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When Representative Cloyd Porter unexpectedly resigned his position in May due to a serious illness, I had to quickly appoint one of our members to take his place. Time was of the essence. The Finance Committee was at the height of their work on the State budget. Anyone replacing Rep. Porter would have ann enormous task ahead of them. No doubt many endless nights of study, reading and whatever else necessary to bring them up to date on the committee's work.
As the person who replaced Rep. Porter on the Finance committee, John, you did just that. You met the challenge head on and went on to distinguish yourself as a legislator of intelligence, integrity and commitment to the people of Wisconsin. Your hard work and understanding of the issues have been extremely valuable to our caucus. Therefore, I want to personally thank you for your service as a member of the Finance committee. Please know all your hard work and the many skills you brought to the table during this unusual lengthy budget process is greatly appreciated.
As you know, your appointment to the Joint Committee on Fiance was temporary appointment made with the understanding that once Representative Porter recovered from his operation, he would resume his seat on the committee. Representative Porter has now made a full recovery and is capable of resuming his duties on the Finance committee. Therefore, I am removing you as a member of the Finance committee and will be-reappointing Representative Cloyd Porter. This is effective immediately.
Again, thank you for your outstanding work. Please know your removal from this committee in no way reflects a negative connotation. You have served with great distinction and have earned the respect and admiration of your colleagues.
Sincerely,
Ben Brancel
Assembly Speaker
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September 30, 1997
Representative Barbara Linton
Room 212 North, State Capitol
Madison, WI 53702
Dear Barb:
It is my pleasure as Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly to appoint you as a member of the Midwestern Legislative Conference of the Council of State Government's Committee on Midwest-Canada Relations.
This appointment is effective immediately.
Sincerely,
Ben Brancel
Assembly Speaker
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Referral of Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Department of Health and Family Services
Madison
September 19, 1997
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
In accordance with sec. 1.11(2)(j) Wis. Stats., the Department of Health and Family Services reports that it has not conducted any Environmental Impact Statements during the reporting period of July 1, 1996, through June 30, 1997. During this time period the Department did conduct one Environmental Assessment associated with a facilities project at one of our institutions, but it did not require continuation into a full Environmental Impact Statement process.
An Environmental Assessment was conducted for the following project.
Wisconsin Resource Center. This is a 300-bed expansion for treatment of mentally ill correctional inmates, as authorized by the 1995-97 biennial budget.
Sincerely,
Joe Leean
Secretary, DHFS
Referred to committee on Natural Resources.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Commerce
Madison
September 23, 1997
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
The enclosed report has been sent to you pursuant to sec. 1.11, Stats. This section requires agencies to submit a report to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature, including the number of proposed actions for which the agency conducted an assessment of whether an impact statement was required and the number of impact statements prepared.
This report encompasses the activities of the Department of Commerce for the period from July 1, 1996, to July 1, 1997.
Any questions concerning this report may be directed to Richard Meyer, WEPA Coordinator, at 608-266-3080.
Sincerely,
William J. McCoshen
Secretary, Department of Commerce
Referred to committee on Natural Resources.
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Supreme Court of Wisconsin
Director of State Courts
Madison
October 1, 1997
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
A321
Pursuant to s.
758.19 (5)(i), Wis. Stats., the information reported to the Director of State Courts under s.
758.19 (5)(e), Wis. Stats., by Wisconsin's counties has been compiled and is herein submitted. Under s.
758.19 (5)(e), Wis. Stats., each county is required to submit an annual report to the Director of State Courts which provides information on the actual amount expended in the previous calendar year for court costs relating to the circuit court support and the guardian ad litem payment programs.
Sincerely,
J. Denis Moran
Director of State Courts
Referred to committee on Judiciary.
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State of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics
Madison
September 30, 1997
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
I am pleased to present the enclosed 1996-97 Annual Report of the University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority.
This report is being submitted pursuant to Section
233.04 (1), Wisconsin Statutes, which requires UW Hospitals and Clinics to submit to you annually a report on the patient care, education, research and community service activities and accomplishments of the Authority, along with an audited financial statement. An explanation of the accounting for the transfer of the unencumbered balance in the appropriation account is also included.
We are extremely pleased with the progress we've achieved in our first year as a public authority. I would be happy to furnish additional information or respond to any questions you may have regarding the enclosed reports.
Sincerely,
Gordon M. Derzon
Chief Executive Officer
Referred to committee on Health.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Veterans Affairs
Madison
September 30, 1997
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
In compliance with section 45.35 (3d)(b), Wis. Stats., as created by
1989 Wisconsin Act 36, the Council on Veterans Programs and the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs (WDVA) are jointly submitting the attached general summary report of the activities and membership over the past two years of the Council and the organizations represented on the Council.
Organizations not yet reporting are the American Legion, American Red Cross, Catholic War Veterans, Federation of Culturally Diverse Veterans, National Association of Black Veterans, Polish Legion of American Veterans, Vietnam Veterans Against the War, and Wisconsin Association of Concerned Veterans Organizations.
The information contained in the report was compiled by WDVA staff and the Council Chair from materials submitted by the representative from each organization on the Council.
Sincerely,
Robert A. Cocroft
Deputy Secretary, DVA
Phyllis Perk
Chairman, Council on Veterans Programs
Referred to committee on Veterans and Military Affairs.
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Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
October 2, 1997
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed an evaluation of the Milwaukee County General Assistance-Medical Program, as directed by
1995 Wisconsin Act 27. In 1996, the program provided services to 18,916 indigent persons and spent $34.1 million in local, state, and federal funds. The State will reimburse up to $17.6 million of the county's total program expenditures, which in 1996 accounted for 92.2 percent of statewide General Assistance expenditures.
Beginning in 1996, Milwaukee County began efforts to address the long-standing concern that nearly all health care services provided to the indigent required patients to travel to Wauwatosa, where they were served at either the county hospital or Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, a private, nonprofit provider with which the county has had a long working relationship. In 1996, community-based primary care clinics located in the City of Milwaukee accounted for only $97,235, or 0.3 percent, of total program expenditures. In contrast, Froedtert accounted for $30.5 million, or 89.5 percent, of program expenditures.
In 1997, community-based clinics began to play a much more significant role, which will expand further in 1998, when clinics will be responsible for coordinating the provision of all health care services to the General Assistance-Medical Program participants. However, if the program is to continue to be effective in providing services in the future, officials in Milwaukee County will need to: 1) address the community-based clinics' increased patient loads and administrative responsibilities; 2) monitor how changes in other public assistance programs affect the General Assistance-Medical Program; 3) monitor the effects of programmatic changes on the educational programs of the Medical College of Wisconsin, which staffs Froedtert; and 4) improve program management by developing appropriate policies and procedures and by improving the availability and usefulness of management information.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by the Milwaukee County staff. A response from the County is the Appendix.
Sincerely,
Dale Cattanach
State Auditor
