Scott McCallum
Governor
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
December 4, 2001
To the Honorable, the Senate:
The following bill(s), originating in the Senate, have been approved, signed and deposited in the office of the Secretary of State:
Sincerely,
Scott McCallum
Governor
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Secretary of State
To the Honorable, the Senate:
Sincerely,
Douglas La follette
Secretary of State
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
November 29, 2001
The Honorable, The Senate:
We have completed a financial audit of the Petroleum Inspection Fee Revenue Obligations Program for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2001. The program provides financing for payment of claims under the Wisconsin Petroleum Environmental Cleanup Fund Award (PECFA) program. This financial audit was performed at the request of the Department of Commerce, which audits and pays PECFA claims, and the Department of Administration, which issues the program's revenue bonds and commercial paper.
As necessary parts of the financial audit, we reviewed the Revenue Obligations Program's control procedures, assessed the fair presentation of the Statement of Changes in Program Assets, and reviewed compliance with applicable laws and regulations. We were able to provide an unqualified auditor's report on the program's financial statemet and notes, and we found no reportable instances of weaknesses in the internal control structure or instances of noncompliance.
The State issued $230 million in debt in fiscal year 1999-2000 and another $20 million during our audit period. The debt proceeds, along with petroleum inspection fees in excess of debt service requirements, have allowed the Department of Commerce to reduce a backlog of unpaid PECFA claims from $196 million as of January 1, 2000, to less than $15 million as of June 30, 2001. However, as of June 30, 2001, the Department of Commerce had yet to review for approval approximately $20 million of claimed costs, and it continues to receive new claims every month.
Copies of the report have been distributed to members of the Joint Legislative Audit Committee and those required by law to receive them. If you are interested in receiving a copy of this report, please contact our office and request report number 01-19. The report is also available on line at
www.legis.wi.us\lab\windex.htm.
Sincerely,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
December 5, 2001
The Honorable, The Legislature:
We have completed a best practices review of local government operations, as directed by s.13.94(8), Wis. Stats. This report describes the development and implementation of electronic government services by local governments in Wisconsin.
Most local governments have already met a recommendation of the Blue-Ribbon Commission on State-Local Partnerships for the 21st Century, commonly known as the Kettl Commission, that all local governments serving populations of more than 25,000 have Web sites by June 30, 2002. Only 2 of 71 local governments with this population do not currently have Web sites. Further, 54 of 77 local governments with populations between 10,000 and 25,000 have Web sites.
E-government holds the potential to improve government services by making them less costly, more convenient, and more accessible to the public. Of the Web sites we reviewed, two-thirds are used primarily to publish information such as agendas and minutes of government meetings on line.
Increasingly, however, communities are developing features that allow interaction between residents and the government by allowing residents to send e-mail to local officials; print forms and applications; and in some cases, pay parking tickets or other fees on line using credit cards.
Our report highlights best practices for communities to use in making their Web sites as widely accessible as possible, making them easy to use, and addressing security and privacy concerns.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by the many Wisconsin county and municipal officials who responded to an electronic survey we conducted, as well as to additional questions.
Sincerely,
Janice mueller
State Auditor
Department of Administration
November 15, 2001
The Honorable, The Senate:
In fulfillment of the requirements set forth under s. 9101(26n), I am notifying the Joint Committee on Finance of the Department of Administration's (DOA) action taken to lapse funding related to vacant positions in state government. This lapse plan totals $7,948,300 in each fiscal year. The nonstatutory provision gives the DOA secretary the latitude to determine each agency's lapse amount and requires each agency to lapse the amount identified. I have apportioned the reduction on the same basis as the five percent state operations reductions were determined, with certain exclusions.
Agencies were informed of the amounts that they were required to lapse in my September 24, 2001, memorandum relating to the implementation of budget cuts and lapses. The reduction for the vacancy lapse amounts to a 1.47% state operations reduction for most state agencies. Positions in the Division of Care and Treatment Facilities in the Department of Health and Family Services, small agencies and the Circuit Courts have been exempted from this reduction. The lapse amount for each agency is listed in the attachment.
Sincerely,
george Lightbourn
Secretary
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
November 20, 2001
The Honorable, The Legislature:
Chapter
34, Laws of 1979, requires that when the Department of Administration maintains an office in Washington, DC, for the purpose of promoting federal/state cooperation, it should submit a report detailing the activities of the office and reporting the status of federal legislation of concern to the Legislature and other state agencies (Wis. Stats. 16.548(2)).
The report for the period July, 2001, through September, 2001, is attached.
Sincerely,
george Lightbourn
Secretary
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
November 26, 2001
The Honorable, The Senate:
Included with this correspondence, I am submitting the report of the Department of Administration, Division of Gaming(Gaming), for the first quarter of fiscal year 2002 (July 1, 2001 through September 30, 2001). As required by s.562.02(1)(g), Wis. Stats., the attached materials contain pari-mutuel wagering and racing statistical information, as well as the revenues for the program areas of Racing, Charitable Gaming and Indian Gaming. Bingo revenues are now captured in a new appropriation (836) and therefore are shown on a separate chart form the rest of Charitable Gaming.
Please note that the final day of racing at St. Croix Meadows was August 9, 2001. The track is now closed. If you have any questions or comments regarding this report, please do not hesitate to contact Richard Pedersen at (608) 270-2546.
Sincerely,
F. Scott Scepaniak
Administrator
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Revisor of Statutes Bureau
December 1, 2001
To the Honorable, the Senate:
The following rules have been published:
Sincerely,
GARY L. POULSON
Deputy Revisor
__________________
Relating to control of communicable diseases.
Submitted by Department of Health and Family Services.
Report received from Agency, December 3, 2001.
Referred to committee on Health, Utilities, Veterans and Military Affairs, December 6, 2001.
Relating to early intervention services for children with developmental needs in the age group from birth to 3.
Submitted by Department of Health and Family Services.
Report received from Agency, December 5, 2001.
Referred to committee on Human Services and Aging, December 6, 2001.
Relating to licensing of emergency medical technicians-intermediate and approval of emergency medical technician-intermediate operational plans.
Submitted by Department of Health and Family Services.
Report received from Agency, December 5, 2001.
Referred to committee on Health, Utilities, Veterans and Military Affairs, December 6, 2001.
__________________
The committee on Human Services and Aging reports and recommends:
Relating to course descriptions for students applying for social worker training certificates.
No action taken.
Relating to the minimum number of hours to be required in a social worker training certificate internship.
No action taken.
Relating to the social worker temporary certificate to conform to a new procedure for computerized examinations.
No action taken.
Relating to aid to families with dependent children.
No action taken.
