Tuesday, November 24, 2009
Ninety-Ninth Regular Session
The Chief Clerk makes the following entries under the above date.
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The Chief Clerk makes the following entries dated Friday, November 20
, 2009.
Read first time and referred:
Senate Bill 405
Relating to: the powers and duties of the board of school directors and the superintendent of schools in a first class city school district, awarding a grant to a nonprofit corporation, requiring a referendum, and granting rule-making authority.
By
Senators
Taylor, Plale and Carpenter; cosponsored by Representatives Colon, Fields, Richards, Staskunas, Hintz and Danou.
To committee on Education.
Senate Bill 406
Relating to: snowmobile registration, trail use sticker requirements, intoxicated snowmobiling, snowmobile speed limits, calculating the estimated snowmobile gas tax payment, funding for alcohol education programs and state trails, providing penalties, and making appropriations.
By
Senators
Holperin, Wirch, Lehman, Cowles, Taylor, Erpenbach, Plale, Lassa, Schultz, Olsen, Miller, Hansen and Grothman; cosponsored by Representatives Danou, Radcliffe, Zepnick, Ripp, LeMahieu, Hebl, Steinbrink, Bies, Kestell, A. Ott, M. Williams, Kerkman, Turner, Van Roy and Hilgenberg.
To committee on Transportation, Tourism, Forestry, and Natural Resources.
Senate Bill 407
Relating to: eligibility for academic excellence higher education scholarships.
By
Senators
Miller, Taylor and Hansen; cosponsored by Representatives Ballweg, Smith, Pope-Roberts, Hebl, A. Ott, Townsend, Bies, Brooks and LeMahieu.
To committee on Agriculture and Higher Education.
Senate Bill 408
Relating to: the exception to the assessment of withdrawal taxes and fees against a landowner who transfers ownership of managed forest land for siting a public safety communications tower.
By
Senators
Jauch, Lassa, Taylor and Schultz; cosponsored by Representatives Hubler, Turner, Montgomery, Ziegelbauer, Petersen, Bies, Mursau, Zepnick, Kestell and Brooks.
To committee on Transportation, Tourism, Forestry, and Natural Resources.
Senate Bill 409
Relating to: a postsecondary education tax credit for businesses; increasing annual limits on angel investment tax credits; awarding grants to the WiSys Technology Foundation, Inc.; business plan competitions and an emerging technology center in the University of Wisconsin System; rural outsourcing grants; requiring the Department of Commerce to award grants to a high-technology business development corporation and grants for converting manufacturing facilities; increasing funding for certain economic development programs; a pilot program providing microloans for the creation of new businesses; increasing funding for certain technical college training program grants; providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures; granting rule-making authority; and making appropriations.
By
Senators
Lassa, Kreitlow, Sullivan, Lehman, Vinehout, Jauch, Hansen, Holperin, Miller, Robson, Erpenbach, Risser, Plale, Decker, Taylor, Wirch, Carpenter and Coggs; cosponsored by Representatives Molepske Jr., Cullen, Zigmunt, Smith, Turner, Berceau, Zepnick, Vruwink, Dexter and Schneider.
To committee on Economic Development.
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Relating to revenue limit exemptions for energy efficiencies.
Submitted by Department of Public Instruction.
Report received from Agency, November 20, 2009.
Referred to committee on Education,
November 20, 2009.
__________________
Pursuant to Senate Rule 17 (5), Senator Holperin added as a coauthor of
Senate Bill
402
.
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State of Wisconsin
Government Accountability Board
November 5, 2009
The Honorable, The Legislature:
S428
The Military and Overseas Vote Empowerment (MOVE) Act signed by the President into law last week, amends the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002 and the Uniformed and Overseas Citizens Absentee Voting Act (UOCAVA) to address a number of problems with absentee voting for military and overseas citizens. Key among those problems as studied by Congress is that military and overseas voters are disenfranchised by lengthy mailing delays. The MOVE Act now requires states to take a number of steps to address this issue including transmitting ballots to military and overseas voters no later than 45 days before the election unless a waiver is granted by the Federal Voting Assistance Program (FVAP).
The Government Accountability Board (Board) is currently analyzing the various requirements of the MOVE Act and taking all necessary steps to implement this Federal legislation for the November 2010 election as required. The 45-day absentee ballot transmission deadline however, cannot be met under the current statutorily-defined election calendar. As such, during its December 14, 2009, meeting, I will seek the Board's approval to request a waiver of this requirement from FVAP.
Simply stated, applying for the waiver requires Wisconsin, along with ten other states, to explain the hardship that prevents the state from compliance and provide a comprehensive plan to ensure that military and overseas citizens are able to receive absentee ballots that have been requested and submit their marked ballots to the appropriate Wisconsin election official in time to have the ballot counted. The good news is, we are already doing a great deal of what the MOVE Act mandates for Wisconsin's Uniformed and Overseas electors. Wisconsin is one of the few states whose current absentee voting provisions have been recognized as providing military and overseas citizens with enough time to vote.
Once we have completed our analysis of the possible impact of the MOVE Act on Wisconsin and determined how we plan to meet the various requirements, we will provide additional information. We anticipate receiving further details on the waiver process from FVAP and will keep you apprised of our progress.
If you or your staff have questions, please contact me or my lead staff person, David Buerger, Elections Specialist, at (608) 267-0951, or via email at
david.buerger@wisconsin.gov. Thank you.
Sincerely,
kevin kennedy
Director and General Counsel
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
November 17, 2009
The Honorable, The Legislature:
