To the Honorable Members of the Assembly:
The following bills, originating in the Assembly, have been approved, signed and deposited in the office of the Secretary of State:
Bill Number Act Number Date Approved
Assembly Bill 704319May 12, 2010
Assembly Bill 32326May 12, 2010
Assembly Bill 430327May 12, 2010
Assembly Bill 650328May 12, 2010
Assembly Bill 898333May 13, 2010
Assembly Bill 296334May 13, 2010
Assembly Bill 780335May 13, 2010
A980
Assembly Bill 823336
May 13, 2010
Assembly Bill 883337May 13, 2010
Respectfully submitted,
JIm Doyle
Governor
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Governor's Veto Message
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
Madison
May 12, 2010
To the Honorable Members of the Assembly:
I have approved
Assembly Bill 757 as
2009 Wisconsin Act 295 and have deposited it in the Office of the Secretary of State. I have exercised the partial veto in Section 15, as it relates to s.
560.2065 (2m).
Agriculture has a long, rich history in Wisconsin, generating nearly $60 billion a year in economic activity. The state's food processing industry is a diverse sector of dairy, meat, fruit and vegetables, and growing this sector has been one of my top economic development priorities. This tax credit recognizes the importance of agriculture and food processing in Wisconsin by allowing companies to invest in new technologies, expand operations, save energy and create jobs in food processing plant and food warehouse modernization and expansion. This strategy has worked for similar investment tax credits for dairy and livestock farms, dairy manufacturing, and meat processing and now it is time to extend it to this important sector of the economy and position Wisconsin to emerge from this recession as an industry leader.
Unfortunately, a provision was added to the bill that prohibits a taxpayer who has unintentionally hired an unauthorized worker from claiming the credit. Seeking to address national immigration policy issues by limiting the access of Wisconsin's food processing industry to job creating tax credits is unfair and could weaken Wisconsin's agriculture economy. I have exercised the partial veto to remove this provision.
Assembly Bill 757 provides an income and franchise tax credit for 10 percent of the amount that a person pays in the taxable year for food processing plant and food warehouse modernization or expansion related to the person's food processing operation, up to $200,000, for tax years beginning after December 31, 2009, and before January 1, 2017. The total amount of tax credit available under the bill as amended is $1,000,000 in fiscal year 2009-10, $1,200,000 in fiscal year 2010-11, and $700,000 in fiscal year 2011-12 and each year thereafter. The bill as amended specifies that no taxpayer may be certified to claim tax credits under the bill if, in the year a credit could be claimed or in the five years preceding that year, the taxpayer has been found to have violated
8 U.S.C. 1324a (a), relating to the unlawful employment of unauthorized aliens. The bill as amended also exempts the bill from the statutory fund balance requirement.
I am partially vetoing section 15, as it relates to s.
560.2056 (2m), because I object to the limitations it places on Wisconsin companies that expand their food processing operations.
I believe the partial veto I made to Assembly Bill 757 maintains the intent of the bill without unfairly targeting food processors and distributors.
Respectfully submitted,
JIm Doyle
Governor
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Communications
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Secretary of State
Madison
To Whom It May Concern:
Acts, Joint Resolutions and Resolutions deposited in this office have been numbered and published as follows:
Bill Number Act Number Publication Date
Assembly Bill 779274May 25, 2010
Assembly Bill 699275May 25, 2010
Assembly Bill 720276May 25, 2010
Sincerely,
Douglas La Follette
Secretary of State
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State of Wisconsin
Office of the Secretary of State
Madison
To Whom It May Concern:
Acts, Joint Resolutions and Resolutions deposited in this office have been numbered and published as follows:
Bill Number Act Number Publication Date
Assembly Bill 314286May 26, 2010
Assembly Bill 884287May 26, 2010
Assembly Bill 929288May 26, 2010
Assembly Bill 746293May 26, 2010
Assembly Bill 756294May 26, 2010
Assembly Bill 757295May 26, 2010
Assembly Bill 228299May 26, 2010
Assembly Bill 808301May 26, 2010
Sincerely,
Douglas La Follette
Secretary of State
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A981
Referral of Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
Madison
May 11, 2010
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
In accordance with s.
16.75 (3m)(c)4, Wis. Stats., enclosed is the State of Wisconsin Minority Business Report for Fiscal Year 2009. The report provides information on State Agency and University of Wisconsin purchasing with minority business enterprises (MBE) certified by the Wisconsin Department of Commerce.
Overall MBE purchasing totaled $77,134,785. The Fiscal Year 2009 (FY09) MBE spending level and percentage ratio were the second highest in program history. This figure represents a MBE participation rate of 4.49 percent on overall spending in FY 09.
State government will continue to value its minority-owned business partnership and remain committed to helping minority-owned businesses succeed and compete for state contracts.
Sincerely,
Michael L. Morgan
Secretary
Referred to committee on Jobs, the Economy and Small Business.
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Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
May 12, 2010
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
We have completed an evaluation of public health programs and medical education and research initiatives established by the Medical College of Wisconsin and the University of Wisconsin (UW) School of Medicine and Public Health. The schools established these programs and initiatives with funding they received in trust when Blue Cross Blue Shield United of Wisconsin became a for-profit, publicly held stock insurance corporation. They requested our evaluation to fulfill requirements in a March 2000 order by the Commissioner of Insurance.
The Commissioner's order divided the funds equally and restricted their use to medical education and research and public health initiatives. From December 2003 through December 2007, a total of $630.4 million was transferred to permanent endowments managed separately by each school. Through December 31, 2008, the Medical College expended $32.1 million and the UW School of Medicine and Public Health expended $44.1 million on grants and administration.
Both schools have generally complied with the requirements they established for awarding and monitoring their funding, and we found that most grantees met the objectives described in their proposals. However, there were some exceptions, and we include recommendations for the schools to improve grant management and oversight. We also identified policy issues for their consideration, including possible changes to the conflict-of-interest policies for the committees that award some funds at each school and the need to continue careful monitoring of endowment balances. We also suggest the Commissioner of Insurance consider clarifying the definition of supplanting, the degree to which medical education and research funds may be allocated by the schools' Deans on a noncompetitive basis, and the extent to which the schools should directly expend public health funding rather than award it to community-based programs administered by other entities.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by the schools and grantees as we conducted this evaluation. Results of our in-depth review of 40 individual projects funded by each school are summarized in a separate document (report 10-7). The schools' responses to our evaluation follow the appendices.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
