affecting the Medical Assistance program.
By
Senators
Vinehout, Taylor, Hansen, Lassa, C. Larson, S. Coggs and Wirch; cosponsored by Representatives Mason, Grigsby, Ringhand, C. Taylor, Molepske Jr, Berceau, Bernard Schaber, Pocan, Bewley, Toles and Turner.
To committee on Health.
Senate Bill 352
Relating to: participation in certain training by unemployment insurance claimants, granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation.
By
Senators
Wanggaard, Galloway, Holperin, Lassa, Moulton and Schultz; cosponsored by Representatives Honadel, Kuglitsch, Petersen, Krug, Sinicki, Jacque, Bernier, Petrowski, Wynn, Knodl, Tauchen, Petryk, Litjens, Klenke, Mursau, Brooks, Steineke, A. Ott, Marklein, Spanbauer, Strachota, Staskunas, Toles, Bies, Zepnick and Endsley.
To committee on Labor, Public Safety, and Urban Affairs.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Senate President
December 27
, 2011
The Honorable, the Senate:
Pursuant to Senate Rule
46 (2)(c), I am writing to inform you that I have directed the following proposal(s) to be withdrawn from committee and rereferred. I have obtained the consent of the appropriate standing committee chairperson and the chairperson of the committee on Senate Organization.
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Senate Bill
274
, relating to
regulating sales of plastic bulk merchandise containers to scrap plastic dealers and providing penalties, withdrawn from committee on Natural Resources and Environment and rereferred to committee on Judiciary, Utilities, Commerce, and Government Operations
.
Sincerely,
MICHAEL G. ELLIS
Senate President
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Senate President
December 22, 2011
The Honorable, the Senate:
Pursuant to Wisconsin Statute 234.165(2)(b), I am writing to refer the report from the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development, Dividends for Wisconsin 2011-12 to the committee on Economic Development, Veterans and Military Affairs.
Sincerely,
MICHAEL G. ELLIS
Senate President
__________________
Pursuant to Senate Rule 17 (5), Representative Pope-Roberts added as a cosponsor of
Senate Bill
343
.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
December 20, 2011
The Honorable, The Legislature:
We have completed a review of the Department of Health Services' (DHS's) Medical Assistance program, as requested by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. Total Medical Assistance expenditures increased from $5.0 billion in fiscal year (FY) 2006-07 to $7.5 billion in FY 2010-11, primarily because the number of recipients increased from 870,201 in January 2007 to 1.2 million in January 2011.
DHS has increasingly relied on vendors to provide administrative support to the program, and vendor payments increased from $66.2 million in FY 2006-07 to $114.8 million in FY 2010-11. DHS has not always adequately assessed costs before contracting with vendors, and its extensive reliance on vendors raises concerns about DHS's ability to provide adequate program oversight. We include recommendations for DHS to improve its contracting and oversight practices.
Most recipients receive services through subprograms, such as BadgerCare Plus, which are often provided through managed care arrangements. It is widely believed that providing services through such arrangements is cost-effective. However, an estimated $3.6 billion, or 51.2 percent of all Medical Assistance expenditures, were incurred on a fee-for-service basis in FY 2009-10. We include a recommendation for DHS to consider enrolling recipients in managed care plans more quickly.
DHS's budgeting and financial management practices have not kept pace with the growth and increasing complexity of the Medical Assistance program, and DHS has not been able to readily produce the type of management information that is desired by legislators and needed for effective management. For example, DHS does not include all Medical Assistance expenditures as part of the program's budget or record them as the program's expenditures. In addition, it neither budgets nor routinely accounts for expenditures on a subprogram basis, which is typically how legislators and others deliberate the program. We include recommendations for DHS to better account for all Medical Assistance expenditures and to budget and track these expenditures by subprogram.
The federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act will impact Medical Assistance funding and participation, but its overall effects are difficult to predict because many provisions of the Act will not become effective until 2014. We include a recommendation for DHS to report to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee by January 2013 when more will be known about the likely effects of the Act.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by DHS, health care providers, and other groups in completing this evaluation. DHS's response follows the appendices.
Sincerely,
joe chrisman
State Auditor
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
December 16, 2011
The Honorable, The Legislature:
We have completed a financial audit of the State of Wisconsin Educational Communications Board (ECB) to meet our audit requirements under s.
13.94, Wis. Stats., and as requested by ECB to fulfill the audit requirements of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The Corporation requires audited financial statements of public broadcasting entities to determine future funding levels. Our audit report contains ECB's financial statements and related notes as of and for the year ended June 30, 2011.
ECB, which is an agency of the State of Wisconsin, operates a television network of 5 digital stations and two radio networks consisting of 14 FM stations and 1 AM station. The financial activity of the Wisconsin Public Broadcasting Foundation, Inc., which was organized by ECB for the exclusive purpose of raising funds for its television and radio networks, is included as part of ECB's financial statements. ECB reported a total of $20.5 million in support and revenue during fiscal year 2010-11, including state support, member contributions, funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and various other grants.
We were able to issue an unqualified independent auditor's report on ECB's financial statements. In our report on internal control and compliance, we note that ECB continues to take steps to improve its financial reporting process and we identify additional areas for it to consider as part of that process.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by ECB staff during the audit.
Sincerely,
joe chrisman
State Auditor
__________________
Wisconsin Technical College System
December 16, 2011
The Honorable, The Legislature:
This letter certifies that all sixteen Wisconsin Technical Colleges have provided sexual assault and harassment orientation, materials and information to students as required on state statute 38.12(11)(c) for the 2010-2011 school year.
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Individual college letters assuring compliance are on file at the WTCS office. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Norman Kenney, Associate Vice President - Management Services, at 266-1766.
Sincerely,
daniel clancy
President
__________________
Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
December 22, 2011
The Honorable, The Legislature:
Pursuant to Ch. 238.07, Wis. Stats., the Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation is required to submit an annual plan to the Wisconsin Legislature by January 1, 2012.
Special Session Act 7 created the new Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation (WEDC), a public-private corporation to replace the state Department of Commerce. The primary purpose of this initiative was the creation of an entity which will be devoted exclusively to economic development activities in Wisconsin. The new WEDC is authorized to develop and implement economic programs to provide business support, expertise and financial assistance to companies that invest and create jobs in Wisconsin, and to support new business start-up and business expansion.
This report includes a summary of WEDC's Operations Plan which was approved by the WEDC Board of Directors on October 11, 2011. To read the Operations Plan in its entirety, go to: WEDC.org/operations-plan.
Sincerely,
paul jadin
Secretary
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Revenue
December 19, 2011
The Honorable, The Legislature:
