Pursuant to Section
109.12(2) and
(3) of Wisconsin Statutes I hereby submit the department's calendar year 2000 annual report on the administration and enforcement of Sections
109.07 and
109.075 of Wisconsin Statutes. The report contains three sections. The first section lists all businesses in 2000 that notified the department of planned business closings/mass layoffs, the location of the business, type of industry involved, number of persons affected and date(s) of scheduled dislocations. The second section lists complaints pending before the department's Equal rights Division, at the beginning of 2000. It includes the complaints received during calendar year 2000, alleging violations of Wisconsin's business closing/mass layoff notification law. This section lists the name of the business, location, date the department received the complaint, date the investigation was completed (if any), whether a violation was documented and the current stats and/or outcome of the case.
The third section lists similar information for any complaints received by the department in 2000 and 2001, alleging violations that an employer failed to provide advance notification to affected employees of a cessation of health insurance benefit plans. No complaints were received in 2000 and so far one complaint has been received in 2001. The department is actively investigating this complaint at the time of this report.
On January 1, 2000, 12 business closing cases from prior years remained pending. Two of these cases remained in investigation. The Department completed both of the investigations by March 6, 2000. Both of those determinations were appealed. By May 16, 2000, the department processed both of those appeals as well as two more appeals that were still pending on January 1, 2000. Currently the Department of Justice has eight cases pending litigation to resolve those matters. The remaining four cases were closed with no violations having been found.
In 2000 the Equal Rights Division received 26 complaints alleging violations of the plan closing and mass layoff notification law. In calendar year 1999, the department received 10 complaints alleging violations of the Plant Closing law. The Equal Rights Division found violations in two of the 21 cases on which it completed investigation in 2000. Each of the three violations were referred to the Department of Justice for litigation in court. The department, in cooperation with the Department of Justice settled a fourth case against U.S. Leather, (listed a the Pfister & Vogel/Gebhardt cases), resulting in $763,541.40 in increased wages paid to 510 workers. Five cases that were received in 2000 remain under investigation at this time.
If you have questions regarding this report, please contact the Administrator of the Equal Rights Division, Sheehan Donoghue at 266-0946, or me.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Reinert
Secretary
State of Wisconsin
Ethics Board
March 6, 2001
The Honorable, The Senate:
The following lobbyists have been authorized to act on behalf of the organizations set opposite their names.
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For more detailed information about these lobbyists and organizations and a complete list of organizations and people authorized to lobby the 2001 session of the legislature, visit the Ethics Board's web site at
http://ethics.state.wi.us/
Anderson, Jay G. Strategic Environmental Solutions International Corp.
Beckord, John Forward Janesville Inc
Bonaria, Jeri WAVE Educational Fund
Christianson, Peter C Motion Picture Association of America Inc
Croysdale, Donald American Subcontractors Association of Greater Milwaukee Inc
Dilweg, Sean Wisconsin Education Association Council
Elkin, Vicki Gathering Waters Inc
Essie, Patrick Wisconsin Education Association Council
Hanson, Thomas Wisconsin Bear Hunters Association
Hottenroth, Theresa M Columbia-St. Marys Inc
Irizarry, Jocelyn Strategic Environmental Solutions International Corp.
Leitch, Laura J Columbia-St. Marys Inc
Mitchell, Brian Wisconsin Underground Contractors Association
Mitchell, Brian Old Republic Surety Group
Mueller, H Carl Journal Communications Inc
Nett, Jeffrey Wisconsin Troopers Association, Inc
Plautz, Jolene Upper Midwest Rechargers Association
Russell, Christine Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS)
Ullrich, Dan WAVE Educational Fund
Vaughan, Michael Wisconsin Muck Farmers Association
Westrick, Paul Columbia-St. Marys Inc
Wolff, Sara Orphan Medical
Wood, Robert Wisconsin Physicians Service Insurance Corporation (WPS)
Also available from the Wisconsin Ethics Board are reports identifying the amount and value of time state agencies have spent to affect legislative action and reports of expenditures for lobbying activities filed by organizations that employ lobbyists.
Sincerely,
Roth Judd
Director
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
February 28, 2001
The Honorable, The Senate:
I am pleased to nominate and with the advice and consent of the Senate, do appoint Dube
, Phyllis J.,
of Madison, as Secretary of the Department of Health and Family Services, to serve for the term ending at the pleasure of the Governor.
Sincerely,
SCOTT McCALLUM
Governor
Read and referred to committee on Health, Utilities, Veterans and Military Affairs.
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
February 28, 2001
The Honorable, The Senate:
I am pleased to nominate and with the advice and consent of the Senate, do appoint Farrow
, Margaret A.,
of Pewaukee, as Lieutenant Governor, pursuant to Article XIII, section 10 (2) of the Wisconsin Constitution.
Sincerely,
SCOTT McCALLUM
Governor
Read and referred to committee on Universities, Housing, and Government Operations.
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
February 28, 2001
The Honorable, The Senate:
I am pleased to nominate and with the advice and consent of the Senate, do appoint Harsdorf, James E.,
of Beldenville, as Secretary of the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, to serve for the term ending at the pleasure of the Governor.
Sincerely,
SCOTT McCALLUM
Governor
Read and referred to committee on Labor and Agriculture.
Senator Burke, with unanimous consent, asked all the appointments be taken up en masse.
Baumbach, Jerry,
of Sun Prairie, as a member of the Public Defender Board, to serve for the interim term ending May 1, 2002.
Read.
Berkos
, daniel m.,
of Mauston, as a member of the Public Defender Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2002.
Read.
Harris
, Roberta A.,
of Milwaukee, as a member of the Public Defender Board, to serve for the interim term ending May 1, 2000 and for the full term ending May 1, 2003.
Read.
Hertel
, Harry R.,
of Eau Claire, as a member of the Public Defender Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2003.
Read.
The question was: Confirmation?
The ayes and noes were required and the vote was: ayes, 31; noes, 0; absent or not voting, 2; as follows:
Ayes - Senators Baumgart, Breske, Burke, Chvala, Cowles, Darling, Decker, Ellis, Erpenbach, Farrow, S. Fitzgerald, George, Grobschmidt, Hansen, Harsdorf, Huelsman, Jauch, A. Lasee, Lazich, M. Meyer, Moore, Panzer, Plache, Risser, Robson, Roessler, Rosenzweig, Shibilski, Welch, Wirch and Zien - 31.
Noes - None.
Absent or not voting - Senators Moen and Schultz - 2.
Confirmed.
Relating to utilization reviews.
