Wednesday, December 17, 2003
Ninety-Sixth Regular Session
The Chief Clerk makes the following entries under the above date.
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Read and referred:
Senate Joint Resolution 54
Relating to: the retirement of Pat Coakley following a long and dedicated career in the service of the Wisconsin legislature as a member of the Joint Legislative Council Staff.
By
Senators
Chvala, Breske, Brown, Coggs, Carpenter, 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; cosponsored by Representatives Gard and Miller.
To committee on Senate Organization.
Senate Bill 347
Relating to: authorizing the use of the design-build construction process for the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District.
By
Senators
Darling and Plale; cosponsored by Representatives Jeskewitz, Hahn, Wasserman, Young, Richards, Gundrum, Zepnick, Gunderson, Taylor, Krug and Staskunas.
To committee on Economic Development, Job Creation and Housing.
Senate Bill 348
Relating to: attendance in a nonresident school district under the Open Enrollment Program.
By
Senators
Reynolds, Moore, Stepp and Schultz; cosponsored by Representatives Cullen, McCormick, Zepnick, Krug, Turner, J. Lehman, Staskunas, Lothian and Albers.
To committee on Education, Ethics and Elections.
Senate Bill 349
Relating to: the expenditure by the State Historical Society of Wisconsin of an amount equal to two times the amount of contributions, gifts, grants, and bequests received for the Circus World Museum, not to exceed $1,500,000, for the operation, management, maintenance, and development of the Circus World Museum and making an appropriation.
By
Senators
Welch and Schultz; cosponsored by Representatives Hines, Albers and Gronemus.
To committee on Higher Education and Tourism.
Senate Bill 350
Relating to: qualifications for endorsements authorizing the operation of a school bus and for operators of certain other motor vehicles transporting pupils, school board contracts for the transportation of pupils, studying the use of video cameras on school buses and the training of operators of school buses and certain other motor vehicles transporting pupils, extending the time limit for emergency rule procedures, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures and from rule-making procedures, granting rule-making authority, making an appropriation, and providing penalties.
By
Senators
Lazich, Darling, Carpenter, Roessler, Stepp, Zien and Lassa; cosponsored by Representatives Krusick, Zepnick, Albers, Gunderson, Sinicki, Gielow, Hines, Ott, Petrowski, Suder, Lothian, Taylor and Krug.
To committee on Transportation and Information Infrastructure.
Senate Bill 351
Relating to: the size of the county board of supervisors in certain counties.
By
Senators
Kanavas, Kedzie, Reynolds, Brown and Roessler; cosponsored by Representatives Underheim, Suder, J. Wood, Stone, Albers, Nass, Gunderson and Shilling.
To committee on Homeland Security, Veterans and Military Affairs and Government Reform.
Senate Bill 352
Relating to: governance of metropolitan sewerage districts created by 1st class cities.
By
Senators
Reynolds and Schultz; cosponsored by Representatives Grothman, Nass and Hahn.
To committee on Homeland Security, Veterans and Military Affairs and Government Reform.
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State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
December 12, 2003
To the Honorable, the Senate:
The following bill(s), originating in the Senate, have been approved, signed and deposited in the office of the Secretary of State:
Sincerely,
Jim Doyle
Governor
December 15, 2003
The Honorable, The Senate:
Pursuant to Senate Rule
20(2)(a) and
(b) I have appointed Senator Meyer to the Joint Committee on Finance and removed Senator Decker.
With regard to members of the minority party, appointments are made based on the nominations of that caucus.
Sincerely,
Senator Mary Panzer
Senate Majority Leader
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Secretary of State
To the Honorable, the Senate:
Sincerely,
Douglas La follette
Secretary of State
State of Wisconsin
Department of Revenue
December 5, 2003
The Honorable, The Legislature:
Section
565.45, Wisconsin Statutes, requires the Department of Revenue to submit a biennial report to the legislature regarding the impact on lottery operations of the 10% expense limitation under s.
25.75(3)(b). Attached is that report.
Sincerely,
Michael L. Morgan
Secretary
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
December 16, 2003
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 a 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.
Sincerely,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
State of Wisconsin
