Wednesday, October 22, 2003
10:00 A.M.
Ninety-Sixth Regular Session
The Senate met.
The Senate was called to order by Senator Alan Lasee.
The roll was called and the following Senators answered to their names:
Present - Senators Breske, Brown, Carpenter, Chvala, Cowles, Darling, Decker, Ellis, Erpenbach, S. Fitzgerald, Hansen, Harsdorf, Jauch, Kanavas, Kedzie, A. Lasee, Lassa, Lazich, Leibham, M. Meyer, Moore, Panzer, Plale, Reynolds, Risser, Robson, Roessler, Schultz, Stepp, Welch, Wirch and Zien - 32.
Absent - Senator George-1.
The Senate stood for the prayer which was offered by Senator Ronald Brown.
The Senate remained standing and Senator Kanavas led the Senate in the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.
The Chief Clerk makes the following entries dated October 21, 2003 :
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The committee on Environment and Natural Resources reports and recommends:
Assembly Bill 13
Relating to: sales of damaged timber by the department of natural resources and by counties from county forest lands.
Concurrence.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Kedzie, Stepp, Zien, Risser and Wirch.
Noes, 0 - None.
Assembly Bill 200
Relating to: restrictions on promulgating or enforcing certain rules regulating the sighting of a firearm.
Concurrence.
Ayes, 4 - Senators
Kedzie, Stepp, Zien and Wirch.
Noes, 1 - Senator
Risser.
Assembly Bill 519
Relating to: the feeding of deer and elk.
Adoption of Senate Amendment 1.
Ayes, 3 - Senators
Kedzie, Stepp and Risser.
Noes, 2 - Senators
Zien and Wirch.
Introduction and adoption of Senate Amendment 2.
Ayes, 3 - Senators
Kedzie, Stepp and Zien.
Noes, 2 - Senators
Risser and Wirch.
Concurrence as amended.
Ayes, 3 - Senators
Kedzie, Stepp and Zien.
Noes, 2 - Senators
Risser and Wirch.
Neal Kedzie
Chairperson
The committee on Senate Organization reports and recommends:
Senate Resolution 14
Relating to: commending the Japan External Trade Organization.
Adoption.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Panzer, A. Lasee, Zien, Erpenbach and Hansen.
Noes, 0 - None.
Mary Panzer
Chairperson
The committee on Transportation and Information Infrastructure reports and recommends:
Senate Bill 3
Relating to: the specialized transportation assistance program, minimum qualifications for the operator of a human service vehicle, the registration of human service vehicles, and providing penalties.
Introduction and adoption of Senate Amendment 1.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Leibham, Kanavas, Kedzie, Breske and M. Meyer.
Noes, 0 - None.
Passage as amended.
Ayes, 4 - Senators
Leibham, Kanavas, Kedzie and M. Meyer.
Noes, 1 - Senator
Breske.
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State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
October 21, 2003
The Honorable, The Legislature:
S427
At the request of several legislators, we have conducted a review of state efforts to combat chronic wasting disease (CWD), a fatal neurological disease that affects members of the deer family. The Department of Natural Resources (DNR) has primary responsibility for coordinating CWD management efforts in Wisconsin, in cooperation with the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protections (DATCP), the Department of Health and Family Services, and the University of Wisconsin. Through fiscal year (FY) 2002-03, we estimate these state agencies spent a total of $14.7 million combating the disease. The majority of expenditures - 64.9 percent - supported the salaries and benefits of an estimated 122.8 full-time equivalent employees dedicated to CWD efforts in FY 2002-03.
DNR had the largest share of CWD-related expenditures. Its spending totaled $12.6 million, including $4.0 million for the collection and extraction of deer tissue and for constructing and modifying facilities in which to conduct this work. At $2.0 million, costs associated with herd reduction and carcass disposal represented the second-largest expenditure category. In addition, DATCP spent a total of $1.1 million on CWD activities, primarily for regulating and preventing disease among farm-raised deer; the University of Wisconsin Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory spent $924,000 to test deer tissue for the presence of CWD; and the Department of Health and Family Services spent $49,000 to review potential links between CWD and a related disease in humans.
A number of questions regarding efforts to contain CWD will need to be addressed in the future, including how best to ensure the effectiveness of herd depopulation efforts, ensure cooperation between DNR and DATCP in the regulation of farm-raised deer, make the greatest use of a new tissue digester that will likely provide a less-costly means of disposal than incineration, and ensure the most appropriate allocation of limited resources.
I hope you find this information helpful. We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by DNR, DATCP, the Department of Health and Family Services, and the University of Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory.
Sincerely,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
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By Patrick E. Fuller, chief clerk.
Mr. President:
I am directed to inform you that the Assembly has passed and asks concurrence in:
Assembly Bill 49
Assembly Bill 89
