To committee on Energy and Utilities
.
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The following Assembly proposals, which have been approved by both the Assembly and Senate, have been enrolled by the Legislative Reference Bureau:
Assembly Joint Resolution 1
Assembly Joint Resolution 2
Assembly Joint Resolution 3
Assembly Joint Resolution 7
Assembly Joint Resolution 8
Patrick E. Fuller
Assembly Chief Clerk
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Executive Communications
February 10, 2003
Representative John Gard
Assembly Speaker
211 West, State Capitol
Madison, WI 53702
Dear Speaker Gard:
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In accordance with State Statues 16.45, I respectfully request a joint session of the legislature on February 18, 2003, at 7:00 P.M. The purpose of this session will be to deliver the budget address for the 2003-2005 biennial budget.
Thank you for your attention to this matter.
Sincerely,
Jim Doyle
Governor
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Referral of Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Department of Transportation
Madison
February 5, 2003
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
I am pleased to be able to present to you, for distribution to the Wisconsin Assembly, the annual evaluation report on the Pretrial Intoxicated Driver Intervention Grant Program. The program, created by section 86.53 Wis. Stats., was established by the legislature in 1997 with the requirement that the Department study its impact and report on its findings every even-numbered year.
The Pretrial Intoxicated Driver Intervention Grant Program is intended for offenders who are arrested for their second or subsequent OWl (Operating While Intoxicated) offense. Offender participation may be voluntary or court order. It is an intervention model designed to get offenders into counseling, treatment and supervision as soon as possible after the arrest. The program is individual to each community.
As you will see in the report, no community that has begun a program has dropped it. Offenders who successfully completed the program were less likely than non-participants to be re-arrested for subsequent OWl violations. Those who were re-arrested went significantly longer between arrests than non-participants. Currently there are four counties on a waiting list for funding to begin programs.
I commend those people who have dedicated themselves to making this innovative program a success. There are no "silver bullets" in eradicating intoxicated driving, but I feel this effort is a vital piece in the total transportation safety effort.
Sincerely,
Frank J. Busalacchi
Secretary
Referred to committee on Highway Safety.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Health and Family Services
Madison
February 7, 2003
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
In
1997 Act 27, the 97-99 Biennial Budget, the Legislature established requirements in state law intended to strengthen protections for children and vulnerable adults in organized care settings. The provisions require, among other things, that designated caregivers conduct background checks on all new and existing staff and bar them from employing anyone who has committed certain crimes or acts. DHFS and (for certain child care providers) counties and local school boards must perform checks on a provider before issuing a license or other credential. Individuals, who have committed prohibited crimes or acts may apply to the Department, counties, or school boards for a waiver of the employment or licensing bans upon evidence of rehabilitation.
Sections
48.685(5g) and
50.065(5g) of the Wisconsin Statutes direct the Department to submit an annual report to the legislature that specifies the number of persons who have sought waivers of employment or licensing bans by requesting to demonstrate that they have been rehabilitated. The report must also specify the number of requests that were approved and the reasons for the success or failure of the requests. Attached is the report for 2002.
Questions about this report should be referred to Linda Dawson, Deputy Chief Legal Counsel, at 608-266-0355.
Thank you for distributing this report to members of the Assembly.
Sincerely,
Helene Nelson
Secretary
Referred to committee on Health.
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Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
Madison
February 10, 2003
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
I have enclosed a copy of the State of Wisconsin's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR) for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2002. This Fiscal Year 2002 CAFR represents the first year in which the State is required to implement the provisions of the Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) Statement No. 34, Basic Financial Statements - and Management's Discussion and Analysis - for State and Local Governments. The Financial Section of this CAFR consists of four parts: (1) management's discussion and analysis, (2) basic financial statements, (3) additional required supplementary information, and (4) optional other supplementary information.
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Within the basic financial statements this CAFR contains the government-wide financial statements that provide a broad view of the State's operations, and the fund financial statements that focus on individual parts of the State government, reporting the State's operations in more detail than the government-wide statements. These financial statements also include notes that explain some of the information in the financial statements and provide more detail.
I am pleased to report that the Government Finance Officers Association of the United States and Canada (GFOA) awarded a Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting to the State of Wisconsin for its fiscal year 2001 CAFR. The GFOA's Certificate is a prestigious national award recognizing conformance with the highest standards for state and local government financial reports. The State of Wisconsin is again applying for the Certificate, and the 2002 CAFR has been submitted to the GFOA.
A copy of the CAFR is also available on the State of Wisconsin, Department of Administration homepage on the World Wide Web:
http://www.doa.state.wi.us/debf.
If you have specific. questions or comments regarding the CAFR's contents, please contact me at (608) 266-3628.
Sincerely,
William J. Raftery, CPA
State Controller
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State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
February 12, 2003
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed a financial audit of WHA Radio, as requested by the University of Wisconsin-Extension to fulfill the audit requirements of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The Corporation requires audited financial statements of public broadcasting entities to determine future funding levels.
WHA Radio is licensed to the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and is operated by the University of Wisconsin-Extension. WHA Radio received $8.8 million in revenues during fiscal year 2001-02, including state support, member contributions, funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and various other grants.
Our audit report contains the financial statements and related notes for fiscal years 2001-02 and 2000-01. We were able to issue an unqualified independent auditor's report on these statements. A new financial reporting model was implemented for fiscal year 2001-02 that changed the presentation of the financial statements. An important feature of the new model is Management's Discussion and Analysis, which is prepared by management of WHA Radio and provides an overview of the financial statements and an analysis of financial results.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by University of Wisconsin-Extension staff during the audit.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
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State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
February 12, 2003
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed a financial audit of WHA Television, as requested by the University of Wisconsin-Extension to fulfill the audit requirements of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The Corporation requires audited financial statements of public broadcasting entities to determine future funding levels.
WHA Television is licensed to the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and is operated by the University of Wisconsin-Extension. WHA Television received $16.2 million in revenues during fiscal year 2001-02, including state support, member contributions, funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and various other grants.
Our audit report contains the financial statements and related notes for the period July 1, 2001 through June 30, 2002. We were able to issue an unqualified independent auditor's report on these statements. A new financial reporting model was implemented for fiscal year 2001-02 that changed the presentation of the financial statements. An important feature of the new model is Management's Discussion and Analysis, which is prepared by management of WHA Television and provides an overview of the financial statements and an analysis of financial results.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by University of Wisconsin-Extension staff during the audit.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor