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:
Senators Breske, Brown, Carpenter, Chvala, Coggs, 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 - 33.
Absent - None.
Absent with leave - None.
The Senate stood for a moment of silent meditation.
The Senate remained standing and Senator Breske 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 February 3, 2004 :
__________________
Senator Coggs, with unanimous consent, asked that when the Senate adjourn, it do so in honor of Isaac Coggs and Marcia Coggs, both of whom served in the Legislature, in honor of Black History Month.
__________________
The select committee on Job Creation reports and recommends:
Assembly Bill 729
Relating to: petitions by certain telecommunications utilities regarding unbundled network or service elements.
Introduction and adoption of Senate Substitute Amendment 1.
Ayes, 3 - Senators
Kanavas, Stepp and Leibham.
Noes, 2 - Senators
Chvala and Jauch.
Concurrence as amended.
Ayes, 3 - Senators
Kanavas, Stepp and Leibham.
Noes, 2 - Senators
Chvala and Jauch.
Senate Bill 370
Relating to: petitions by certain telecommunications utilities regarding unbundled network or service elements.
Introduction and adoption of Senate Substitute Amendment 1.
Ayes, 3 - Senators
Kanavas, Stepp and Leibham.
Noes, 2 - Senators
Chvala and Jauch.
Passage as amended.
Ayes, 3 - Senators
Kanavas, Stepp and Leibham.
Noes, 2 - Senators
Chvala and Jauch.
Ted Kanavas
Senate Chairperson
Cathy Stepp
Senate Chairperson
__________________
Read and referred:
Senate Joint Resolution 60
Relating to: commending Professor Bryant Browne and the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point on receipt of a patent for a device used to test gases in groundwater and surface water.
By
Senator
Lassa
; cosponsored by Representatives Molepske, Schneider and Vruwink.
To committee on Senate Organization.
Senate Bill 430
Relating to: notice of the open meetings and public records access laws.
By
Senator
Hansen
; cosponsored by Representatives Turner, Berceau, Hines, Seratti and Zepnick.
To committee on Homeland Security, Veterans and Military Affairs and Government Reform.
Senate Bill 431
Relating to: the gross earnings tax on car line companies.
By
Senators
Schultz, Breske, Roessler and Welch; cosponsored by Representatives Lothian, Gronemus, Hahn, Hines, Albers, Krawczyk, Seratti, Ainsworth, Gunderson and Kaufert.
To committee on Homeland Security, Veterans and Military Affairs and Government Reform.
Senate Bill 432
Relating to: a sales tax and use tax exemption for energy-efficient motor vehicles.
By
Senator
Risser
; cosponsored by Representatives Freese, Richards, Turner, Miller, J. Wood, J. Lehman, Molepske and Gronemus.
To joint survey committee on Tax Exemptions.
Senate Bill 433
Relating to: the time period for service of a responsive pleading.
By
Senators
Kanavas and Reynolds; cosponsored by Representatives Gielow, Hines, J. Fitzgerald and Vrakas.
To committee on Judiciary, Corrections and Privacy.
Relating to: the content of the program of instruction on snowmobile laws and safety.
By
Senators
Stepp, Kedzie, Breske, S. Fitzgerald, Wirch, Welch, Jauch, Kanavas, Hansen, Schultz, Erpenbach and Roessler; cosponsored by Representatives D. Meyer, M. Williams, Gard, Gronemus, Krawczyk, Travis, Towns, Plouff, LeMahieu, Hebl, Grothman, J. Lehman, Hahn, J. Fitzgerald, Huebsch, Ott, Kerkman, Petrowski, McCormick, Albers, M. Lehman, Bies, Gunderson, Ladwig, Ainsworth, Freese, Kreibich, Powers, Gottlieb, Van Roy, Suder, Hines, Seratti, Friske and Vrakas.
To committee on Environment and Natural Resources.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
February 3, 2004
The Honorable, The Senate:
Pursuant to Senate Rule
20(2)(a) and
(b) I have appointed Senator Decker to the Joint Committee on Finance and removed Senator Meyer.
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
Milwaukee Public Schools
January 30, 2004
The Honorable, The Senate:
Enclosed you will find a copy of the report entitled "High/Scope All-Day Five-Year-Old Kindergarten Program and High/Scope First Grad Program." This report summarizes the projects and the data collected for the 2002-2003 school year.
Each year a report is prepared in response to Sections
119.71,
119.73, and
119.75 of the current state statutes.
Sincerely,
Michelle J. Nate
Chief MPS Financial and Operations Officer
Department of Finance
Referred to committee on Education, Ethics and Elections.
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
February 3, 2004
The Honorable, The Legislature:
At your request, we have compiled information on nursing staff issues at the Wisconsin Veterans Home at King, which is operated by the Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) and provides direct care to approximately 710 veterans. The Veterans Home includes four main residence halls that are separately licensed nursing homes and are regulated by the Department of Health and Family Services.
DVA spent $18.1 million in fiscal year (FY) 2002-03 on salaries - including overtime costs - and fringe benefits for nursing staff working at the Veterans Home. Overtime payments totaling $1.2 million represented only 6.5 percent of nursing staff expenditures. However, we found that most nursing staff at the Veterans Home worked more than 80 hours in a two-week pay period we reviewed. In June 2003, 22 of 31 full-time nurse clinicians, 17 of 31 full-time licensed practical nurses, and 126 of 165 full-time certified nursing assistants worked more than 80 hours. Furthermore, employees in part-time positions defined as 40 hours in a two-week pay period, worked an average of 77 hours.