Assembly Bill 95
Relating to: allowing aliens who are not legal permanent residents of the United States to pay resident tuition.
By
Representatives Colon, Krawczyk, Zepnick, Young, Berceau, Pocan, Hahn, J. Lehman, Townsend and Turner; cosponsored by Senators Carpenter, Risser and Chvala.
To committee on Government Operations and Spending Limitations.
Assembly Bill 96
Relating to: actions against sport shooting range owners or operators, against gun or sportsman's clubs, and against manufacturers, importers, trade associations, or dealers of firearms, firearm components, or firearm ammunition.
By
Representatives Pettis, Musser, Huebsch, Suder, Hahn, Jensen, J. Wood, Bies, J. Fitzgerald, Gundrum, Gunderson, Friske, Hines, Ott, Stone, Albers, Freese, Krawczyk, Grothman, Petrowski, F. Lasee, McCormick, Hundertmark and Nass; cosponsored by Senators Kedzie, Schultz, S. Fitzgerald, Stepp, Roessler and Leibham.
To committee on Judiciary.
Assembly Bill 97
Relating to: vehicles operated in a funeral procession.
By
Representatives Cullen, Ladwig, Turner and Bies; cosponsored by Senators Reynolds and Lazich.
To committee on Transportation.
Assembly Bill 98
Relating to: creating an individual and corporate income tax exemption for interest on bonds or notes issued by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority for purposes related to multifamily and elderly housing projects.
By
Representatives Wieckert, Musser, Ainsworth, Owens, Olsen, Bies, McCormick, Hines, Van Roy, Ladwig, Morris, Loeffelholz, Jensen, Stone and Vrakas; cosponsored by Senators Stepp, Welch and Roessler.
To committee on Housing.
Communications
February 3, 2003
Patrick Fuller
Assembly Chief Clerk
208 RJC
Hand-Delivered
Dear Patrick:
Due to my absence on January 28 and January 30, 2003, I would like to take this opportunity to inform you of how I would have voted had I been present during session. Please include this information in the Assembly Journal.
Each of the following would have received an "aye" vote had I been there. They are as follows:
AJR 2 AR 4
AJR 3 AJR 11
AJR 1 AB 3
AB 1 AB 4
AB 2 AB 5
AR 3
Thank you for your assistance with this request. Please let me know if you have any questions about the matter.
Sincerely,
Bonnie L. Ladwig
State Representative
63rd Assembly District
__________________
Referral of Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
Madison
January 31, 2003
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
This report is transmitted as required by s.
20.002(11)(f), Wisconsin Statutes, (for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under s.
13.172(3), Wisconsin Statutes), and confirms that the Department of Administration has found it necessary to exercise the "temporary reallocation of balances" authority provided by this section in order to meet payment responsibilities and cover resulting negative cash balances during the month of December 2002.
On December 2, 2002, the General Fund cash balance closed at a negative $290.2 million. The negative balance continued until December 20, 2002, when the balance closed at a positive $54.5 million. On December 26, 2002, the General Fund cash balance again fell negative, closing at a negative $25.1 million. The negative balance continued until December 27, 2002, when the balance closed at a positive $33.4 million. The General Fund cash balance reached its monthly low of a negative $364.1 million on December 12, 2002. The negative balance was due to the difference in the timing of revenues and expenditures.
On December 30, 2002, the Wisconsin Health Education Loan Repayment Fund cash balance closed at negative $1 thousand. This negative balance continued through December 31, 2002. The negative difference was due to the timing of revenues and expenditures.
The General Fund and the Wisconsin Health Education Loan Repayment Fund shortfalls were not in excess of the statutory interfund borrowing limitation and did not exceed the balances of the funds available for interfund borrowing.
The distribution of interest earnings to investment pool participants is based on the average daily balance in the pool and each fund's share. Therefore, the monthly calculation by the State Controller's Office will automatically reflect the use of these temporary reallocations of balance authority, and as a result, the funds requiring the use of the authority will effectively bear the interest cost.
Sincerely,
Marc J. Marotta
Secretary
Referred to committee on Ways and Means.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Health and Family Services
Madison
February 13, 2003
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
Pursuant to s.
46.76 (4), the Department of Health and Family Services is required to develop an annual plan that documents areas of hunger and populations experiencing hunger within this state and to recommend strategies for state and federal policy changes to address hunger in these areas. The statute requires that this plan be submitted annually to the Governor, Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the appropriate standing committees under s.
13.172 (3).
The enclosed Second Annual Status Report on Hunger in Wisconsin is being submitted to you in accordance with this requirement. Please feel free to contact my office at 608-266-9622, if you have any questions.
Sincerely,
Helene Nelson
Secretary
Referred to committee on Children and Families.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
February 19, 2003
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed a review of the Environmental Cooperation Pilot Program, which was established in
1997 Wisconsin Act 27. The pilot program, operated by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), is intended to provide increased flexibility for businesses in complying with environmental regulation, while maintaining existing levels of environmental protection. The Legislative Audit Bureau is required by statutes to monitor and report annually on this pilot program.
The program allowed DNR to sign up to ten cooperative agreements with businesses by October 1, 2002. DNR negotiated seven agreements with six different companies, including four agreements signed between September 10, 2002 and October 1, 2002.
In reviewing the agreements, we found that each appears to meet the statutory requirements established by the Legislature and that required public comment was solicited and considered. We note, however, that for one of the agreements, the baseline report was not completed within the time line stipulated in the agreement or set by statute and the environmental management system was not completed within the time line stipulated in the agreement. Because five of the seven agreements were not executed until 2002, we will be reviewing the baseline reports, environmental management systems, and DNR oversight of those agreements during our next annual review.
It is too early in the cooperative agreement process to draw any conclusions regarding the overall success of the program. Reviews of the program in future years will yield additional information, which should allow for more conclusions to be drawn regarding both business flexibility in meeting environmental regulations and the goal of obtaining superior environmental performance.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by DNR during our review.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
__________________
Representative Vrakas asked unanimous consent for a leave of absence for part of today's session for Representative Nischke. Granted.
Representative Turner asked unanimous consent for a leave of absence for part of today's session for Representative Berceau. Granted.
__________________
Representative Vrakas asked unanimous consent that the Assembly stand recessed. Granted.
The Assembly stood recessed.
10:17 A.M.
__________________
1:30 P.M.
The Assembly reconvened.
Speaker Pro Tempore Freese in the chair.
Representative Berceau asked unanimous consent that her leave of absence be lifted. Granted.
Representative Nischke asked unanimous consent that her leave of absence be lifted. Granted.
Representative Foti asked unanimous consent that the rules be suspended and that Assembly Bill
9 be withdrawn from the committee on Rules and taken up at this time. Granted.
Assembly Bill 9
Relating to: authorizing the establishment of a program for the suppression of gypsy moths, specifying areas eligible for aerial insecticide treatment for the suppression of gypsy moths, and requiring the exercise of rule-making authority.
Representative Foti asked unanimous consent that Assembly Bill 9 be rereferred to the committee on Rules. Granted.
Representative Foti asked unanimous consent that the rules be suspended and that Assembly Bill
10 be withdrawn from the committee on Ways and Means and taken up at this time. Granted.
