Sincerely,
kevin kennedy
Director and General Counsel
__________________
WHA Information Center
May 19, 2010
The Honorable, The Senate:
Enclosed is a hard copy of the 2008 Health Care Data Report produced by WHA Information Center pursuant to s.153.22, Wis. Stats. The report was posted on our Web site in March 2010. Please feel free to download and print additional copies.
If you have any questions regarding the report you may contact me at 608-274-1820, 800-231-8340 or
jkachelski@wha.org.
Sincerely,
Joseph Kachelski
Vice President
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Health Services
May 20, 2010
The Honorable, The Legislature:
Pursuant to Wis. Stats., s.
50.04(5)(fr), I am submitting the Department of Health Services' annual report to the Legislature related to Class A violation committed by nursing homes, and forfeitures assessed on nursing homes for those violations. As defined by Wis. Stats., s.
50.04(3b), a Class A violation is "...a violation of this subchapter or of the rules promulgated thereunder which creates a condition or occurrence relating to the operation and maintenance of a nursing home presenting a substantial probability that death or serious mental or physical arm to a resident will result..."
S822
The Department issued 28 Class A violations in calendar year 2009. The enclosed report provides details on all Class A violation, including the original forfeiture amount assessed and the status of payment.
Sincerely,
karen e. timberlake
Secretary
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Government Accountability Board
May 25, 2010
The Honorable, The Senate:
The following lobbyists have been authorized to act on behalf of the organizations set opposite their names.
For more detailed information about these lobbyists and organizations and a complete list of organizations and people authorized to lobby the 2009-2010 session of the legislature, visit the Government Accountability Board's web site at:
Bochert, Linda Michels Corporation
Also available from the Wisconsin Government Accountability Board are reports identifying the amount and value of time state agencies have spent to affect legislative action and reports of expenditures for lobbying activities filed by organizations that employ lobbyists.
Sincerely,
kevin kennedy
Director and General Counsel
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
May 26, 2010
The Honorable, The Legislature:
As required by s.
13.94(1)(em), Wis. Stats., we have completed our financial audit of the Wisconsin Lottery, which is administered by the Department of Revenue. We have issued an unqualified opinion on the Wisconsin Lottery's financial statements for fiscal year (FY) 2008-09 and FY 2007-08, and we found that the Wisconsin Lottery was in compliance with statutory spending limitations related to prizes, informational advertising, retailer compensation, and administrative expenses.
Ticket sales totaled $473.4 million in FY 2008-09 but decreased $21.3 million, or 4.3 percent, from the prior year. Wisconsin Lottery staff attribute this decline to the economic downturn and the timing of large Powerball jackpots, which have a significant effect on sales.
Total operating expenses were $344.5 million in FY 2008-09, which is 2.5 percent less than in FY 2007-08. This decrease in operating expenses is less than the decrease in ticket sales because some expenses do not fluctuate with sales. Since FY 2007-08, informational advertising expenses have been permitted to total no more than $7.5 million annually, which is an increase of $2.9 million from prior years.
Lottery proceeds used for property tax relief totaled $132.4 million in FY 2008-09. In October 2009, the Department of Administration and the Legislature's Joint Committee on Finance authorized the use of $130.2 million in Wisconsin Lottery proceeds for property tax relief in FY 2009-10, including $115.5 million for the Lottery and Gaming Tax Credit and $14.7 million for the Farmland Tax Relief Credit.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by Wisconsin Lottery staff in the Department of Revenue.
Respectfully Submitted,
janice mueller
State Auditor
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
May 27, 2010
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 April 2010.
On April 1, 2010, the Utility Public Benefits Fund cash balance closed at a negative $8.2 million. This negative balance continued through April 30, 2010, when the fund's cash balance closed at a negative $10.1 million (its intra-month low). The negative balance was due to the difference in the timing of revenues and expenditures.
On April 1, 2010, the Permanent Endowment Fund cash balance closed at a negative $2.0 million (its intra-month low). This negative balance continued through April 16, 2010, when the fund's cash balance closed at a positive $127.7 million. The negative balance was due to the difference in the timing of revenues and expenditures.
On April 1, 2010, the Medical Assistance Trust Fund cash balance closed at a negative $312.8 million (its intra-month low). This negative balance continued through April 30, 2010, when the fund's cash balance closed at a negative $307.0 million. The negative balance was due to the difference in the timing of revenues and expenditures.
On April 1, 2010, the Police and Fire Protection Fund cash balance closed at a negative $18.7 million (its intra-month low). This negative balance continued through April 30, 2010, when the fund's cash balance closed at a negative $14.6 million. The negative balance was due to the difference in the timing of revenues and expenditures.
The Utility Public Benefits Fund, Permanent Endowment Fund, Medical Assistance Trust Fund, and Police and Fire Protection 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.
__________________
Legislative Audit Bureau
May 27, 2010
The Honorable, The Legislature:
We have completed a review of efforts by the State and by local governments to prepare for and minimize the effects of emergencies such as natural disasters and hostile action. From fiscal year (FY) 2004-05 through FY 2008-09, the federal Department of Homeland Security awarded Wisconsin a total of $318.5 million in federal grants for this purpose, including $241.0 million for emergency management activities and $77.5 million after presidentially declared disasters. Wisconsin Emergency Management (WEM) in the Department of Military Affairs is the lead state agency in planning for emergencies, while the Office of Justice Assistance (OJA) distributes most federal funds.
The FY 2008-09 emergency management grant funds we reviewed were spent in accordance with broad federal requirements, but some priorities remain unmet. Most notably, Wisconsin does not yet have a statewide communications system connecting all emergency responders. The basic infrastructure is expected to be operational in 2011, but unresolved issues - including costs to local governments for purchasing the communications equipment needed to gain access to the system and the funding sources that will be available to help them fund those costs - will continue to pose challenges to the system's development.
State and local government responses to two recent and significant natural disasters indicate that additional efforts are needed to improve emergency preparedness. We provide several recommendations, including that WEM improve and formalize its process for reviewing responses to emergencies and using the results to improve preparedness statewide.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by WEM, OJA, and local emergency responders. Responses from the Department of Military Affairs and OJA follow the appendices.
Respectfully Submitted,
janice mueller
State Auditor
__________________
Relating to the definition of volatile organic compounds.
Submitted by Department of Natural Resources.
Report received from Agency, June 1, 2010.
Referred to committee on Environment,
June 1, 2010
.
