Bill Number Act Number Date Approved
Assembly Bill 79109December 18, 2003
Assembly Bill 372110December 18, 2003
Assembly Bill 487111December 18, 2003
Respectfully submitted,
James Doyle
Governor
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Governor's Veto Message
December 18, 2003
To the Honorable Members of the Assembly:
I am vetoing Assembly Bill 85 in its entirety. This bill allows towns with populations over 4,000 and equalized property value over $125 million, which are located on land completely surrounded by navigable waterways and comprise less than 15 square miles, to incorporate as a city or village without receiving approval by a circuit court and the state Department of Administration. Currently, only the Town of Campbell in LaCrosse County meets these criteria.
I am vetoing this bill because I believe that local governments affected by this legislative proposal should work cooperatively, amongst themselves, to develop their boundaries and, if desired, service agreements. These local governments and their elected officials are in a better position than state officials to determine the appropriate boundaries for their communities.
There is also nothing in this veto that prevents the Town of Campbell from negotiating a mutually acceptable resolution of its boundaries with other local governments.
Respectfully submitted,
James Doyle
Governor
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State of Wisconsin
Office of the Secretary of State
Madison
To Whom It May Concern:
Acts, Joint Resolutions and Resolutions deposited in this office have been numbered and published as follows:
Bill Number Act Number Publication Date
Assembly Bill 79109January 7, 2004
Assembly Bill 372110January 7, 2004
Assembly Bill 487111January 7, 2004
Sincerely,
Douglas La Follette
Secretary of State
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December 15, 2003
Patrick Fuller, Assembly Chief Clerk
17 West Main Street
Room 208
Madison, WI 53703
Dear Mr. Fuller:
I would like to go on record as having my vote changed on Assembly Bill 197.
I would like to formally change my vote for final passage on Assembly Bill 197. The vote was taken on November 11, 2003. I now would like to be recorded as a "No" on the passage of this legislation.
I have never supported this legislation and I am unsure as to how I was recorded as an "Aye" vote. Thank you for your time and consideration in this matter.
Sincerely,
Christine Sinicki
State Representative
20th Assembly District
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Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
December 16, 2003
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
At the request of the departments of Commerce and Administration, and to meet our audit responsibilities under s.
13.94, Wis. Stats., we have completed a financial audit of the State of Wisconsin Petroleum Inspection Fee Revenue Obligations Program for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2003, and June 30, 2002. We were able to express our unqualified opinion on the program's Statement of Changes in Program Assets and related notes.
Under the Petroleum Inspection Fee Revenue Obligations Program, the State issues revenue obligations, such as bonds and commercial paper, to provide financing for payment of claims under the Wisconsin Petroleum Environmental Cleanup Fund Award (PECFA) program. The obligations are not general obligation debt of the State. Instead, the revenue obligations are to be repaid from the $0.03 per gallon fee charged suppliers for petroleum products sold in Wisconsin and collected by the Department of Revenue.
As of June 30, 2003, the State had issued $342.55 million in revenue obligations, which was the maximum permitted under s.
101.143(9m), Wis. Stats., at that time. However, it is expected that PECFA claims submitted for payment will continue to exceed the amount of petroleum inspection fees available to pay them. In addition, as of June 30, 2003, the Department of Commerce had a backlog of nearly $6 million in approved claims awaiting payment, nearly $37 million in additional claims that had been received but not yet approved for payment, and an estimated $99 million in costs incurred by landowners under the program but not yet claimed for reimbursement. As a result, in
2003 Wisconsin Act 33, the Legislature increased the statutory limit for the program's revenue obligations to $436 million, plus an amount to pay issuance or administrative costs, to make any necessary deposits to reserve funds, or to pay accrued or capitalized interest. On September 17, 2003, the Building Commission authorized the sale of $95.88 million in revenue obligations, which are expected to be issued during the current fiscal year.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us during the audit by staff of the departments of Commerce, Administration, and Revenue.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
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State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
December 19, 2003
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed a financial audit of the State of Wisconsin Educational Communications Board Radio Network to meet our audit requirements under s.
13.94, Wis. Stats., and as requested by the Educational Communications Board 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.
The Educational Communications Board, which is an agency of the State of Wisconsin, operates a radio network of 12 FM stations and 1 AM station, as well as a television network of 5 digital stations and 5 analog stations. The radio network received $9.3 million in support and revenue during fiscal year 2002-03, including state support, member contributions, funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and various other grants.
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Our audit report contains the financial statements and related notes for the period July 1, 2002, through June 30, 2003. We were able to issue an unqualified independent auditor's report on these statements.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by Educational Communications Board staff during the audit.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
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State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
December 19, 2003
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed a financial audit of the State of Wisconsin Educational Communications Board Television Network to meet our audit requirements under s.
13.94, Wis. Stats., and as requested by the Educational Communications Board 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.
The Educational Communications Board, which is an agency of the State of Wisconsin, operates a television network of 5 digital stations and 5 analog stations, as well as a radio network of 12 FM stations and 1 AM station. The television network received $17.1 million in support and revenue during fiscal year 2002-03, 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, 2002, through June 30, 2003. We were able to issue an unqualified independent auditor's report on these statements.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by Educational Communications Board staff during the audit.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
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State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
December 19, 2003
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed a financial audit of the Wisconsin Public Broadcasting Foundation, Inc.'s Television Fund and Radio Fund, as requested by the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board. The Foundation was organized by the Educational Communications Board under s.
39.12 and ch.
181, Wis. Stats., on September 29, 1983, for the exclusive purpose of raising funds for the Wisconsin educational radio and television networks. The audit covered the period July 1, 2002, through June 30, 2003.
We completed this audit in conjunction with our audits of the Wisconsin Educational Communications Board radio and television networks, report numbers 03-15 and 03-16. The Foundation's financial operations are separate and independent from the State of Wisconsin. The Foundation's financial statements are presented in two separate funds (radio and television) to accommodate reporting requirements and the Educational Communications Board's desire to maintain the funds separately. We were able to issue an unqualified independent auditor's report on these statements.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by Educational Communications Board staff during the audit.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
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State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
