__________________
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
September 23, 2009
The Honorable, The Legislature:
Earlier this year, the Joint Legislative Audit Committee directed this office to conduct a comprehensive audit of the State's child care subsidy program, Wisconsin Shares, which is administered by the Department of Children and Families (DCF). Our June 2009 letter report on the first phase of that audit identified numerous eligibility, wage verification, and record-keeping problems and estimated that, as a result, $22.5 million in improper subsidy payments had been made in 2008. Our evaluation of the overall effectiveness of child care regulation is ongoing, but we are writing at this time to disclose a serious problem we discovered during the course of our work.
In July 2009, we began to compare the addresses of registered sex offenders to addresses for the sites at which all licensed and certified child care providers care for children. We subsequently found four matches. DCF and the Department of Corrections (DOC), which maintains Wisconsin's Sex Offender Registry, were notified immediately and have confirmed the accuracy of the matches we found in electronic records. They are continuing to follow up and at this point believe that no child was harmed as a result of the situations we identified. However, we could not independently determine whether registered sex offenders had ever been present while care was being provided, and unless procedures are implemented to ensure similar situations do not occur in the future, such a potential will exist.
In response to our findings, DCF issued a memorandum on August 25, 2009, directing state licensing and county certification staff to search an electronic database of registered sex offenders for anyone who applies for licensure or certification as a child care provider.
Our work on sex offender data matches is complete, but we are continuing to compare DCF's information on child care providers, their employees, and other household members with both criminal records maintained by the Wisconsin Department of Justice and records of substantiated cases of child abuse or neglect maintained by DCF. If necessary, we will report our findings separately upon completion of our analyses. We expect that the entire child care regulation evaluation will be completed in December 2009.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation of DCF and DOC in completing this analysis.
Sincerely,
janice muller
State Auditor
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Relating to commercial fishing in outlying waters and affecting small business.
Submitted by Department of Natural Resources.
Report received from Agency, September 22, 2009.
Referred to committee on Transportation, Tourism, Forestry, and Natural Resources, September 23, 2009.
Relating to the use of designations or certifications purporting to demonstrate special expertise in the financial or retirement needs of seniors.
Submitted by Insurance Commissioner.
Report received from Agency, September 21, 2009.
Referred to committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing, September 23, 2009.
Relating to minor revisions to securities administrative code sections for conformity with Wisconsin securities statutes, filings and securities agent examination matters.
Submitted by Department of Financial Institutions.
Report received from Agency, September 21, 2009.
Referred to committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, Biotechnology, and Financial Institutions,
September 23, 2009.
Relating to statutory residents.
Submitted by Technical College System Board.
Report received from Agency, September 22, 2009.
Referred to committee on Small Business, Emergency Preparedness, Technical Colleges, and Consumer Protection, September 23, 2009.
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By Patrick E. Fuller, chief clerk.
Mr. President:
I am directed to inform you that the Assembly has passed and asks concurrence in:
Assembly Bill 57
Assembly Bill 131
Assembly Bill 138
Assembly Bill 164
Assembly Bill 209
Assembly Bill 214
Assembly Bill 227
Assembly Bill 297
Assembly Bill 298
Assembly Bill 314
Assembly Bill 333
Assembly Bill 387
Adopted and asks concurrence in:
Assembly Joint Resolution
73
Amended and concurred in as amended:
Senate Bill 107
(Assembly Amendment 3 and Assembly Amendment 4 as amended by Assembly Amendment 1 to Assembly Amendment 4 Adopted)
Concurred in:
Senate Bill 123
Senate Bill 257
Senate Joint Resolution
46
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Assembly Bill
11
Relating to: eliminating the World Dairy Center Authority.
By Representatives A. Ott, Brooks, Jorgensen, Murtha, Nerison, Ripp, Spanbauer, Strachota, Tauchen, Townsend and Ballweg; cosponsored by Senators Vinehout, Olsen and Schultz.
Read first time and referred to committee on Agriculture and Higher Education.
Assembly Bill
128
Relating to: authorizing a sheriff to depute certain security officers who are employed by the Department of Military Affairs.
By Representatives Brooks, Vruwink, Ballweg, Schneider, Pridemore, M. Williams, Nerison, A. Ott, Vos, Townsend, Spanbauer and Petrowski; cosponsored by Senators Lassa, Schultz, Taylor, Vinehout and Kedzie.
Read first time and referred to committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, Biotechnology, and Financial Institutions.
Assembly Bill
130
Relating to: costs of administering tests for intoxication.
By Representatives Gundrum, Petersen, Ziegelbauer, Montgomery, Staskunas, Nass, Townsend, Berceau, Kleefisch, Nerison, LeMahieu, Spanbauer, Bies, Lothian, Petrowski, A. Ott, Brooks, Mursau, Strachota, Gottlieb, Richards and Molepske Jr.; cosponsored by Senators Kedzie, Lazich, Plale, Darling and Schultz.
Read first time and referred to committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing.
Assembly Bill
136
Relating to: partially exempting an assessor and an assessor's staff from liability for trespassing, creating immunity from civil liability, and changing the notice requirements related to the revaluation of property by an assessor.
By Representatives Hubler, Wood, Berceau, A. Ott, Mursau, Brooks, Friske, Strachota and Lothian; cosponsored by Senators Holperin, Lehman, Lassa, Hansen, Risser, Coggs and Plale.
Read first time and referred to committee on Judiciary, Corrections, Insurance, Campaign Finance Reform, and Housing.
Assembly Bill
153
Relating to: membership of the State Fair Park Board.
By Representatives Staskunas and Gunderson; cosponsored by Senators Sullivan and Kanavas.
Read first time and referred to committee on Transportation, Tourism, Forestry, and Natural Resources.
Assembly Bill
166
Relating to: the use of pesticides by veterinarians and veterinary technicians.
By Representatives Radcliffe, Tauchen, Vruwink, Townsend, Jorgensen, Smith, Lothian, Ballweg, Turner, Clark, Danou, Gunderson, Brooks, A. Ott, Mason and Nerison; cosponsored by Senators Vinehout, Lassa, Harsdorf, Taylor, Schultz, Kedzie, Olsen, Lehman and Hansen.
Read first time and referred to committee on Agriculture and Higher Education.
Assembly Bill
186
Relating to: salvinorin A and providing a penalty.
