By
Senators
Grobschmidt, Darling, Erpenbach, S. Fitzgerald, Baumgart, Welch, Plache, Burke, Rosenzweig, Roessler, Moen, Risser, Harsdorf, Schultz, M. Meyer, Zien, Huelsman and Hansen; cosponsored by Representatives Kreibich, Plale, Musser, La Fave, Black, Urban, Richards, Ladwig, Huebsch, Rhoades, M. Lehman, Hahn, Boyle, J. Lehman, Townsend, Wade, Hundertmark, Lassa, Shilling, Gronemus, Freese, Krawczyk, Olsen, Petrowski, Jensen, Sykora, Albers, McCormick, Kreuser, Coggs, Suder, Gunderson, Ryba, Miller, Plouff, Young, Vrakas, D. Meyer, Grothman, Jeskewitz, Wasserman, Seratti, Montgomery, Balow, Powers, Hoven, Berceau, Huber, Nass, Pettis, Steinbrink, Skindrud, Owens, Leibham, Ott, Schneider, Walker and Turner.
To committee on Universities, Housing, and Government Operations.
Senate Bill 132
Relating to: changing the name of the state historical society.
By
Senators
Risser and Rosenzweig; cosponsored by Representatives Freese and Berceau.
To committee on Universities, Housing, and Government Operations.
Senate Bill 133
Relating to: establishing a publicly financed health care system for residents of this state, creating the department of health planning and finance, health policy board, regional health councils, granting rule-making authority, and making appropriations.
By
Senators
Chvala, Decker, Burke and Risser; cosponsored by Representatives Bock, Pocan, Carpenter, Young, Turner, Ryba, Miller, Morris-Tatum, Coggs, Boyle and Berceau.
To committee on Health, Utilities, Veterans and Military Affairs.
Relating to: death benefits provided under the Wisconsin retirement system and making an appropriation.
By
Senators
Chvala, Erpenbach and Rosenzweig; cosponsored by Representatives Musser, Ryba, Staskunas, Boyle and Berceau.
To joint survey committee on Retirement Systems.
Senate Bill 135
Relating to: disclosure of credit reports and providing a penalty.
By
Senators
Erpenbach, Burke, Risser, George, Darling and Hansen; cosponsored by Representatives Gunderson, Ziegelbauer, Schneider, Young, Pocan, Bock, Musser, Wood, Turner, Miller, Balow, Cullen, J. Lehman, Berceau and Morris-Tatum.
To committee on Privacy, Electronic Commerce and Financial Institutions.
Senate Bill 136
Relating to: using accumulated unused sick leave credits and certain health insurance premium credits for the purchase of long-term care insurance for participants under the Wisconsin retirement system.
By
Senators
Risser, Grobschmidt, Roessler, Moen, Schultz and Rosenzweig; cosponsored by Representatives Duff, Bock, Black, Turner, Musser, Ryba, J. Lehman, Seratti, Miller, Pettis, Plale, Skindrud and Berceau.
To committee on Universities, Housing, and Government Operations.
Senate Bill 137
Relating to: public financing of elections for certain state offices, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, granting rule-making authority, providing a penalty, and making appropriations.
By
Senator
Risser
; cosponsored by Representatives Pocan, Berceau, Black, Boyle, Carpenter, Coggs, La Fave, Miller, Ryba, Sinicki and Turner.
To committee on Judiciary, Consumer Affairs, and Campaign Finance Reform.
Senate Bill 138
Relating to: the publication of notices relating to the creation of tax incremental financing districts.
By
Senator
Risser
; cosponsored by Representative Berceau
.
To committee on Universities, Housing, and Government Operations.
Senate Bill 139
Relating to: priorities, completion guidelines, and notices required for health care professional disciplinary cases; identification of health care professionals in possible need of investigation; additional public members for the medical examining board; authority of the medical examining board to limit credentials and impose forfeitures; reporting requirements for reports submitted to the national practitioner data bank; inclusion of health care professionals who practice alternative forms of health care on panels of health care experts established by the department of regulation and licensing; indication of therapeutic-related deaths on certificates of death; and providing a penalty.
By
Joint Legislative Council.
To committee on Health, Utilities, Veterans and Military Affairs.
Senate Bill 140
Relating to: making available to the public information on the education, practice and disciplinary history of physicians, requiring rules of the department of health and family services to include procedures affording health care providers opportunity to correct health care information, and granting rule-making authority.
By
Joint Legislative Council.
