1. Page 64, line 21: delete "medication" and substitute "mediation".
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Assembly Bill 655
1. Page 21, line 18: delete "a such" and substitute "such a".
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Speaker's Communications
December 1, 2003
Representative Michael Powers
310 North, State Capitol
P.O. Box 8953
Madison, Wisconsin 53707
Senator Michael Ellis
118 South, State Capitol
P.O. Box 7882
Madison, Wisconsin 53707-7882
Dear Representative Powers and Senator Ellis:
Pursuant to Assembly Rule
42 (1)(am) I am directing that the Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions prepare a report on
Assembly Bill 684, so that the legislature may proceed with further consideration of the bill.
Sincerely,
John G. Gard
Speaker
Wisconsin Assembly
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Communications
November 20, 2003
Patrick Fuller, Assembly Chief Clerk
17 West Main Street
Room 208
Madison, WI 53703
Dear Patrick:
I am writing to request the removal of my name as a co-sponsor of Assembly Bill 470, relating to requiring the Department of Health and Family Services to maintain a voluntary registry of persons who provide care and supervision for children, but who are not licensed to provide that care and supervision or employed or contracted with by a person who is licensed to provide that care and supervision.
I appreciate your assistance in this matter and would appreciate a follow up response from you indicating that my name has been removed.
Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Carol Roessler
State Senator
18th Senate District
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November 25, 2003
Speaker John Gard
State Capitol, 211 West
Madison, WI
Dear Speaker Gard:
It has been my distinct honor to serve in the Wisconsin State Assembly for the last 21 years. Over that time I have had the pleasure of working with many exceptional legislators.
I do look forward to serving an even greater portion of the City of Milwaukee in the Wisconsin State Senate and will continue to serve my constituents with the same level of dedication that I have always provided in the Assembly. I am sure that my move to the South Wing will not prevent me from maintaining the many great personal relationships that I have formed with so many of my colleagues here.
Effective November 25, 2003, I have resigned my seat as Representative for the 17th Assembly District. Please contact me with any questions or concerns you may have.
Sincerely,
Senator Spencer Coggs
6th Senate District
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State of Wisconsin
Revisor of Statutes Bureau
Madison
DATE: December 1, 2003
TO: Patrick E. Fuller
Assembly Chief Clerk
Donna J. Doyle
Assistant Senate Chief Clerk
FROM: Gary L. Poulson
Deputy Revisor of Statutes
SUBJECT: Rules published in the November 30, 2003,
Wisconsin Administrative
Register, No. 575.
The following rules have been published:
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Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
November 25, 2003
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed an evaluation of the Department of Transportation's (DOT's) major highway program, as requested by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. In fiscal year (FY) 2002-03, DOT's total budget was $2.4 billion; the major highway program's portion of the budget was $241.6 million. In September 2003, 32 major highway projects were being planned or were under construction.
Major highway program funds can be used only for new construction projects that are specifically enumerated in statutes. To help determine the reasons for cost increases that occur between enumeration and completion, we reviewed seven current projects. We found that the estimated cost for each had increased by at least $20.0 million since enumeration. The discretion DOT currently exercises in project selection, location, and design greatly affected these projects' costs.
We attempted to track the cost of complying with state and federal environmental laws, but the information DOT maintains on these expenditures is incomplete. DOT estimates that in FY 2001-02 - the latest year for which data are available - these costs totaled $29.1 million; however, contractors provided us with other examples of costs not included in DOT's estimates. We include a recommendation for improving DOT's monitoring of environmental expenditures.
We compared Wisconsin's transportation funding sources, spending, and highway conditions with other midwestern states'. Wisconsin is in the middle in state highway spending and conditions, but it relies on a narrower funding base and is increasingly using bonding for the highway program. As debt service increases, the amount of funds available to support future projects decreases. We list a number of challenges DOT and the Legislature will face as they seek to maintain the existing highways or expand the system to meet safety, economic development, and other needs. We also include a number of recommendations for improving DOT's estimating and cost-reporting processes.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by DOT staff. The agency's response follows the appendices.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor