The Wisconsin Food Security Consortium continues making progress in devising strategies to end hunger and food insecurity in Wisconsin. Key steps in 2006 include:
• The Consortium expanded its membership to include several more local food security representatives, and improved communications among Consortium members through regular e-mails. A web site is being planned.
• The consortium meetings throughout 2006 continued providing updates from the various programs associated with the Consortium, including School Breakfast Programs, Summer Food Program, Emergency Food Programs, FoodShare and the FoodShare Access Program.
• The Consortium established a governance structure with by-laws. The structure represents an independent partnership, rather than a committee appointed by and reporting to DHFS. A Steering Committee consisting of Consortium members meets monthly and carries out the work of the Consortium.
• The Steering Committee wrote and submitted a Wisconsin Food Security Partnership grant application to The Wisconsin Partnership Fund for a Healthy Future. It proposes to plan and conduct a statewide gathering on the issue of hunger that will result in the development and dissemination of an Action Plan that offers a menu of specific steps which state and local leaders from the public and private sectors can take to help minimize hunger and food insecurity.
• The WIC Program is planning a Food Insecurity Survey of its participants for January 2007.
These successes indicate the continued commitment of the Department, with the assistance of the Food Security Consortium, to fight hunger in Wisconsin.
Sincerely,
Helene Nelson
Secretary
State of Wisconsin
Technical College System
December 1, 2006
The Honorable, The Legislature:
This letter certifies that all sixteen Wisconsin Technical Colleges have provided sexual assault and harassment orientation, materials and information to students as required under state statute 38.12(11) for the 2006-2007 school year.
Individual college letters assuring compliance are on file in our office at this time. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Linda Fahey, System Equal Opportunity Officer, at 267-2479.
Sincerely,
Daniel Clancy
President
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
December 5, 2006
The Honorable, The Legislature:
At the request of the departments of Commerce and Administration, and in accordance with s.
13.94(1s), Wis. Stats., we have completed a financial audit of the State of Wisconsin Petroleum Inspection Fee Revenue Obligations Program for the fiscal years ending June 30, 2006, and June 30, 2005. We express our unqualified audit opinion on the Statement of Changes in Program Assets and related notes.
Since the program began in 2000, the State has issued $387.6 million in revenue obligations, such as bonds and commercial paper, to provide financing for payment of claims under the Wisconsin Petroleum Environmental Cleanup Fund Award (PECFA) program. These revenue obligations are not general obligation debt of the State. Instead, they are to be repaid primarily from the fee collected by the Department of Revenue from suppliers of petroleum products sold in Wisconsin. This fee, which is established in s.
168.12(1), Wis. Stats., was reduced from $0.03 per gallon to $0.02 per gallon effective April 1, 2006, as provided for in
2005 Wisconsin Acts 25 and
85.
Petroleum inspection fees are initially credited to the Transportation Fund. They are then transferred by the Department of Revenue to the trustee of the Petroleum Inspection Fee Revenue Obligations Program. After satisfying debt service requirements, the trustee transfers any remaining fees back to the State for deposit to the Petroleum Inspection Fund. We found that the Department of Revenue erroneously transferred amounts in excess of actual petroleum inspection fee collections to the trustee. As a result, the Petroleum Inspection Fund was incorrectly credited for amounts that should have remained in the Transportation Fund. An estimate to correct for this error has already been included in the State's Annual Fiscal Report for 2005-06, published by the Department of Administration in October 2006. In a separate audit communication, we include recommendations for the Department of Revenue to calculate actual excess transfers and make necessary adjustments to the State's central accounting records.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us during the audit by staff of the departments of Commerce, Administration, and Revenue.
Sincerely,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