To committee on Health, Utilities, Veterans and Military Affairs.
Senate Bill 141
Relating to: inducing or causing self-mutilation by a child and providing a penalty.
By
Senators
Baumgart, Burke, Roessler and Huelsman; cosponsored by Representatives Kestell, Vrakas, Gunderson, Ryba, Powers, Jeskewitz, Leibham and Sykora.
To committee on Judiciary, Consumer Affairs, and Campaign Finance Reform.
Senate Bill 142
Relating to: payment of the jail costs of a jailed debtor.
By
Senators
Erpenbach, Huelsman and Schultz; cosponsored by Representatives Powers, Jeskewitz, La Fave, Ainsworth, M. Lehman, Hundertmark, Albers, Olsen, Nass, Musser, D. Meyer, Townsend, Ward and Petrowski.
To committee on Economic Development and Corrections.
Senate Bill 143
Relating to: waiving the fee for deposit of a will.
By
Senators
Huelsman, Risser, Roessler, George and Rosenzweig; cosponsored by Representatives Krawczyk, Staskunas, Hahn, Albers, Stone, Owens and Berceau.
To committee on Judiciary, Consumer Affairs, and Campaign Finance Reform.
Senate Bill 144
Relating to: state purchase of a Justice Center building and granting bonding authority.
By
Senators
Risser, Roessler and M. Meyer; cosponsored by Representatives Hoven, Vrakas and Plale, by request of Governor Scott McCallum
.
To committee on Universities, Housing, and Government Operations.
__________________
Committee on Senate Organization
April 4, 2001
A request by Senator Meyer for an Opinion of the Attorney General relating to an interpretation of Section
13.04(4) of the Statutes as it relates to the level of compensation for Senator Farrow if she were to be confirmed as Lieutenant Governor.
Ayes (5): Senators Chvala, Risser, Moen, Panzer and Farrow
Noes (0): None
Senator Chuck Chvala
Chairperson
April 10, 2001
Dear Attorney General Doyle:
S150
The Senate Committee on Organization has unanimously voted to request a formal Opinion of the Attorney General to clarify ss 13.04(4) as it relates to the compensation to be paid to the Lieutenant Governor upon confirmation of the nominee by both houses of the Legislature.
The Committee on Organization received a request by the Senate Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Universities, Housing & Government Operations, Senator Mark Meyer to seek an Opinion of the Attorney General on this subject. In his request, Senator Meyer referred to a response he received from the Legislative Council Staff on this issue. A copy of the request letter is attached for your information.
The Senate will return to session on May 1, 2001. A response by this date would be greatly appreciated.
Sincerely,
Chuck chvala, Chair
Senate Committee on Organization
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
April 10, 2001
The Honorable, The Legislature:
We have completed our evaluation of the Wisconsin Works program (W-2), as required by s.
49.141(2g)(a), Wis. Stats. This is the sixth and final report issued under that requirement.
W-2 is a time-limited employment assistance program administered by the Department of Workforce Development. It replaced cash entitlements provided to low-income families under Aid to Families with Dependent Children in September 1997. Through September 2000, W-2 program costs totaled $710.4 million, of which 93.6 percent was spent by local public and private contractors for program services, benefits, and administration.
Implementation of W-2 has resulted in large declines in the number of individuals receiving cash assistance. From January 1998 through September 2000, cash assistance caseloads declined more than 50 percent, from 14,204 to 6,771 cases. However, the program's success in achieving economic self-sufficiency for participants has been mixed. Among 2,129 participants who left W-2 during the first three months of 1998, 1,377 filed 1999 Wisconsin tax returns. Of those who filed, 643, or 46.7 percent, had incomes above the federal poverty level when earned income credits were included. In addition, we found that 26.1 percent of those who left the program from January through March of 1998 had returned for cash assistance or other services by July 2000.
Before the start of a new contract period, which is scheduled to begin January 2002, the Department and the Legislature will need to consider challenges posed by returning participants and those with multiple or severe barriers to employment; how to best address the needs of those who are nearing time limits on program participation; and how to assist individuals who have entered the workforce in maintaining their employment, advancing, and raising themselves and their families out of poverty.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by the Department of Workforce Development and staff of the many W-2 agencies we contacted during the course of our review. The Department's response is Appendix 15.
Sincerely,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
State of Wisconsin
Ethics Board
April 10, 2001
The Honorable, The Senate:
The following lobbyists have been authorized to act on behalf of the organizations set opposite their names.
