Sincerely,
James E. Doyle
Attorney General
Referred to committee on Criminal Justice and Corrections.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Health and Family Services
Madison
July 1, 1998
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
As required by s.
252.04(11), Wis. Stats., enclosed is the Annual Statewide Immunization Program Report. Please distribute this report to the appropriate standing committee.
Sincerely,
Joe Leean
Secretary, DHFS
Referred to committee on Health.
__________________
Agency Reports
DATE: June 6, 1997
TO: Charles R. Sanders
Assembly Chief Clerk
FROM: Kathryn A. Moore
State Employment Options
Department of Employment Relations
Ann Smith
Equal Opportunity Officer
Division of Economic Support
Department of Workforce Development
RE: Draft Mentoring Guidelines
In our efforts to assist state agencies employ and retain W-2 and Food Stamp participants with dependent children, we have developed the attached W-2 mentoring guidelines to assist in this effort. The guidelines provide two sample mentor programs and information on resources, communication skills and helping the employe or community service job trainee become comfortable in the new job or work experience site.
The Guidelines are in draft form and we would like you to review and comment on them before finalization. Please forward comments to Kathryn A. Moore by June 26, 1998.
Thank you for your assistance.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
Madison
June 24, 1998
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 May, 1998.
On May 19, 1998 the Wisconsin Petroleum Inspection Fund balance was -$2.06 million. This shortfall continued until May 21, 1998 when the balance reached $6.43 million. This shortfall was due to the timing of revenues.
On May 7, 1998 the Wisconsin Health Education Loan Repayment Fund balance was -$13 thousand. This shortfall continued until May 14, 1998 when the balance reached $11 thousand. This shortfall was due to the timing of revenues.
On May 29, 1998 the Wisconsin Health Education Loan Repayment Fund balance was -$5 thousand. This shortfall continued into the month of June 1998. This shortfall was due to the timing of revenues.
The Wisconsin Petroleum Inspection and Health Education Loan Repayment 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.
Sincerely,
Mark D. Bugher
Secretary, DOA
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
July 1, 1998
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed an evaluation of the Department of Natural Resources' expenditures that support Wisconsin's fish and wildlife programs. In fiscal year (FY) 1996-97, the Department spent $81.2 million on fish and wildlife activities. The majority of expenditures, 78.9 percent, were made from the Fish and Wildlife Account, which is primarily funded by fishing and hunting user fees. Although Wisconsin is not unique in its use of user fees to fund fish and wildlife programs, it depends on these fees to a larger extent than most other states.
Because the Department uses funds from the Fish and Wildlife Account for many activities, hunters and anglers have been concerned about whether the fees they pay are used exclusively for hunting and fishing activities, or whether they are used for more broad-based environmental programs. The Department's accounting systems do not allow revenues from specific licenses, such as deer hunting licenses, to be linked directly with particular expenditures. Nevertheless, we could determine that of the $50.4 million in user fees spent in FY 1996-97, 39.7 percent primarily benefited hunters and anglers; 35.3 percent benefited multiple users, who included but were not limited to hunters and anglers; 23.0 percent was used to finance a portion of the Department's overhead costs; and 2.0 percent was spent on activities that did not directly support hunting and fishing opportunities. In addition to expenditures supported by user fees, the Department spent $11.3 million from sources other than user fees on activities that primarily benefited hunters and anglers, and $18.7 million from other sources on activities that benefited multiple users.
The Department has substantial flexibility in how it spends fish and wildlife funds. This flexibility has led some to question the Department's accountability to the Legislature and hunters and anglers, whose fees fund most program costs. We have included recommendations to improve the Department's reporting methods through the development of appropriate performance measures and the reporting of expenditures in the context of progress toward meeting performance goals.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by staff of the Department of Natural Resources. A response from the Department is Appendix VII.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
July 6, 1998
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
As requested by the Public Service Commission (PSC), we have completed a financial audit of the Universal Service Fund, which was established under
1993 Wisconsin Act 496 to ensure that all state residents receive essential telecommunication services and have access to advanced telecommunication capabilities, such as the Internet. Our audit report contains our unqualified opinion on the Fund's financial statements and related notes for the calendar years ending December 31, 1997 and December 31, 1996.
During the course of our audit, we found that PSC has not fully developed all of the programs it established to enhance telecommunication capabilities around the state. Consequently, the Fund's 1997 expenditures were significantly less than its $8 million budget for programs and administration, and its balance increased by $1.91 million to reach $6.27 million at the end of its second year of operation. To reduce this balance, PSC temporarily suspended revenue assessments against telecommunication providers effective January 1998.
The Legislature also intends to fund the Educational Telecommunications Access Program, which is one of five programs related to the Technology for Educational Achievement (TEACH) initiative established in
1997 Wisconsin Act 27, from the Universal Service Fund. The program is intended to provide eligible school districts, technical college districts, private colleges, and private library boards with enhanced telecommunication services such as direct access to the Internet and two-way interactive video, which allows participants to view and respond to instructional presentations made from off-site locations. The Legislature appropriated $12.32 million from the Universal Service Fund to support this program during the 1997-99 biennium.
As of May 31, 1998, the Universal Service Fund had not incurred any expenditures under the Educational Telecommunications Access Program. However, because the entire $12.32 million is available to the TEACH Board for expenditure at any time during the 1997-99 biennium, PSC will need to re-institute assessments against telecommunication providers. The Joint Committee on Finance may wish to ensure that the fees assessed against the telecommunication providers are sufficient and timely to fund all Universal Service Fund expenditures when it receives a report concerning certain financial activities, which the Legislature required from PSC and the TEACH Board under non-statutory provisions in
1997 Wisconsin Act 27. That report is due in August 1998.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by the staff at PSC and at the Fund's administrator, Williams, Young and Associates, LLC, during the audit. A response from Public Service Commission is the appendix.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
