Representatives McCormick and Turner escorted Patrick E. Fuller to the rostrum.
The oath of office was administered by Speaker Gard.
__________________
Election of Sergeant-at-Arms
Representative Petrowski nominated Richard Skindrud for the position of Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms for the Ninety-Sixth Regular Session of the Legislature.
Representative Gronemus seconded the nomination of Richard Skindrud for the position of Assembly Sergeant-At-Arms for the Ninety-Sixth Regular Session of the Legislature.
Representative Cullen nominated Denise Solie for the position of Assembly Sergeant-At-Arms for the Ninety-Sixth Regular Session of the Legislature.
Representative Hebl seconded the nomination of Denise Solie for the position of Assembly Sergeant-At-Arms for the Ninety-Sixth Regular Session of the Legislature.
There being no further nominations, the Speaker declared nominations closed.
Representative Foti asked unanimous consent that the voting system be used for the election of a Sergeant-At-Arms and that a green vote be recorded as a vote for Richard Skindrud and a red vote be recorded as a vote for Denise Solie. Granted.
The roll was taken.
The result follows:
For Richard Skindrud - Representatives Ainsworth, Albers, Bies, Colon, J. Fitzgerald, Foti, Freese, Friske, Gielow, Gottlieb, Gronemus, Grothman, Gunderson, Gundrum, Hahn, Hines, Huebsch, Hundertmark, Jensen, Jeskewitz, Johnsrud, Kaufert, Kerkman, Kestell, Krawczyk, Kreibich, Krusick, Ladwig, F. Lasee, M. Lehman, LeMahieu, Loeffelholz, Lothian, McCormick, D. Meyer, Montgomery, Musser, Nass, Nischke, Olsen, Ott, Owens, Petrowski, Pettis, Plale, Plouff, Powers, Rhoades, Riley, Schooff, Seratti, Staskunas, Stone, Suder, Towns, Townsend, Travis, Underheim, Van Roy, Vrakas, Vukmir, Ward, Wasserman, Weber, Wieckert, M. Williams, J. Wood, Zepnick, Ziegelbauer and Speaker Gard - 70.
For Denise Solie - Representatives Balow, Berceau, Black, Boyle, Coggs, Cullen, Hebl, Huber, Kreuser, Krug, Lassa, J. Lehman, Miller, Morris, Pocan, Pope-Roberts, Richards, Schneider, Sherman, Shilling, Sinicki, Steinbrink, Turner, Van Akkeren, Vruwink, A. Williams, W. Wood and Young - 28.
Absent or not voting - Representative Hubler - 1.
Richard Skindrud was elected Assembly Sergeant-at-Arms for the Ninety-Sixth Regular Session of the Legislature.
The oath of office was administered by Speaker Gard.
__________________
Sergeant-at-Arms' Announcement
Richard Skindrud announced that he has appointed Anne Tonnon Byers as Assistant Sergeant-at-Arms for the Ninety-Sixth Regular Session of the Legislature.
The oath of office was administered by Speaker Gard.
__________________
Oath of Office
On Friday, January 3, 2003, Circuit Court Judge Edward Brunner from Barron County administered the oath of office to Mary Hubler of the 75th Assembly District in a ceremony held at the Barron County Courthouse.
__________________
Communications
November 12, 2002
Mr. Patrick Fuller
Assistant Assembly Chief Clerk
Room 208, 17 West Main
Madison, Wisconsin 53702
Dear Mr. Fuller:
Pursuant to Assembly Rule
2 (2), the following officers have been duly elected by the Assembly Republican Caucus:
Majority Leader: Steven M. Foti
Assistant Majority Leader: Jean Hundertmark
A10
Majority Caucus Chair: Daniel Vrakas
Majority Caucus Vice-Chair: Glenn Grothman
Majority Caucus Secretary: Carol Owens
Majority Caucus Sergeant-at-Arms: Jerry Petrowski
Sincerely,
Daniel P. Vrakas
Republican Caucus Chair
__________________
November 18, 2002
Mr. Patrick Fuller
Assistant Assembly Chief Clerk
Room 208, 17 West Main St.
Madison, Wisconsin 53702
Dear Mr. Fuller:
Pursuant to Assembly Rule
2 (2), the following officers have been duly elected by the Assembly Democratic Caucus:
Minority Leader: James Kreuser
Assistant Minority Leader: Jon Richards
Minority Caucus Chairperson: Robert Turner
Minority Caucus Vice-Chair: Gary Sherman
Minority Caucus Secretary: Amy Sue Vruwink
Minority Caucus Sergeant-at-Arms: Jennifer Shilling
Sincerely,
Robert L. Turner
Democratic Caucus Chair
__________________
December 4, 2002
Office of the Assembly Chief Clerk
17 West Main Street
Room 208
Madison, WI 53703
Dear Mr. Fuller:
I am writing to inform you that due to my marriage on November 22, I have changed my last name from Starzyk to Kerkman. Please make sure future records reflect this change.
If you have any questions, please call my office at 266-2530.
Thank you for your assistance.
Sincerely,
Samantha J. Kerkman
State Representative
66th Assembly District
__________________
December 9, 2002
Chief Clerk Patrick Fuller
Wisconsin State Assembly
17 West Main Street, Room 208
Madison, WI 53703
Dear Mr. Fuller:
I am writing to inform you that I have changed my surname. I no longer go by Morris-Tatum. My name is now Johnnie E. Morris. I ask that you please make necessary changes within the Assembly.
Please contact me if there are any questions. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Johnnie E. Morris
State Representative
11th Assembly District
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Joint Legislative Council
Madison
December 20, 2002
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Last summer, the Joint Legislative Council created the Special Committee on Improving Wisconsin's Fiscal Management and directed it to examine ways for Wisconsin to improve its ability to manage its finances using modern financial management and policy practices in the context of the budget process. Two of the major problems with Wisconsin's current budget process addressed by the Special Committee are that our state budget has been consistently enacted considerably after the beginning of the first fiscal year to which it applies and that the state budget contains too much policy.
These problems have many consequences. Tardy state budgets complicate the implementation of state programs, impede or preclude budgeting by local units of government, and undermine public confidence in the Legislature. Excessive policy in the budget threatens to weaken the legislative branch by undermining the standing committee process, reduces public scrutiny and analysis of policy items added to the budget late in the budget process, and obfuscates legislators' voting records given the "all-exclusive" nature of budget bills.
At its December 18, 2002 meeting, the Special Committee voted to recommend this letter and the attachments to it to address these two problems. The recommendations are implemented primarily through modification of the 2003-04 biennial session schedule and the creation of two joint rules, an Assembly rule and a Senate rule.
Recommended Schedule for the Development of the Biennial Budget
A11
The Special Committee recommends the attached schedules for the development of the future biennial budgets. These schedules are based on the recommendations of Robert Lang, Director, Legislative Fiscal Bureau, who prepared a model schedule for the 2003-05 Biennial Budget in response to a request from a committee member.
