To committee on Universities, Housing, and Government Operations.
Senate Bill 435
Relating to: the sale or distribution of mercury thermometers and providing a penalty.
By
Senators
Robson, Burke, Cowles, Roessler and Wirch; cosponsored by Representatives Plouff, Urban, Berceau, Bock, Boyle, Gronemus, Huber, F. Lasee, Miller, Musser, Ott, Pocan, Ryba, Shilling and Wasserman.
To committee on Environmental Resources.
Senate Bill 436
Relating to: various changes regarding the department of financial institutions and persons regulated by the department of financial institutions and granting rule-making authority (suggested as remedial legislation by the department of financial institutions).
By
Law Revision Committee.
To committee on Privacy, Electronic Commerce and Financial Institutions.
Senate Bill 437
Relating to: battery to a health care provider and providing a penalty.
By
Senators
Wirch, Burke, Darling, Huelsman and Kanavas; cosponsored by Representatives Wasserman, Turner, Sykora, Musser, Underheim and Urban.
To committee on Judiciary, Consumer Affairs, and Campaign Finance Reform.
Senate Bill 438
Relating to: domestic abuse restraining orders and injunctions.
By
Senators
Burke, Huelsman, Breske, Cowles, Darling, George, Hansen, Moore, Plache, Risser, Roessler and Harsdorf; cosponsored by Representatives Wieckert, Albers, Boyle, Coggs, Hahn, Kaufert, La Fave, Lassa, J. Lehman, Musser, Olsen, Pocan, Richards, Shilling, Sykora, Turner, Wasserman and Berceau.
To committee on Judiciary, Consumer Affairs, and Campaign Finance Reform.
Senate Bill 439
Relating to: an evidentiary privilege for communications made to a person employed by or volunteering with an organization providing counseling, assistance, or support services to victims of sexual assault or abusive conduct.
By
Senators
Burke, Darling, George, Hansen, Huelsman, Moore, Plache, Roessler and Harsdorf; cosponsored by Representatives Lippert, Boyle, Coggs, Cullen, Hahn, Kaufert, Krawczyk, La Fave, Lassa, J. Lehman, Meyerhofer, Miller, Musser, Olsen, Pocan, Richards, Shilling, Stone, Turner, Ward, Wasserman, Wieckert and Berceau.
To committee on Judiciary, Consumer Affairs, and Campaign Finance Reform.
Senate Bill 440
Relating to: stalking and providing a penalty.
By
Senators
Burke, Huelsman, Darling, George, Hansen, Moore, Plache, Roessler and Schultz; cosponsored by Representatives Wieckert, Hundertmark, Boyle, Coggs, Hahn, Kaufert, La Fave, Ladwig, Lassa, J. Lehman, McCormick, Meyerhofer, Musser, Pocan, Ryba, Shilling, Sinicki, Stone, Sykora, Turner, Berceau and Freese.
To committee on Judiciary, Consumer Affairs, and Campaign Finance Reform.
Senate Bill 441
Relating to: defining emergency medical technician for purposes of the volunteer fire fighter and emergency medical technician service award program.
By
Senators
Robson, Grobschmidt, Hansen and Schultz; cosponsored by Representatives Grothman, Gunderson, Kreuser, Seratti and Turner.
To committee on Universities, Housing, and Government Operations.
Relating to: access to public records.
By
Senator
Erpenbach
.
To committee on Privacy, Electronic Commerce and Financial Institutions.
Senate Bill 443
Relating to: the formula used for calculating the estimated motorboat gas tax payment; establishing a wetlands protection grant program, funding for wetlands mitigation activities and positions, for lake management and river protection grants, and for positions to administer lake, river, and dam financial assistance programs; implementation of the conservation reserve enhancement program; implementation of county land and water resource management plans; granting rule-making authority; and making appropriations.
By
Senators
Cowles and Risser; cosponsored by Representatives Albers, Owens, Black, Krawczyk, J. Lehman and Boyle.
To committee on Environmental Resources.
Senate Bill 444
Relating to: requiring life cycle cost statements for major highway projects recommended for enumeration.
