By
Senators
Huelsman, Risser, Darling, Grobschmidt, Rosenzweig, Weeden and Wineke; cosponsored by Representatives R. Young, Otte, Riley, Hahn, Bock, Green, Grothman, Hanson, Harsdorf, Kedzie, La Fave, F. Lasee, J. Lehman, Notestein, Plouff, Powers, Staskunas, Ziegelbauer and Baldwin.
To committee on Judiciary, Campaign Finance Reform and Consumer Affairs.
Senate Bill 471
Relating to: protection against retaliation for reporting to any state official abuse or neglect in certain facilities, providing a cause of action and providing a penalty.
By
Senators
Roessler, Moen, Breske, Clausing, Drzewiecki, A. Lasee, Moore, Plache, Rosenzweig and Wirch; cosponsored by Representatives Baldwin, Underheim, Krusick, Baumgart, Bock, Boyle, Carpenter, Dobyns, Duff, Goetsch, Gunderson, Hahn, Hanson, Hasenohrl, Hebl, Huber, Kelso, Ladwig, Lazich, Lorge, Morris-Tatum, Murat, Notestein, Olsen, Ourada, Plale, Plouff, R. Potter, Powers, Riley, Robson, Ryba, Seratti, Springer, Sykora, Turner, Wasserman, L. Young and R. Young.
To committee on Economic Development, Housing and Government Operations.
Senate Bill 472
Relating to: the distribution of an income tax refund to formerly married persons.
By
Senators
Roessler, Huelsman and Darling; cosponsored by Representatives Harsdorf, Olsen, Urban, Dobyns, Huber, Gronemus, Goetsch, Owens, Notestein, Musser, Albers, Brandemuehl, F. Lasee, Bock, Ladwig, Plouff, Seratti, Ainsworth, Powers, Meyer and Murat.
To committee on Economic Development, Housing and Government Operations.
Senate Bill 473
Relating to: a periodic study of the public schools.
By
Senator
Jauch
.
To committee on Education.
Relating to: solvency contribution rates applicable to certain employers for unemployment insurance purposes in 1998, unemployment insurance information technology systems and making an appropriation.
By
Senators
Plache and Zien; cosponsored by Representatives Vrakas and Vander Loop.
To committee on Labor, Transportation and Financial Institutions.
Senate Bill 475
Relating to: requiring cost-benefit analyses in the rule-promulgation process.
By
Senators
Welch, Farrow, Schultz, A. Lasee and Drzewiecki; cosponsored by Representatives Grothman, Musser, Porter, Dobyns, Ainsworth, Zukowski, Albers, Goetsch, Kreuser, Owens, Springer, Walker, F. Lasee and Underheim.
To committee on Economic Development, Housing and Government Operations.
Senate Bill 476
Relating to: requirements concerning participation by labor organizations in public construction contracts and the expenditure of public grant moneys.
By
Senator
Welch
; cosponsored by Representatives Owens, Grothman, Seratti, Ladwig, Ainsworth, F. Lasee, Nass and Schafer.
To committee on Labor, Transportation and Financial Institutions.
Senate Bill 477
Relating to: training certificates for barbers, cosmetologists, barbering or cosmetology instructors, aestheticians, electrologists and manicurists and providing a penalty.
By
Senator
Moore
; cosponsored by Representatives L. Young, Riley, Williams and Turner.
To committee on Health, Human Services, Aging, Corrections, Veterans and Military Affairs.
Senate Bill 478
Relating to: grants to political subdivisions for landfill cleanups, a municipal landfill cleanup fee, granting bonding authority, granting rule-making authority and making appropriations.
By
Senators
Clausing, Roessler, Wirch and Burke; cosponsored by Representatives Harsdorf, Black, Hoven, Baumgart, Sykora, Hasenohrl, Vrakas, Notestein, Musser, Robson and Otte.
To committee on Agriculture and Environmental Resources.
