Trudy A. Karlson, Ph.D.
Director
Office of Health Care Information
Referred to committee on Health.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
Madison
August 31, 1995
To 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, 1995.
On July 3, 1995 the Patients Compensation Fund balance was -$2.4 million. This shortfall continued until July 11, 1995 when the balance reached +$4.1 million. The shortfall was due to a delayed transfer to the fund.
The Patients Compensation Fund shortfall was not in excess of the $400 million ceiling 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 State Finance will automatically reflect the use of these temporary reallocations of balance authority.
Sincerely,
James R. Klauser
Secretary, DOA
Referred to Joint Committee on Finance.
__________________
A451
State of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Health and Educational Facilities Authority
Brookfield
September 1, 1995
To the Honorable, the Legislature
Pursuant to Chapter 231.35(8) of Wisconsin Statutes, the Wisconsin Health and Educational Facilities Authority submits the following report for distribution under s.
13.172(2):
The Rural Hospital Loan Guarantee Program (RHLGP) is operational. Announcements and information about the program are periodically published in WHEFA newsletters and other healthcare newsletters. The first and only application for the program was received and a guarantee issued during 1994. The Osceola Medical Center secured a $100,000 guarantee amount from the Rural Hospital Loan Guarantee Fund to enhance a $500,000 local bank loan. The annual revenue of Osceola Medical Center for the fiscal year ending December 31, 1994 was $4,099,885. To the best of our knowledge, no default on the guarantee has or is occurring.
The Rural Hospital Loan Guarantee Fund now only has a $100,000 balance for the Osceola Medical Center Guarantee. On August 3, 1995 and pursuant to Section 9125 of the Governor's Budget Bill, the Authority returned to the Department of Administration the unutilized funds of the program.
The Authority will continue to administer the RHLGP for the Osceola Medical Center Guarantee.
Sincerely,
Larry Nines
Executive Director
Referred to committee on Health.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Public Service Commission
Madison
September 7, 1995
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
Enclosed in the fourth annual report of the Public Service Commission to the legislature as provided for in s.
1.11(2)(j), Wis. Stats. It reports on the number of environmental assessments and environmental impact statements prepared by the Commission between July 1, 1994 and June 30, 1995.
If you have any questions on this report, please contact our Environmental Affairs Coordinator, Michael John Jaeger, at (608) 267-2546.
Sincerely,
Cheryl L. Parrino
Chairperson
Referred to committee on Natural Resources.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Transportation
Madison
September 12, 1995
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
The enclosed report has been sent to you pursuant to sec. 1.11 (2)(j), Stats. This statute states:
"Annually, no later than September 15, submit a report to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2), including the number of proposed actions for which the agency conducted an assessment of whether an impact statement was required under par. (c) and the number of impact statements prepared under par. (c)."
This report addresses the activities of the Department of Transportation for Fiscal Year 1995, the period from July 1, 1994 to June 30, 1995.
Sincerely,
Charles H. Thompson
Secretary, DOT
Referred to committee on Natural Resources.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources
Madison
September 12, 1995
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We at the Department of Natural Resources are pleased to provide you with a copy of our annual Wisconsin Environmental Policy Act (WEPA) report. In fulfillment of Section
1.11(2)(j) of the state statutes, this document provides information on the numbers of environmental assessments (EA's) and environment impact statements (EIS's) completed by the Department in the past fiscal year. The report begins with a brief synopsis of WEPA history and application.
Questions about the report can be directed to George Albright, Chief of the Environmental Analysis / Project Management Section, Bureau of Environmental Analysis and Review, phone 6-6437.
Sincerely,
George E. Meyer
Secretary, DNR
State of Wisconsin
Department of Agriuculture, Trade
and Consumer Protection
Madison
September 13, 1995
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
1991 Wisconsin Act 273 created section 1.11(2)(j), Wis. Stats., which requires the submittal of an annual report to the chief clerk of each house of the Legislature by September 15 regarding the preparation of environmental assessments and environmental impact statements.
I am submitting the attached report prepared by the Department of Agriuculture, Trade and Consumer Protection entitled "Annual Report on Environmental Assessments and Environmental Impact Statesments for Fiscal Year 1994-95" to comply with this requirement.
Please contact Buzz Davis of my staff at 224-4593 if there are any questions regarding the report.
Sincerely,
Alan T. Tracy
Secretary, DATCP
Referred to committee on Natural Resources.
__________________
Communications
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
September 13, 1995
The Honorable, The Legislature:
We have completed a review of issues related to the effect of mandates on local school districts, as requested by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. Our efforts focused on developing information that may be of use in completing a future study of the effect of mandates on peer pupil expenditures, including determining the mandates of greatest concern to local officials.
Although discussions about mandates often focus on the 20 standards delineated in s.
121.02, Wis. Stats., school districts are subject to a far larger number of federal and state requirements; state statutes alone delineate at least 280 such requirements. In addition to educational standards, these requirements address such things as safety, finance, and building maintenance.
Based on survey responses of 315 school board presidents and superintendents, it appears the great majority recognize that state mandates stem from the State's overall responsibility for education. However, there is widespread frustration with mandates and general agreement that additional funding and flexibility are needed. Those requirements about which concerns were most frequently expressed were the 20 standards, special education, and limits on district revenue increases.
Despite expressed concerns, we were unable to identify any existing model for efficiently measuring the fiscal effect of mandates, including the extent to which district expenditures are attributable to local initiatives rather than state or federal requirements. In addition, although some local officials offered to assist in the development of information necessary to complete such an analysis, others asserted that the need to develop or provide such information would be viewed as another state mandate.
Rather than develop information about expenditures that have already been incurred, it may be more practical to adopt strategies for measuring the costs of mandates in the future, particularly new mandates. The Legislature has, however, already taken some steps to address concerns about mandates, including increasing district flexibility and eliminating some mandates.
Sincerely,
Dale Cattanach
State Auditor
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources
Madison
August 31, 1995
The Honorable, The Legislature:
I am pleased to send you the report, Cryptosporidium ssp. Oocyst and Giardia ssp. Cyst, Occurrence, Distribution and Levels in Wisconsin Waters. While this is our final and complete report, final published copies for general distribution will not be available for a few weeks. I will be happy to provide you with additional copies if needed.
I greatly appreciate the opportunity to conduct this important study and we hope you find the report informative. If you have any specific questions on the issues discussed in the report, feel free to contact Joe Ball with the Bureau of Water Resources Management at (608) 266-7390.
Sincerely,