By
Senators
Cowles, Hansen and Huelsman; cosponsored by Representatives Olsen, Albers, Black, Ryba, Miller, La Fave and Berceau.
To committee on Insurance, Tourism, and Transportation.
__________________
The committee on Environmental Resources reports and recommends:
Senate Bill 336
Relating to: safety training for all-terrain vehicle and motorboat operation.
Introduction and adoption of Senate amendment 1.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Baumgart, Hansen, Wirch, Cowles and Schultz.
Noes, 0 - None.
Passage as amended.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Baumgart, Hansen, Wirch, Cowles and Schultz.
Noes, 0 - None.
Jim Baumgart
Chairperson
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
January 31, 2001
The Honorable, The Legislature:
This report is transmitted as required by sec. 20.002(11)(f) of the Wisconsin Statutes, (for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under sec. 13.172(3) Stats.), 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 balances during the month of December 2001.
On December 3, 2001 the General Fund balance was -$26.8 million. This shortfall continued until December 14, 2001 when the balance reached a positive $43.1 million. During this period, the General Fund balance reached a low of -$60.4 million on December 13, 2001. The shortfall was due to the difference in the timing of revenues and expenditures.
On December 10, 2001 the Agricultural Producer Security Fund balance was -$109 thousand. This shortfall continued through December 31, 2001 when the balance reached -$122 thousand. The shortfall was due to the initial start-up of the fund and a delay in the transfer of revenues into the fund. The negative fund cash balance has been resolved in January 2002.
The General Fund and Agricultural Producer Security Fund shortfalls were not in excess of the statutory interfund borrowing limitation 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.
Sincerely,
George Lightbourn
Secretary
Referred to the joint committee on Finance.
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
February 12, 2002
The Honorable, The Legislature:
As requested by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee, we have completed an evaluation of the Forestry Account, which supports forestry and other activities in the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and eight other state agencies. In fiscal year (FY) 2000-01, revenues deposited to this account totaled $69.0 million. Over 80 percent of these revenues were generated by a statewide forestry mill tax of $0.20 per $1,000 of property value, which is imposed on all owners of taxable property. The forestry mill tax is the only property tax levied by the state.
Revenues from the forestry Account support a variety of activities designed to protect and enhance the 16.0 million acres of private and public forestland in Wisconsin. Most Forestry Account expenditures are for forestry activities such as forest fire protection and control and assisting with management of county forests. However, a substantial amount of Forestry Account expenditures also fund DNR administrative costs. In FY 2000-01, $18.7 million was spent for administration, representing 27.8 percent of DNR's Forestry Account expenditures. This total included $6.5 million in administrative costs for forestry activities, which was charged directly to the Forestry Account and $12.2 million in department-wide administration and support services costs. DNR expenditures from the forestry Account supported a total of 644.1 full-time equivalent DNR employees, of which 449.7 worked directly in support of forestry activities. We note $4.5 million in Forestry Account expenditures by DNR and other state agencies supported programs that had no direct relationship to forestry.
S567
The Managed Forest Law program provides property tax relief to owners of forestland in exchange for commitments to implement sound forestry practices on their land. The program has grown rapidly: applications increased from 1,831 in 1997 to 3,251 in 2001, or by 77.6 percent. As a result of Managed Forest Law program growth, DNR staff have not been able to address their ongoing management responsibilities and, as of August 2, 2001, over 12,000 practices related to sound forest management on 187,165 acres had not been completed in the years specified by the forestry management plans. The increasing number of program participants has also increased DNR's workload. In 2001, the Legislature authorized 23.0 additional full-time equivalent positions to address ongoing workload concerns.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by the Department of Natural Resources. The Department's response is Appendix 4.
Sincerely,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
State of Wisconsin
Wisconsin technical College System Board
February 12, 2002
The Honorable, The Legislature:
This letter is to certify that all Wisconsin Technical Colleges have provided sexual assault and harassment orientation, materials and information as required under state statute 38.12(11) for the 2001-2002 school year.
Individual college assurances of compliance along with sample information and materials provided to students are on file in our office at this time. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Keith Krinke, System Equal Opportunity Officer, of my staff at 266-1844.
Sincerely,
Richard Carpenter
President/State Director
