Recognizing that creating food secure communities for people in Wisconsin goes beyond providing access to emergency food through food pantries, the Consortium is seeking to establish ways to increase access to food through normal channels. This undertaking involves the coordination and best use of existing resources, including federal food programs, supplemental food programs, food production and marketing, education and public awareness, community infrastructure, economic and job security, and research and evaluation.
In the coming year the Consortium will focus on developing a state plan to combat hunger and food insecurity in Wisconsin. The Consortium is reviewing plans completed by other states and will be examining programs that have worked in Wisconsin and in other areas of the country. One of the tasks which the Consortium has undertaken is to improve the coordination of services among the different parties that have an interest in reducing food insecurity in Wisconsin.
The Consortium is also working to increase participation by local communities. There are approximately 30 local Hunger Prevention Task Forces. The Consortium needs participation from local communities to be successful and it is pursuing ways that information can be shared between the Consortium and local organizations. Among other activities, the Consortium will be exploring ways to increase outreach regarding hunger prevention programs so that all Wisconsin residents are aware of what is available to them.
The Department, with the assistance of the Food Security Consortium, will continue to work with our partners in the public and private sector to develop strategies on this critical issue of improving food security in Wisconsin.
Sincerely,
HELENE NELSON
Secretary
Department of Revenue
December 27, 2005
The Honorable, The Senate:
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).
Defining the Expenditure Limitation for Lottery Operations
Section
25.75(3)(b), Wisconsin Statutes, requires that expenses for the operation and administration of the lottery not exceed 10% of gross lottery revenues unless approved by the Joint Committee on Finance under s.
13.10
Gross lottery revenues include gross revenues from the sale of lottery tickets and lottery shares under ch.
565 and retailer application fees imposed under s.
565.10(8).
Expenses include:
1.
amortization of capital expenditures;
2.
payments to vendors under s.
565.25(2)(a) for on-line and instant services and supplies;
3.
operating expenses of the Department of Revenue under s.
20.566(2)(r)
Expenses exclude Department of Justice law enforcement expenses appropriated under
Lottery General Program Operations
The accompanying chart illustrates administrative expenses, gross lottery revenues and the percentage of expenses of gross lottery revenues for Fiscal Years 2002 through 2005:
Chart On File with Senate Chief Clerk
Note
On-Line Telecommunication Charges dropped from $2.9 million in FY04 to $42,000 in FY05 as a result of a new gaming system software contract. Under the contract, the telecommunications system linking the gaming system with Lottery retailers is provided by the vendor. (Even though the contract provided for the telecommunications system, the new contract price was lower than the previous contract.)
Summary
Total administrative expenditures as determined in accordance with Section
25.75(3)(b) in FY04 and FY05 were $33,350,934 and $28,541,295, respectively. These amounts represent 6.90% of gross lottery revenues for FY04 and 6.31% of gross lottery revenues for FY05. Amounts for both years are well within the 10% limitation imposed by Section
25.75(3)(b).
Sincerely,
MICHAEL L. MORGAN
Secretary
State of Wisconsin
Department of Transportation
December 30, 2005
The Honorable, The Senate:
I am pleased to present to you, for distribution to the Wisconsin Senate, the annual evaluation report on the Pretrial Intoxicated Driver Intervention Grant Program. It is also available on our website:
www.dot.wisconsin.gov/library/publications/topic/safety.htm. The program, created by section 85.53 Wis. Stats., was established by the legislature in 1997 with the requirements that the Department study its impact and report on its findings.
The Pretrial Intoxicated Driver Intervention Grant Program is intended for offenders who are arrested for their second or subsequent OWI (Operating While Intoxicated) offense. Offender participation may be voluntary or court ordered. It is an intervention model designed to get offenders into counseling, treatment and supervision as soon as possible after the arrest. The program is individual to each community.
As you will see in the report, no community that has begun the program has dropped it. Overall, offenders who successfully completed the program were less likely than non-participants to be re-arrested for subsequent OWI violations. Those who were re-arrested went significantly longer between arrests than non-participants. Currently there are seven counties on a waiting list for funding to begin programs.
I commend those people who have dedicated themselves to making this innovative program a success. There are no "silver bullets" in eradicating impaired driving, but I feel this effort is a vital piece in the total transportation safety effort.
