The committee on Health reports and recommends:
Assembly Bill 122
Relating to: Medical Assistance reimbursement for transportation by specialized medical vehicle.
Passage:
Ayes: 12 - Representatives Underheim, Vukmir, Gielow, Wieckert, Hundertmark, Strachota, Moulton, Wasserman, Shilling, Vruwink, Benedict and Nelson.
Noes: 0.
To committee on Rules.
Senate Bill 73
Relating to: creating the option to make an anatomical gift as part of a living will and eliminating the designation of a specific physician to perform transplantation.
Concurrence:
Ayes: 12 - Representatives Underheim, Vukmir, Gielow, Wieckert, Hundertmark, Strachota, Moulton, Wasserman, Shilling, Vruwink, Benedict and Nelson.
Noes: 0.
To committee on Rules.
Gregg Underheim
Chairperson
Committee on Health
__________________
From: Robert J. Marchant, Senate Chief Clerk.
Mr. Speaker:
I am directed to inform you that the Senate has
Passed and asks concurrence in:
Senate Bill 194
__________________
Senate Bill 194
Relating to: the involvement of military base commanders with local zoning entities; creating a council on military and state relations; and requiring a seller of real property to disclose its proximity to the boundaries of a military installation.
By
Senators
Brown and Schultz; cosponsored by Representatives Musser and Gunderson.
To committee on Rules.
The following Assembly proposals, which have been approved by both the Assembly and Senate, have been enrolled by the Legislative Reference Bureau:
Assembly Bill
49
Assembly Bill
197
Assembly Bill
261
Patrick E. Fuller
Assembly Chief Clerk
__________________
Communications
May 13, 2005
Patrick E. Fuller, Assembly Chief Clerk
17 West Main Street, Room 208
Post Office Box 8952
Madison, Wisconsin 53708-8952
Dear Mr. Chief Clerk:
Please remove my name from the list of co-sponsors on Assembly Bill 361. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Karl Van Roy
90th Assembly District
__________________
May 13, 2005
Mr. Patrick Fuller
Assembly Chief Clerk
208 Risser Justice Center
Madison, WI 53707
Dear Mr. Fuller:
I write to request that you add my name as a co-sponsor of Assembly Bill 186, relating to state procurement of contractual services. Assembly Bill 186 is being sponsored by Representative Mark Pocan. For your information, I have already been added as a co-sponsor of the Senate companion bill, Senate Bill 98.
Thank you for your assistance in this matter. If you have any questions, please contact my office directly.
Sincerely,
Senator Spencer Coggs
6th Senate District
__________________
May 16, 2005
Mr. Patrick Fuller
Assembly Chief Clerk
208 Risser Justice Center
Madison, WI 53707
Dear Chief Clerk Fuller:
Please add my name as a co-sponsor to Assembly Bill 420. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact my office. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Scott Gunderson
State Representative
83rd Assembly District
__________________
Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
May 13, 2005
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed an annual financial audit of the Department of Employee Trust Funds, as requested by the Department and to fulfill our audit requirements under s.
13.94(1)(dd), Wis. Stats. The audit covered calendar year 2003. The statements and our unqualified opinion on them are included in the Department's recently issued financial report, which provides information on the financial position and activity of various benefit programs available to public employees.
Most of the Department's programs reported positive financial results in 2003. The State's issuance of appropriation bonds at the end of 2003 to finance payment of its liabilities for the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) and the Accumulated Sick Leave Conversion Credit program significantly improved the financial position of both of these programs. However, employers have experienced recent increases in WRS contribution rates as a result of investment experience and benefit changes. The maturation of the WRS presents challenges for management of the system in the future.
In 2002, the Department began work on a new benefit payment system. However, after experiencing ongoing difficulties and delays in the project and incurring $3.9 million in costs, the Department terminated contracts for the development of the new system in 2004. Subsequently, it contracted with another consulting firm, at a contract amount of $198,000, to assess the project. Several contributing factors were identified, including inadequate project management by the Department, insufficient technical skills by the project team, and failure by an external project monitoring firm to complete its intended role. In February 2005, the Department contracted with a new firm, at a contract amount of $4.5 million, to implement the new payment system incrementally.
A247
Finally, accompanying this letter is a management letter we provided to the Department, which includes an auditor's report on internal control and compliance, as required by Government Auditing Standards. We did not identify any control or compliance concerns required to be reported under these standards.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by the Department's staff during our audit.
Sincerely,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
May 17, 2005
