Senate Bill 115
Relating to: utility aid payments based on the megawatt capacity of a wind farm.
Adoption of Senate Amendment 1.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Cowles, Kapanke, Plale, Wirch and Kedzie.
Noes, 0 - None.
Passage as amended.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Cowles, Kapanke, Plale, Wirch and Kedzie.
Noes, 0 - None.
Robert Cowles
Chairperson
The committee on Labor and Election Process Reform reports and recommends:
Krueger, Byron,
of Melrose, as a member of the Auctioneer Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2007.
Confirmation.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Reynolds, Lazich, Kanavas, Hansen and Carpenter.
Noes, 0 - None.
Sweeney, Timothy,
of Ripon, as a member of the Auctioneer Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2008.
Confirmation.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Reynolds, Lazich, Kanavas, Hansen and Carpenter.
Noes, 0 - None.
Thomas Reynolds
Chairperson
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State of Wisconsin
November 2, 2005
The Honorable, The Senate:
Pursuant to Senate Rule
46(2)(c), I am writing to direct that
Assembly Bill 175 be withdrawn from the committee on
Health, Children, Families, Aging, and Long Term Care and rereferred to the committee on
Judiciary, Corrections, and Privacy.
I have obtained the consent of the appropriate chairperson.
Sincerely,
ALAN LASEE
Senate President
Pursuant to Senate Rule
17 (5), Senator Lazich added as a coauthor of
Senate Joint Resolution 49.
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
October 15, 2005
The Honorable, The Senate:
This report presents statements of fund condition and operations (budgetary basis) of the State of Wisconsin for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2005. This satisfies the requirements of s.
16.40(3), Wisconsin Statutes. Displayed are major sources of revenues and major categories of expenditures for the General Fund and other funds compared to the prior year.
The 2003-05 biennium began with a fiscal year 2003 deficit of $282 million. This quickly increased to $3.2 billion due to the use of one-time measures to balance the 2001-03 budget combined with increasing costs. Wisconsin's $3.2 billion budget deficit was one of the largest in the country on a per capita basis. This report confirms that the difficult decisions made by the Governor and Legislature, combined with an improving economy, have erased the deficit and left the state with a $4.1 million surplus.
The opening General Fund balance has been reduced due to improvements in the state's revenue accounting methodology used in years prior to fiscal year 2005, which required an adjustment to fiscal year 2004 accrued revenues. The result of this adjustment is a reduction in the fiscal year 2005 opening balance of $27.4 million. The General Fund has an undesignated balance of $4.1 million as of the end of the fiscal year. This is $123.6 million lower than the balance of $127.7 million projected by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau in its most recent fund condition for the 2003-05 biennium published in January 2005. The change in the ending balance is the net result of a number of modifications since January 2005, including subsequent revenue reestimates by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau; lower tax collections and changes in non-tax revenues; separate legislation to increase appropriations (particularly for Medical Assistance); and higher payments for income tax credits. The undesignated ending balance of $4.1 million is $1.7 million lower than the fiscal year 2005 ending balance projected by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau in August 2005 in its fund condition for
2005 Wisconsin Act 25 (the 2005-07 biennial budget).
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General-purpose revenue taxes were $11.397 billion compared to $10.739 billion in the prior year, an increase of $658 million or 6.1 percent. This increase was $52 million, or 0.5%, below the Legislative Fiscal Bureau May 2005 estimate of $11.449 billion. General-purpose revenue expenditures, excluding fund transfers, were $11.860 billion compared to $10.661 billion in the prior year, an increase of $1.199 billion or 11.2 percent.
In fiscal year 2005, the State of Wisconsin continued to devote the major share of state tax collections to assistance to local school districts, municipalities and counties. Local assistance accounted for 56.3 percent of total general purpose revenue spending. Aid payments to individuals and organizations represented 21.3 percent of total general purpose revenue expenditures. The University of Wisconsin accounted for 8.3 percent of total general purpose revenue spending and state operations spending for all other state agencies accounted for 14.1 percent of the total.
Wisconsin, along with many other states, continues to struggle with Medicaid costs and insufficient federal revenues. Under
2005 Wisconsin Act 15, the Legislature directed that a transfer of $75 million be made from the General Fund to the Medical Assistance Trust Fund. This amount was in addition to $123.5 million transferred in fiscal year 2004 and $50 million transferred in fiscal year 2005 under prior legislation.
Due to limited General Fund resources resulting from the revenue accounting adjustments and the slightly slower growth in general fund revenues in fiscal year 2005, this transfer has been divided between fiscal year 2005 and fiscal year 2006 pursuant to the authority under s.
16.52 (12), Wisconsin Statutes. In fiscal year 2005, $20 million was transferred from the General Fund to the Medical Assistance Trust Fund. The remaining $55 million was transferred in July 2005 (fiscal year 2006). For this reason, the Medical Assistance Trust Fund continues to carry a $53.9 million deficit at the end of fiscal year 2005. The July 2005 transfer will fully address the 2003-05 deficit in the Medical Assistance Trust Fund. Given the fiscal year 2005 closing balance of $4.1 million, the transfer of the entire $75 million prior to June 30, 2005, would have left the general fund with a $50 million deficit.
In the absence of any revisions to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau's May 2005 revenue estimates, the slightly lower than anticipated revenues combined with the adjustment to the fiscal year 2005 opening balance, reduce by $56.7 million the projected general fund ending balance for both fiscal years 2006 and 2007 under
2005 Wisconsin Act 25 (the 2005-07 biennial budget), as reported by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. While still positive, these estimated fund balances are extremely small relative to the overall general fund budget.
The State of Wisconsin expects to publish its comprehensive annual financial report in December of 2005. The report will be prepared under generally accepted accounting principles.
Sincerely,
STEPHEN E. BABLITCH
Secretary
WILLIAM J. RAFERTY, CPA
State Controller
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
November 1, 2005
The Honorable, The Senate:
Attached to this letter is the Environmental Improvement Fund Biennial Report for the 2003-2005 biennium. The report provides information on the activities and operations of the program during the previous biennium. This report is submitted in accordance with s.
281.59(3)(j), Wis. Stats.
If you have any questions regarding the Biennial Report, please contact Bob Ramharter at 266-3915 or Frank Hoadley at 266-2305.
Sincerely,
MICHELE YOUNG
Director, Bureau of Community Financial Assistance
Department of Natural Resources
FRANK HOADLEY
Capital Finance Director
Department of Administration
executive order #127
Relating to a Special Election for the Thrity-third Assembly District
WHEREAS, the Honorable Daniel P. Vrakas, submitted his resignation as a State Representative for the Thirty-third Assembly District, effective October 31, 2005;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, JIM DOYLE, Governor of the State of Wisconsin, pursuant to section 8.50(4) of the Wisconsin Statutes, order that a special election be held on Tuesday, January 10, 2006 to fill the vacancy in the Thirty-third Assembly District. A description of the boundaries of the Thirty-third Assembly District as created in the combined cases of Baumgart et al. v. Wendelberger, Case No. 01-C-0121 (E.D. Wis. 2002) and Jensen et al. v. Wendelberger, Case No. 02-C-0366 (E.D. Wis. 2002) are set out in the 2003-04 Wisconsin Statutes following section 4.005. The term for the Thirty-third Assembly District will expire on the first Monday in January, 2007. If a primary is necessary, it shall be held on Tuesday, December 13, 2005. Circulation of nomination papers for candidates may begin on Tuesday, November 1, 2005, and nomination papers may be filed no later than 5:00 P.M., November 15, 2005 in the office of the State Elections Board. This election shall be held, conducted, canvassed and returned in accordance with law.
IN TESTIMONY WHERE OF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin to be affixed. Done at the Capitol in the city of Madison this first day of November in the year two thousand five.
JIM DOYLE
Governor
By the governor:
DOUGLAS LA FOLLETTE
Secretary of State
executive order #128
Relating to a Proclamation that the Flag of the United States and the Flag of the State of Wisconsin be Flown at Half-Staff in Rememberance of Rosa Parks
WHEREAS, on October 24, 2005, Rosa Parks passed away at the age of ninety-two; and
WHEREAS, Rosa Parks courageously defied injustice and by doing so helped to inspire the modern civil rights movement; and
WHEREAS, the President has directed that the flag of the United States be lowered to half-staff at all public buildings and grounds in honor of Rosa Parks on the day of her interment;
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NOW, THEREFORE, I, JIM DOYLE
, Governor of the State of Wisconsin, by the authority vested in me by Federal and State law, do hereby order that the flag of the United States and the flag of the State of Wisconsin shall be flown at half-staff at all buildings, grounds and military installations of the State of Wisconsin equipped with such flags beginning at sunrise on Wednesday, November 2, 2005, and ending at sunset on that date.
IN TESTIMONY WHERE OF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused the Great Seal of the State of Wisconsin to be affixed. Done at the Capitol in the city of Madison this first day of November in the year two thousand five.
JIM DOYLE
Governor
By the governor:
DOUGLAS LA FOLLETTE
Secretary of State
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