Sincerely,
Major daniel w. Lonsdorf
Director, Bureau of Transportation Safety
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
December 30, 2005
The Honorable, The Legislature:
Please find enclosed the Length of Service Award Program (LOSA) 2005 Annual Report. The Length of Service Award Board developed the report with support from Department of Administration staff. The report provides an overview of the program and outlines the accomplishments for the program year.
Wisconsin State Statute 16.25(6) requires the Department to submit the report to the Chief Clerk of each house annually describing the activities of the board.
If you have any questions regarding the report, please contact Terri Lenz at the Department of Administration, Division of Enterprise Operations, at (608) 261-6580.
Sincerely,
PATRICK J. FARLEY
Administrator, Division of Enterprise Operations
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
December 30, 2005
The Honorable, The Legislature:
This report is transmitted as required by sec. 20.002(11)(f) of the Wisconsin Statutes, (for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under sec. 13.172(3) Stats.), and confirms that the Department of Administration has found it necessary to exercise the "temporary reallocation of balances" authority provided by this section in order to meet payment responsibilities and cover resulting negative balances during the month of November 2005.
On November 1, 2005, the Wisconsin Health Education Loan Repayment Fund cash balance closed at its intramonth low of a negative $9 thousand. This negative balance continued until November 3, 2005, when the fund's cash balance closed at zero. The negative balance was due to the difference in the timing of revenues and expenditures.
S516
The Wisconsin Health Education Loan Repayment Fund shortfall was not in excess of the statutory interfund borrowing limitations and did not exceed the balances of the funds available for interfund borrowing.
The distribution of interest earnings to investment pool participants is based on the average daily balance in the pool and each fund's share. Therefore, the monthly calculation by the State Controller's Office will automatically reflect the use of these temporary reallocations of balance authority, and as a result, the funds requiring the use of the authority will effectively bear the interest cost.
Sincerely,
stephen e. bablitch
Secretary
Referred to joint committee on Finance.
State of Wisconsin
Ethics Board
December 27, 2005
The Honorable, The Senate:
The following lobbyists have been authorized to act on behalf of the organizations set opposite their names.
For more detailed information about these lobbyists and organizations and a complete list of organizations and people authorized to lobby the 2005 session of the legislature, visit the Ethics Board's web site at
http://ethics.state.wi.us
Leonhart, James AT&T Wisconsin
McClenahan, William Waukesha Water Utility
Petersen, Eric J Safelite Group Inc.
Also available from the Wisconsin Ethics Board are reports identifying the amount and value of time state agencies have spent to affect legislative action and reports of expenditures for lobbying activities filed by organizations that employ lobbyists.
Sincerely,
R. Roth Judd
Director
Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation
January 4, 2006
The Honorable, The Senate:
In 1999 the State Legislature included a $75,000 annual grant in the state budget to be matched with $25,000 of private funds for the purpose of establishing, maintaining and promoting the Ice Age National and State Scenic Trail. The Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation (IAPTF) has been delighted to be the recipient of that grant since 2000. It is my pleasure to submit our final report for the year 2005 as required by statute s.
23.295.
The Ice Age Park and Trail Foundation is a volunteer and member based organization whose mission is to create, support and protect the Ice Age Trail - designated a National Scenic Trail in 1980 and State Scenic Trail in 1987. The Trail is the only unit of the National Park Service and the only National Scenic Trail that commemorates the effects of continental glaciation in the United States.
Despite its federal and state status, the protection, development and management of the Ice Age Trail is dependent on partnerships. The Trail's primary partners, the National Park Service, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and IAPTF, work closely with county governments and other municipalities, and with local volunteers form around the state. In 2005 alone, volunteers provided and "in kind" match of over 90,524 hours spent in support of the Trail. When translated into dollars their contribution equals more than $1,500,000 annually, really quite extraordinary.
The grant from the DNR has allowed the IAPTF to:
• Support the work of volunteers who develop, maintain and promote the Ice Age Trail.
• Build partnerships for the Trail area with local governmental units and nonprofit organizations.
• Promote the protection of a corridor for the Ice Age Trail by providing information about acquiring land, or an interest in land in the corridor.
• Strengthen community support for the Ice Age Trail area by recruiting and training volunteers and coordinating the activities of interest groups.
• Promote tourism in the Ice Age Trail area.
