The Honorable, The Senate:
The following bill(s), originating in the Senate, have been approved, signed and deposited in the office of the Secretary of State:
Bill Number Act Number Date Approved
Senate Bill 142 Act 104
March 14
, 2008
Respectfully submitted,
JIM DOYLE
Governor
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State of Wisconsin
Senate
March
14
, 2008
The Honorable, The Senate:
On Wednesday, March 12, I had to take a temporary leave of absence after 5:00 p.m.
I would request that the Senate Journal reflect how I would have voted on the following roll-call votes taken during that leave.
On final passage of Senate Bill 355, I would have voted aye.
On concurrence with Assembly Bill 248, I would have voted aye.
On concurrence with Assembly Bill 893, I would have voted aye.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
MICHAEL G. ELLIS
State Senator
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Health and Family Services
January 28, 2008
The Honorable, The Legislature:
Wis. Stats. s.46.03(26) requires the Department of Health and Family Services to report annually on information systems projects under development including the implementation schedule, an estimate of costs, and proposed methods of determining charges where applicable.
The Department currently has the following three systems under development: (1) Public Health Information Network - Wisconsin Electronic Disease Surveillance System (WEDSS), (2) the Vital Records Reengineering Project, and (3) the Medicaid Management Information System (MMIS) and related subsystems. The required information is provided in the attached report.
With warm regards,
KEVIN R. Hayden
Secretary
Referred to committee on Health, Human Services, Insurance and Job Creation.
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Department of Health and Family Services
February 5, 2008
The Honorable, The Legislature:
The Department of Health and Family Services is pleased to submit to you and the Joint Committee on Finance the attached report on the feasibility of modifying the Health Insurance Risk Sharing Plan (HIRSP) Pilot Program under Wisconsin Statute, s.
49.686 (6). This report is required under Section
9129 (7p) of
2007 Wisconsin Act 20.
The HIRSP Pilot will provide coverage under HIRSP for at least one hundred uninsured clients of the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP). The Pilot reduces costs to ADAP and expands access for pilot participants to the full range of medical care available to HIRSP policy holders. ADAP and the companion AIDS/HIV Health Insurance Premium Subsidy Program (Insurance Program) have provided access to life saving medications and medical care for low-income Wisconsin residents living with HIV disease since 1989 without the need for waiting lists or other cost containment measures that would negatively impact this vulnerable population. This is due in part to the rebates that ADAP collects from pharmaceutical companies and the “payer of last resort" status conferred on ADAP by federal guidance and legislation.
The Department concludes that it is not feasible to modify the HIRSP Pilot. The modifications are contrary to the "payer of last resort" status of ADAP and would not result in any further increase in drug rebate revenues to the State or any reduction in the cost of the Pilot for DHFS.
With warm regards,
Kevin R. Hayden
Secretary
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Corrections
February 18, 2008
The Honorable, The Legislature:
As required under Section
301.03(6r) of the Wisconsin Statutes, the Department of Corrections submits information relative to the number of prisoners that the Department considers violent and the total number of prisoners.
On November 30, 2007 the Department had 23,776 adult inmates assigned to Type “1" prisons in state and in contract facilities. Out of these inmates, 15,048 offenders had violent offenses.
Sincerely,
Rick Raemisch
Secretary
Referred to committee on Judiciary and Corrections.
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State of Wisconsin
Joint Legislative Council
February 21, 2008
The Honorable, The Senate:
Enclosed is a copy of the
2007 Annual Report Legislative Council Rules Clearinghouse, submitted to the Legislature pursuant to s.
227.15 (5), Stats.
Sincerely,
Terry C. Anderson
Director
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State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
February 27, 2008
The Honorable, The Legislature:
At your request, we have completed a limited-scope review of the Department of Transportation's (DOT's) bridge inspection program. In fiscal year 2006-07, DOT spent approximately $2.3 million to inspect Wisconsin's 5,188 state-owned bridges, including an estimated $1.0 million to hire private consultants with specialized inspection expertise.
Federal and state law require DOT to inspect all bridges owned or maintained by the State at least once every 24 months. We found that 98.1 percent of routine inspections were completed on time between January 2003 and November 2007. During this period, 98.9 percent of routine inspections conducted on structurally deficient bridges, which are bridges that have deteriorated or developed structural problems, were completed within the required 24-month intervals. Both of these inspection rates have improved since our 2001 evaluation of DOT's bridge inspection program (report 01-17).
DOT has not implemented procedures for monitoring routine bridge maintenance work performed by county highway departments or verifying the cost of completed maintenance work. Therefore, we include a recommendation for DOT to develop policies and procedures to track the type and cost of routine bridge maintenance work performed by counties, which totaled $5.7 million in 2006.
In general, the condition of state-owned bridges has improved in recent years. The percentage of state-owned bridges that are structurally deficient declined from 7.4 percent in 2002 to 4.2 percent in 2007, when there were 219 such bridges statewide. However, 34 state-owned bridges are more than 80 years old, exceeding the typical 75-year life span of bridges.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by DOT in conducting this review.
Sincerely,
janice Mueller
State Auditor
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
February 29, 2008
The Honorable, The Legislature:
This report is transmitted as required by s.
20.002(11)(f), Wisconsin Statutes, (for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under s.
13.172(3), Wisconsin Statutes) 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 cash balances during the month of January 2008.
On January 1, 2008, the Wisconsin Health Education Loan Repayment Fund cash balance closed at a negative $2 thousand. This negative balance continued through January 31, 2008, when the fund's cash balance closed at a negative $2 thousand. The negative balance was due to the difference in the timing of revenues and expenditures.
On January 1, 2008, the Worker's Compensation Fund cash balance closed at a negative $4.7 million. This negative balance continued through January 23, 2008, when the fund's cash balance closed at a positive $175 thousand. The Worker's Compensation Fund cash balance reached its intra-month low of a negative $4.8 million on January 4, 2008. The negative balance was due to the difference in the timing of revenues and expenditures.
S725
On January 1, 2008, the
Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund cash balance closed at a negative $52.5 million. This negative balance continued through January 31, 2008, when the fund's cash balance closed at a negative $45.0 million. The
Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund cash balance reached its intra-month low of a negative $55.0 million on January 4, 2008. The negative balance was due to the transfer of $71.5 million to the General Fund per
2007 Wisconsin Act 20, and the pending liquidation of fund securities necessary to offset this shortfall.
On January 1, 2008, the Dry Cleaner Environmental Response Fund cash balance closed at a negative $16 thousand. This negative balance continued through January 23, 2008, when the fund's cash balance closed at a positive $381 thousand. The Dry Cleaner Environmental Response Fund cash balance reached its intra-month low of a negative $17 thousand on January 3, 2008. The negative balance was due to the difference in the timing of revenues and expenditures.
On January 31, 2008, the Conservation Fund cash balance closed at a negative $1.5 million (its intra-month low). The negative balance was due to the difference in the timing of revenues and expenditures.
The Wisconsin Health Education Loan Repayment Fund, Worker's Compensation Fund, Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund, Dry Cleaner Environmental Response Fund, and Conservation Fund shortfalls were 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,
Michael L. Morgan
Secretary
Referred to joint committee on Finance.
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