Wednesday, June 15, 2005
1:00 P.M.
Ninety-Seventh 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:
Senators Breske, Brown, Carpenter, Coggs, Cowles, Darling, Decker, Ellis, Erpenbach, S. Fitzgerald, Grothman, Hansen, Harsdorf, Jauch, Kanavas, Kapanke, Kedzie, A. Lasee, Lassa, Lazich, Leibham, Miller, Olsen, Plale, Reynolds, Risser, Robson, Roessler, Schultz, Stepp, Taylor, 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 Lazich led the Senate in the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.
__________________
Read first time and referred:
Senate Bill 241
Relating to: disclosure of group health claims experience.
By
Senators
Darling, Roessler, Reynolds and Stepp; cosponsored by Representatives McCormick, Vukmir, Gielow, Hines, LeMahieu, Vrakas, Musser, Towns, Albers, Hahn, Wood and Vos.
To committee on Agriculture and Insurance.
Senate Bill 242
Relating to: collective bargaining over health care coverage for municipal employees and allowing municipal employers to change health care coverage plan providers.
By
Senators
Darling, Grothman, Stepp and Brown; cosponsored by Representatives McCormick, Hines, Honadel, Wood, Van Roy, F. Lasee and Vos.
To committee on Agriculture and Insurance.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
June 15, 2005
The Honorable, The Legislature:
As required by s.
13.94(1)(dm), Wis. Stats., we have completed our annual financial audit of State Fair Park. We have issued an unqualified opinion on State Fair Park's fiscal year (FY) 2003-04 financial statements. In addition, we followed up on audit findings and recommendations included in our 2004 report (report 04-5).
Expenditures have exceeded revenues in each of the past five years. Since FY 1999-2000, State Fair Park has a reported a total deficit of $7.3 million, including a $1.8 million deficit in FY 2003-04.
Our 2004 report noted that poor business planning and optimistic financial projections for three entities located on the fairgrounds-the Milwaukee Mile, the Pettit National Ice Center, and the Wisconsin Exposition Center?had contributed to the decline in State Fair Park's financial condition. As we recommended, all three entities have continued to refine and modify their business plans. However, the 2004 business plans were also overly optimistic, and actual revenues have consistently fallen short of what was projected. In addition, the business plans lack both specific details as to how initiatives will be implemented and performance measurements by which to evaluate their success.
State Fair Park projects that in FY 2004-05, expenditures will exceed revenues by as much as $3.9 million. To limit future demands on State Fair Park, agency officials have expressed their intention to lease the Milwaukee Mile to a private promoter effective January 1, 2006. Options to sell the Pettit National Ice Center are also being explored. Given these significant changes, we include a recommendation that State Fair Park report to the Joint Legislative Audit Committee on its plans for improving the fairgrounds' financial condition, including long-term plans for its organizational structure and its relationships with the Pettit National Ice Center and the Wisconsin Exposition Center.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by the staff of State Fair Park. A response from State Fair Park's executive director follows the appendix.
Sincerely,
JANICE MUELLER
State Auditor
State of Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction
April 4, 2005
The Honorable, The Legislature:
In accordance with Wisconsin Administrative Code, PI 11.37 (2)(a)-(f), the Department of Public Instruction submits this report relating to special education eligibility criteria.
The report provides the final results of a study of the effects of the modifications of special education eligibility criteria in the areas of cognitive disabilities, emotional behavioral disabilities, hearing impairments, specific learning disabilities, speech and language impairments, and visual impairments.
S256
If you have any questions regarding this document, please contact Lynn Boreson, Consultant, Emotional Behavioral Disabilities, at (608)266-1218.
Sincerely,
ELIZABETH BURMASTER
State Superintendent
executive order #106
Relating to the Creation of the Governor's Task Force on Waste Materials Recovery and Disposal
WHEREAS, Wisconsin's citizens, businesses, industries and municipalities depend on the proper management of wastes to protect human health and the environment, ensure continued economic development and to promote the welfare of future generations; and
WHEREAS, Wisconsin's solid waste policy statute acknowledges that "maximum solid waste reduction, reuse, recycling, composting and resource recovery is in the best interest of the state in order to protect public health, to protect the quality of the natural environment and to conserve resources and energy;" and
WHEREAS, failure to maximize the productive use of waste materials represents an inefficient use of society's resources that leads to increased economic and environmental costs affecting all citizens of the state; and
WHEREAS, Wisconsin has a proud tradition as a national leader in the recovery of high-volume industrial byproducts, in the recycling of consumer materials such as paper, aluminum, glass and plastic, in the composting of yard waste and in the development of solid waste management standards; and
WHEREAS, Wisconsin is encountering challenges to improving on its successful recycling and waste management record, including the advent of new waste streams and changes in consumption habits; and
WHEREAS, landfilling of solid wastes as practiced today in Wisconsin and the rest of the nation poses potential burdens for future generations; and
WHEREAS, wise lands use principles require that Wisconsin achieve a reasonable balance between waste generation and disposal requirements and the development of disposal capacity;