Senate Bill 479
Relating to: The tuition revenue expenditure authority of the board of regents of the University of Wisconsin System and making an appropriation.
By
Senator
Jauch
; cosponsored by Representatives Plouff, Bock, Turner, F. Lasee, Meyer, Notestein, Nass, Hasenohrl and Baldwin.
To committee on Education.
__________________
The committee on Education reports and recommends:
Senate Bill 417
Relating to: creating a Family, Communities and Schools Institute at the University of Wisconsin-Madison and making an appropriation.
Passage.
Ayes, 6 - Senators
C. Potter, Jauch, Shibilski, Grobschmidt, Darling and Roessler.
Noes, 2 - Senators
Huelsman and Fitzgerald.
Calvin Potter
Chairperson
The committee on Utility Regulation reports and recommends:
Assembly Bill 474
Relating to: contracts between gas utilities and individual customers.
Concurrence.
Ayes, 6 - Senators
Moen, Clausing, Shibilski, Rude, Welch and Farrow.
Noes, 0 - None.
Rodney Moen
Chairperson
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Southeast Wisconsin Professional Baseball Park District
February 19, 1998
The Honorable, The Senate:
Enclosed please find the Miller Park monthly progress report for the month of January 1998 for your review and consideration.
Miller Park continues to move forward toward our "four for four" objectives of building a quality facility, on time, within budget and with meaningful community participation.
•With over 70% of our design completed, we are confident that Miller Park will meet or exceed our expectations, and will ensure the success of Major League Baseball in Wisconsin for generations to come.
•With approximately 30% of our construction efforts completed, we remain on schedule for playing ball in Miller Park on opening day in the year 2000.
•Miller Park continues to remain on budget. We have not experienced any rising costs or cost overruns. Our project budget today is exactly the same as the budget we adopted prior to breaking ground in the fall of 1996.
•Minority-owned businesses have received 24.3% and women-owned businesses have received 4.8% of total Miller Park project expenditures to date. We are well on our way toward meeting our goals and objectives of 25% and 5% respectively.
•Through late 1997, 18 of our 22 prime construction contracts are with state of Wisconsin firms. Furthermore, 74 of our 76 first tier construction subcontracts are with state of Wisconsin firms.
All of the above facts indicate the successes we continue to experience in the construction of Miller Park. Please feel free to contact me if you should have any questions or comments regarding the enclosed progress report.
Sincerely,
Michael R. Duckett, P.E.,R.L.S.
Director
Legislative Audit Bureau
February 23, 1998
The Honorable, The Legislature:
We have completed an evaluation of Menominee County as directed by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. Menominee County faces unique financial problems because just 1 percent of its land is subject to local property taxes, while nearly all the rest is held in federal trust for the benefit of the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin.
The county's financial condition is poor; its expenditures have exceeded revenues for five of the last seven years, and it ended 1997 with a deficit of approximately $75,684. Although the county's taxable property is mostly lake property and has therefore increased rapidly in value, the total assessed value of $144 million is lowest among all counties. Tax bills paid by county residents are high in comparison to surrounding towns and towns in other counties with lake property, and services such as road maintenance and fire protection provided to county residents are limited. At the same time, the county's high poverty, unemployment, and crime rates place high demands on the human services programs and law enforcement.
If property taxes are to be held to a reasonable level and residents of Menominee County are to be provided even minimally acceptable services, the State may have to provide financial assistance to Menominee County, at least for a time. During that time, the Legislature will need to pursue federal legislation that will cause the federal government to assume greater responsibility for the burdens associated with federal trust lands.
We also identified a series of needed management improvements, which we discuss in a management letter to the Menominee County Board.
We appreciated the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by officials of Menominee County and the Menominee Indian Tribe of Wisconsin.
Sincerely,
Dale Cattanach
State Auditor
State of Wisconsin
Wisconsin Legislative Council Staff
February 20, 1998
The Honorable, The Senate:
