December 1996
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Attached is the Department of Administration's annual report to the Council on Small Business, Veteran-owned and Minority Business Opportunities as required by s.
16.75 (4) (a) 5, Wis. Stats.
The report evaluates the performance of Wisconsin's small businesses in submitting bids or proposals to the state and identifies the department's initiatives to encourage small, veteran-owned and minority businesses to participate in the state's purchasing program.
The report shows that the dollars the state spends with Wisconsin small businesses continues to increase.
* The number of purchase orders placed increased to 92,276 up 3,201 (3.6%) from 1994-95.
* The dollars awarded to Wisconsin small businesses increased to $319,861,066 up $21,913,680 (7.4%) from 1994-95.
* The percent of dollars awarded to Wisconsin small businesses, of all state awards, increased to 40.5% from 38.3% for 1994-95.
* The number of Wisconsin small businesses increased by 1,939 (1.6%) to 121,477.
The report excludes purchase orders to other state agencies as well as orders that are exempt from the purchasing process. It also excludes orders for postage, memberships, telephones, electric power, steam, water, and sewer, as no known Wisconsin small businesses exist to provide these commodities.
The Department of Administration remains strongly committed to working with Wisconsin's small, veteran-owned and minority businesses to increase their competitiveness and participation in the state purchasing program. This commitment is shown by the outreach and assistance activities identified in the report and in the increased share of state dollars ($21 million) awarded to small businesses.
Sincerely,
Mark D. Bugher
Secretary
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction
Madison
December 17, 1996
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
The department is pleased to submit the 1996 Annual Report on the Status of Bilingual-Bicultural Education programs, as required under s.
115.96, Wisconsin Statutes.
The report provides a review of the state's administration and funding of bilingual education in Wisconsin and factors contributing to program expansion and the resulting continuously lower annual reimbursement rates for school districts. The number of pupils served from minority languages, the locations of the state-funded programs during the 1996 fiscal year (July 1, 1995, through June 30, 1996), and staff-related data are included in the report to inform those with responsibilities for ensuring the continued success of bilingual education programs in Wisconsin. I am confident that you will find the report informational, useful and of concern given the rising numbers of pupils to be served absent a corresponding increase in fiscal support by the state.
If you have questions on any aspect of this report, please contact Dr. William J. Erpenbbach, director, equity and Title I, 267-1072. He is willing to discuss these with you at your earliest convenience.
Sincerely,
John T. Benson
State Superintendent
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State of Wisconsin
State Historical Society of Wisconsin
Madison
December 18, 1996
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
I am pleased to send you the second annual report from the Electronic Records Program at the State Historical Society. The State Legislature established the program with a special appropriation in 1994.
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The report includes a Preliminary Preservation Plan for statewide electronic records, a Strategic Plan for the Electronic Records Program, and a report on the attempt to take custody of historical data from the Sentencing Commission. Each of these documents identifies issues that must be addressed to ensure the preservation of Wisconsin's historically significant electronic records.
The Preliminary Preservation Plan identifies three primary objectives required to preserve electronic records of historical value. These objectives must be met at a statewide level as well as by each state and local agency.
1. Develop policy and technical standards for electronic recordkeeping.
The state needs policies and technical standards that emphasize the incorporation of record and archives management capabilities into electronic systems, address minimum recordkeeping capabilities, and policies that identify responsibility for long term management of electronic records of permanent value. In areas where the State Archives has authority, it will develop policies and technical standards. Where authority does not exist, the State Archives will actively advocate and participate in the policy and standards development process.
2. Develop a program to assist state agencies and local governments to establish and maintain reliable electronic records.
State and local government employes need an authoritative, reliable, and consistent source of information and training to effectively create, manage, and preserve electronic records. In early 1997, the State Archives will assess program assistance needs and present recommendations for their improvement or development.
3. Develop a model program to manage electronic records of long-term value.
Agencies that have custody of long term records must maintain an archival program capable of meeting archival requirements. Unfortunately, state standards and best practices to meet archival requirements for electronic records do not exist. The State Archives is examining and evaluating archival requirements for managing electronic records and a model archives program to manage electronic records. The outcome of this work will be the development of archival standards and best practices that state and local agencies may adopt.
These three objectives cannot be accomplished without support from all levels of state and local government. Information technology can help Wisconsin state and local agencies do more with less. However, they must also consider the responsibilities that come with creating, using, storing, and preserving electronic records. The state Historical Society and the Electronic Records Program look forward to working with state and local government leaders to ensure that our valuable electronic resources are properly managed.
Please call me at the 264-6480 if you have any questions about our second year report or would like further information on our work.
Sincerely,
Peter Gottlieb
State Archivist
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State of Wisconsin
Investment Board
Madison
January 1, 1997
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Attached is the Investment Board's annual report to the Legislature on investment goals and strategies, as provided under section
25.17(14g) of the Statutes. Objectives for each of the major funds managed by SWIB are described and significant changes since our last report are noted.
The Board currently manages over $35.5 billion for the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS), the ninth largest public pension fund in the U.S. and the 20th largest public or private pension fund in the world. The Board also manages over $4.6 billion in cash balances of state agencies, local governments and the WRS in the State Investment Fund (SIF).
Our investment objectives remain fundamentally the same from year-to-year. A long-term focus guides the investment strategy for the Retirement System trust funds, in keeping with their long-term obligations. Broadly diversified portfolios reduce market risk in these funds. Safety of principal and liquidity are emphasized for SIF, reflecting its shorter-term cash-management objectives.
Key points of note in this report:
* Management of the Fixed (or balanced) Retirement Trust Fund follows a disciplined, long-term approach to the allocation of assets among various markets (such as stocks, bonds, loans and real estate). Experience suggests that this approach is more likely to continue to produce needed rates of return over time that a strategy which attempts to enter or leave the markets at the peaks or lows ("market timing").
The continued strength of the domestic market has caused the Fixed Fund to be slightly overweighed in stocks. We rebalance to achieve targeted levels in each asset class. We are making somewhat greater use of index funds in domestic and international equities to complement our predominantly active style of investment and to facilitate rebalancing.
* We continue to maintain a high degree of liquidity in SIF. With input received from local governments, we reviewed and renegotiated more favorable insurance coverage for the Local Government Investment Pool component of the State Investment Fund, effective January 1, 1997.
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* The Board is also in the process of reviewing the program under which SWIB purchases certificates of deposit from qualified Wisconsin banks and thrifts. We are examining steps that might increase demand for the program without impairing SWIB's ability to earn a competitive rate of return. More discussions are planned with banking associations and financial institutions.
* As you know,
1995 Wisconsin Act 403 designated SWIB to manage the Tuition Trust Fund for the
EdVest Wisconsin program. We are in the process of developing the investment guidelines for the Fund. The Department of Administration is managing the program, which is scheduled to begin operation this spring.
The development of investment strategy is critically affected by the availability of resources. As we approach the 1997-99 biennial budget deliberations, our most urgent resource need is for a substantial upgrade of our information systems. this need must be addressed if we are to have the portfolio management, accounting and compliance monitoring tools that are essential to stay competitive and properly manage risk. I look forward to the opportunity to discuss this initiative with you.
As provided under
1995 Wisconsin Act 274, we will submit a report to you by March 31 which discusses investment performance through the end of 1996.
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions about this report or other matters.
Sincerely,
Patricia Lipton
Executive Director
