MICHAEL L. MORGAN
Secretary
Referred to committee on State Affairs and Homeland Security.
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State of Wisconsin
University of Wisconsin System
Madison
December 15, 2008
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
The 1999-2001 State of Wisconsin Biennial Budget,
1999 Wisconsin Act 9, included a provision to change the University of Wisconsin System's appropriation for tuition and fee revenues (Academic Student Fees, Fund 131) from an annual, sum certain appropriation to a continuing appropriation.
Wisconsin Act 9 required the Board of Regents to report annually, beginning on December 15, 2000, the amount by which actual expenditures in the previous fiscal year, in this case 2006-07, exceeded the amount in the schedule for that appropriation in the previous fiscal year. That report, including the purposes for which the additional revenues were spent and the amount spent for each purpose, is attached.
Please contact Lynn Paulson at (608) 263-7481, if you have any questions related to this report.
Sincerely,
DEBORAH A. DURCAN
Vice President for Finance
Referred to committee on Colleges and Universities.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction
Madison
December 17, 2008
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Pursuant to s.
115.361 (2), Wis. Stats., the attached report is submitted to you for referral to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature under s.
13.172 (3), Wis. Stats. The report provides a collection of analyzed information about programs funded under this section along with evidence of their effectiveness. Further, this report covers a two-year cycle and provides information on a wide-range of AODA related resources, including grants, training, technical assistance, and educational materials.
If you have any questions regarding this document, please contact Kenneth Wagner at (608) 266-5181.
Sincerely,
ELIZABETH BURMASTER
State Superintendent
Referred to committee on Education.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Justice
Madison
December 19, 2008
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Section
165.90 of the Wisconsin Statutes requires the Department of Justice to report on the performance of cooperative county-tribal law enforcement programs receiving aid under this section. This letter constitutes our report.
The Department of Justice's County-Tribal Law Enforcement Grant Program continues to help local law enforcement provide needed services in Native American communities. In addition, this program helps build a cooperative atmosphere and positive relationship between law enforcement and tribal governments and communities. I am pleased to share information regarding this important program with you.
Sincerely,
J.B. VAN HOLLEN
Attorney General
Referred to committee on Criminal Justice.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Corrections
Madison
December 22, 2008
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
The 2005-2007 biennial budget,
2005 Wisconsin Act 25, required the Department to conduct a study regarding the possibility of reducing its costs for the care of inmates, who are not a threat to the community and require extended nursing care. The Department has completed such a study and per the instructions in the non-statutory section 9109 (3q) it is being submitted for distribution under section
13.172 (3) of the statutes.
Sincerely,
RICK RAEMISCH
Secretary
Referred to committee on Corrections and the Courts.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Health Services
Madison
December 22, 2008
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
The Department of Health Services is pleased to provide you this annual report of the Wisconsin Food Security Consortium's plans to address food insecurity, as required under s.
46.76 (4) and
(5).
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The Department, with the assistance of the Food Security Consortium, continues its commitment to fight hunger in Wisconsin.
Sincerely,
KAREN E. TIMBERLAKE
Secretary
Referred to committee on Children and Families.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Transportation
Madison
December 29, 2008
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
The department respectfully submits this report on the results of the study of Wisconsin's truck size and weight limit laws required by
2007 Act 20.
Consistent with the specific requirements of Act 20, the department contracted for the study and the study did identify changes in these laws that would have a net benefit to Wisconsin's economy. The study included review of items that were found to have net benefit in a similar Minnesota project report. The study was conducted with the assistance of an advisory committee, appointed by the department to meet the requirements of the Act.
Any questions about the study or this report may be directed to Rory Rhinesmith, Statewide Bureaus Operations Director, Division of Transportation Systems Development at 608- 266-2392, or by email
Rory.Rhinesmith@dot.wi.gov.
Sincerely,
FRANK J. BUSALACCHI
Secretary
Referred to committee on Transportation.
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State of Wisconsin
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee
December 29, 2008
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Enclosed please find the Medical College of Wisconsin's annual report for the Breast and Prostate Cancer Research Program funded through the income tax check-off programs created by 2003 Wisconsin ACT 176 and
2005 Wisconsin Act 460. The document represents the annual report highlighting the fiscal reporting period of July 1, 2007-June 30, 2008.
If you have any questions or comments regarding the report, please contact me at 414-456-8217.
Sincerely,
KATHRYN A. KUHN
Associate Vice President of Government Affairs
Referred to committee on Public Health.
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State of Wisconsin
Public Service Commission
Madison
December 30, 2008
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Enclosed please find the statutory proposal of the Public Service Commission for equitably allocating the costs of the Focus on Energy program among energy utility customers.
2005 Wis. Act 141 established an initial approach for allocating these costs, but directed the Commission to propose an alternative. Wis. Stat. §
196.374 (5)(bm)l., provides:
196.374 (5)(bm)1. The commission shall commence a proceeding for creating a proposal for allocating within different classes of customers an equitable distribution of the recovery of the amounts under par. (a) by all energy utilities. The purpose of the allocation is to ensure that customers of an energy utility within a particular class are treated equitably with respect to customers of other energy utilities within the same class. No later than December 31, 2008, the commission shall submit the proposal to the governor and chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature under s.
13.172 (3).
On June 13, 2008, the Commission opened a proceeding (docket 05-UI-l 13) as required by this law. The Commission identified issues and solicited comments from interested parties. At its open meeting on December 18, 2008, the Commission deliberated on these comments and unanimously agreed on an equitable means of allocating costs among energy utility customers. The Commission's proposal, which accompanies this letter and which is being sent by separate cover to the Governor, complies with Wis. Stat. § 196.3 74 (5)(bm)1.
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Under Wis. Stat. §
196.374 (3)(b)2., each energy utility must spend 1.2 percent of its annual operating revenues to fund the statewide energy efficiency and renewable resource programs that
2005 Wis. Act 141 mandates. Previously, the amounts that energy utilities and their customers paid for these programs varied widely. In 2005, before the enactment of
2005 Wis. Act 141, natural gas and electric customers contributed between 0 and 1.10 percent of their bills to these programs. While
2005 Wis. Act 141 equalized the amounts that energy utilities must pay, it retained some of the inequities among utility customers. Under Wis. Stat. §
196.374 (5)(b)l., energy utilities can collect from a large energy customer no more than the customer had been paying in 2005. The result is that some large energy customers still make no contribution to the statewide energy efficiency and renewable resource programs, while others pay more than 1 percent of their bills for these programs. The cap on payments by large energy customers also creates inequities for other utility customers because they must contribute excess amounts to make up for the shortfall of payments from large energy customers.
The Commission's proposal assigns to each customer class the projected costs of the energy efficiency and renewable resource programs that it is receiving. This ensures that customers are receiving benefits from the programs commensurate with their contributions. To date, large energy customers have been receiving energy efficiency and renewable resource services in excess of their contributions. The Commission's proposal increases the cost responsibility of large energy customers over three years until they are paying their full share. This gradual increase in cost responsibility is designed to mitigate the fiscal impact on large energy customers while still equitably allocating the cost of these programs among the classes of energy utility customers.
If this proposal is not enacted into law by July 1, 2009, the existing statute requires the Commission to annually raise the payments of a large energy customer by the lesser of the percentage increase in the customer's utility's operating revenues or the consumer price index.
Thank you for your consideration of this proposal. If you have further questions, please contact my Executive Assistant, Nate Zolik, at 267-7897.
Sincerely,
ERIC CALLISTO
Chairperson
Referred to committee on Energy and Utilities.
