Wisconsin's tradition of sound regulation, combined with strong consumer protections, continued over the past year. Highlights of OCI's accomplishments and innovations are as follows:
•
Implementation of legislation and administrative rules relating to Medicare supplemental and long-term care insurance, and continuing education;
•
Implementation of legislation and development of administrative rules relating to independent review organizations and grievances, privacy and producer licensing;
•
Further improvement and enhancement to information available on the OCI Internet site to include:
•
Financial and market conduct examination reports,
•
Frequently asked questions for health, auto and homeowner's insurance,
•
Annual and quarterly statement packets,
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Premium tax forms;
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Implementation of a workplan to monitor and develop policy on regulation and enforcement of insurance electronic activities;
•
Publication of Guia del Consumidor para Seguros de Vivienda, a Spanish version of the Consumer's Guide to Homeowner's Insurance;
•
Implementation of a study to evaluate the feasibility of having companies file Wisconsin-specific forms electronically over the Internet.
S380
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Announcement of a 25% decrease in annual fees which participating health care providers must pay to the Patient's Compensation Fund.
Sincerely,
Connie L. O'Connell
Commissioner
State of Wisconsin
Department of Revenue
September 17, 2001
The Honorable, The Legislature:
The use-value assessment law, enacted in
1995 Act 27, specified duties of the Farmland Advisory Council and required the Council to report to the Legislature on the usefulness of use-value assessment as a way to preserve farmland and to reduce the conversion of farmland to other uses. At that time, Wisconsin became the 49th state to institute some form of use-value assessment of agricultural land.
Section
73.03(49)(a), Wis. Stats., requires the Farmland Advisory Council to advise the Department of Revenue on the supplement to the
Wisconsin Property Assessment Manual (WPAM) guidelines for assessing agricultural land, and on rules to implement use-value assessment of agricultural land and to reduce urban sprawl. The guidelines for the 2001 assessment year are attached for your reference.
Sincerely,
Richard G. Chandler
Secretary
Department of Revenue
State of Wisconsin
Department of Transportation
September 25, 2001
The Honorable, The Senate:
The enclosed report has been sent to you pursuant to sec. 1.11 (2)(j), Stats. This statute states:
"Annually, no later than September 15, submit a report to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the legislature under s. 13.172(2), including the number of proposed actions for which the agency conduced an assessment of whether an impact statement was required under par. (c) and the number of impact statements prepared under par. (c)."
This report addresses the activities of the Department of Transportation for fiscal year 2000, the period from July 1, 2000 to June 30, 2001.
Sincerely,
Terry Mulcahy, P.E.
Secretary
State of Wisconsin
Ethics Board
September 25, 2001
The Honorable, The Senate:
The following lobbyists have been authorized to act on behalf of the organizations set opposite their names.
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/
Lee, David R P. H. Glatfelter Company
Salinero, Amparo Child Care Resource & Referral Services of Greater Racine & Kenosha Inc
Walsh, Kenneth Wisconsin Troopers Association Inc
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
September 17, 2001
The Honorable, The Senate:
I am pleased to nominate and with the advice and consent of the Senate, do appoint Van Bogaert, Cynthia A.,
of Brooklyn, as a member of the Employee Trust Fund Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2005.
Sincerely,
SCOTT McCALLUM
Governor
Read and referred to committee on Labor and Agriculture.
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
September 17, 2001
The Honorable, The Senate:
I am pleased to nominate and with the advice and consent of the Senate, do appoint Osborne, Patrick J.,
of Madison, as a member of the Great Lakes Protection Fund, to serve for the term ending October 11, 2003.
Sincerely,
SCOTT McCALLUM
Governor
Read and referred to committee on Environmental Resources.
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
September 17, 2001
The Honorable, The Senate:
I am pleased to nominate and with the advice and consent of the Senate, do appoint Schmidt, Craig W.C.,
of Berlin, as a member of the Rural Health Development Council, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2006.
Sincerely,
SCOTT McCALLUM
Governor
Read and referred to committee on Health, Utilities, Veterans and Military Affairs.
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
September 17, 2001
The Honorable, The Senate:
I am pleased to nominate and with the advice and consent of the Senate, do appoint Elman
, William R.,
of Appleton, as a member of the Land and Water Conservation Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2005.
Sincerely,
SCOTT McCALLUM
Governor
Read and referred to committee on Environmental Resources.
State of Wisconsin
Revisor of Statutes Bureau
October 1, 2001
To the Honorable, the Senate: