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 Robson led the Senate in the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.
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The Chief Clerk makes the following entries dated Wednesday, June 22, 2005.
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The committee on Senate Organization reports:
Assembly Bill 5
Relating to: health benefit purchasing cooperatives.
Rereferred to the joint committee on
Finance, pursuant to Senate Rule
41 (1)(e):
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Schultz, Lasee, Kedzie, Robson and Hansen.
Noes, 0 - None.
Withdrawn from the joint committee on
Finance and placed on the calendar of 6-23-2005, pursuant to Senate Rule
41 (1)(e):
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Schultz, Lasee, Kedzie, Robson and Hansen.
Noes, 0 - None.
Dale Schultz
Senate Majority Leader
The committee on Judiciary, Corrections and Privacy reports and recommends:
Assembly Bill 56
Relating to: actions against sport shooting range owners or operators, against gun or sportsman's clubs, and against manufacturers, importers, trade associations, or dealers of firearms, firearm components, or firearm ammunition.
Concurrence.
Ayes, 3 - Senators
Zien, Roessler and Grothman.
Noes, 2 - Senators
Taylor and Risser.
David Zien
Chairperson
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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 100
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Assembly Bill
100
Relating to: state finances and appropriations, constituting the executive budget act of the 2005 legislature.
By joint committee on Finance, by request of Governor Jim Doyle.
Read first time and referred to committee on Senate Organization.
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Read first time and referred:
Senate Bill 247
Relating to: considering a person's criminal record and evidence of abuse or neglect of a child when modifying custody or physical placement of a child.
By
Senators
Harsdorf, Lassa, Carpenter, A. Lasee, Reynolds, Risser, Roessler, Stepp, Zien and Darling; cosponsored by Representatives Wood, Lamb, Ainsworth, Albers, J. Fitzgerald, Freese, Gard, Gunderson, Gundrum, Hines, Honadel, Jensen, Kleefisch, Krawczyk, Kreibich, Lehman, Moulton, Petrowski, Pettis, Rhoades, Strachota, Suder, Townsend, Wasserman, Gronemus, Lothian and Nass.
To committee on Health, Children, Families, Aging and Long Term Care.
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The joint committee on Finance reports and recommends:
Senate Bill 119
Relating to: funding for identification cards provided without charge by the Department of Transportation and making appropriations.
Introduction and adoption of Senate Amendment 1.
S271
Ayes,
13 - Senators
S. Fitzgerald, Lazich, Darling, Cowles, Leibham, Olsen and Decker.
Representatives Kaufert, Ward, Jensen, Stone, Rhoades and Meyer.
Noes, 3 - Senator
Taylor. Representatives Pocan and Colon.
Passage as amended.
Ayes, 13 - Senators
S. Fitzgerald, Lazich, Darling, Cowles, Leibham, Olsen and Decker.
Representatives Kaufert, Ward, Jensen, Stone, Rhoades and Meyer.
Noes, 3 - Senator
Taylor. Representatives Pocan and Colon.
Scott Fitzgerald
Senate Chairperson
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State of Wisconsin
June 21, 2005
The Honorable, The Senate:
Pursuant to Senate Rule
46(2)(c), I am writing to direct that
Assembly Bill 116 be withdrawn from the committee on
Job Creation, Economic Development and Consumer Affairs and rereferred to the committee on
Veterans, Homeland Security, Military Affairs, Small Business and Government Reform.
I have obtained the consent of the appropriate chairperson.
Sincerely,
ALAN LASEE
Senate President
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
June 22, 2005
The Honorable, The Legislature:
We have examined the Indian Gaming, Racing, and Charitable Gaming programs administered by the Division of Gaming in the Department of Administration, as required by s.
13.94(1)(eg), Wis. Stats. We have issued an unqualified opinion on the Division's budgetary financial schedules for the three-year period from fiscal year (FY) 2001-02 through FY 2003-04.
Under the terms of the tribal-state gaming compacts, this office and the Department of Administration receive copies of independent financial audits of all Class III gaming operations for the 11 tribes that operate gaming facilities in Wisconsin. Based on these audited statements, total tribal revenue increased from $889.5 million in 2000 to almost $1.2 billion in 2004, or by 34.1 percent. Tribal expenditures increased from $470.8 million in 2000 to $676.2 million in 2004, or by 43.6 percent. Gaming profits, which are used by the tribes for payments to tribal members or for other purposes, increased from $418.7 million to $516.3 million, or by 23.3 percent.
Payments to the State increased under the 2003 compact amendments that were signed by 10 of the 11 tribes. The State received tribal payments of nearly $24.9 million in FY 2002-03 and $69.6 million in FY 2003-04. However, projecting future tribal payments is difficult pending the outcome of negotiations in response to a 2004 Wisconsin Supreme Court decision that invalidated certain compact provisions. In addition, because future payments to the State will be based on a percentage of net revenues, rather than on the lump-sum amounts most tribes paid in the past, it will be important for the Department of Administration to ensure that payments are correctly calculated and received in a timely manner. We note a number of potential concerns in these areas.
From FY 2001-02 through FY 2003-04, pari-mutuel tax revenue generated from greyhound racing and bingo tax revenue has declined. Nevertheless, during the three-year period we examined, the Racing and Charitable Gaming programs provided nearly $4.0 million to the Lottery Fund for property tax relief.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by the Department of Administration and the 11 tribal nations located in Wisconsin. A response from the Department of Administration follows the appendix.
Sincerely,
JANICE MUELLER
State Auditor
Pursuant to Senate Rule
17 (5), Senator Zien added as a coauthor of
Senate Bills 228 and
234, and
Senate Joint Resolution 30.
Pursuant to Senate Rule
17 (5), Senator Kedzie added as a cosponsor of
Assembly Bill 179.
Pursuant to Senate Rule
17 (5), Senator Roessler added as a cosponsor of
Assembly Bill 5.
