Relating to: state government holidays.
By
Senators
Harsdorf, Kanavas, Wirch and Coggs; cosponsored by Representatives Pettis, Gronemus, Boyle, Mursau, McCormick, Gard, Kestell, Krawczyk, Van Roy, Vos, Sheridan, Pridemore, Strachota, Freese, Hines, Nerison, Gunderson, Albers and Van Akkeren.
To committee on Veterans, Homeland Security, Military Affairs, Small Business and Government Reform.
__________________
The committee on Veterans, Homeland Security, Military Affairs, Small Business and Government Reform reports and recommends:
Assembly Bill 105
Relating to: state contractual service contracting procedures and information and fiscal estimate cost mitigation analyses, granting rule-making authority, and providing an exemption from and extending the time limit for emergency rule procedures.
Adoption of Senate Substitute Amendment 1.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Brown, Zien, Kanavas, Breske and Wirch.
Noes, 0 - None.
Concurrence as amended.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Brown, Zien, Kanavas, Breske and Wirch.
Noes, 0 - None.
Ronald Brown
Chairperson
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
April 12, 2005
The Honorable, The Legislature:
We have completed audit work at the Department of Financial Institutions to meet our audit requirements under s.
13.94, Wis. Stats. The primary focus of our audit was to review the Department's fiscal operations and related activities to assess whether they are effectively managed, well-controlled, and in compliance with statutory requirements. The Department is responsible for regulating state-chartered financial institutions, the securities industry, and other financial service providers. In addition, it maintains corporate and Uniform Commercial Code filings, investigates consumer complaints related to credit transactions, and provides consumer financial education.
The Department is funded primarily through program revenue derived from fees and assessments paid by regulated entities and individuals. In recent years, it also was awarded almost $7.7 million in settlements as the result of nationwide actions against brokerage firms. In the past five fiscal years, over $128.3 million of the Department's program revenue has been transferred or lapsed to the General Fund.
Overall, we found the Department has adequate fiscal management practices in place. However, we identified several areas in which it could further improve internal controls and fiscal processes, including the efficiency and controls of its receipts processing, password security, access to the State's central payroll system, and physical inventories of capital assets. The Department agrees with the recommended improvements and has identified its plans to implement our recommendations. Its responses have been incorporated into this letter.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by the Department's staff during our audit.
Sincerely,
JANICE MUELLER
State Auditor
Legislative Audit Bureau
April 12, 2005
The Honorable, The Legislature:
We have completed audit work at the Office of the State Public Defender to meet our audit requirements under s.
13.94, Wis. Stats. We reviewed the Office's fiscal operations and related activities to assess whether they are effectively managed, well-controlled, and in compliance with statutory requirements. The Office is responsible for providing legal representation that is constitutionally guaranteed for defendants who are unable to afford private attorneys. In fiscal year (FY) 2003-04, it provided legal services to almost 145,000 indigent clients through staff attorneys who are directly employed by the Office and private attorneys who are paid on an hourly basis through fixed-fee contracts.
The Office is funded primarily through general purpose revenue, although it receives some program revenue from the indigent clients it serves and through sponsorship of training conferences. In FY 2003-04, it had 527.5 full-time equivalent employees in 38 locations statewide, and its expenditures totaled $79.9 million.
Over the past five years, the Office's expenditures for private attorneys increased 44.1 percent. Such increases present continuing budgeting challenges for the State. Currently, the invoices that private attorneys and investigators submit during the final quarter of a biennium are not funded until the next budget period, which delays payment for up to three months after they are submitted. This budget practice has been in place for many years, but warrants careful review to ensure it is in compliance with established budget provisions. We also identified several areas in which the Office could improve internal controls and fiscal processes, including private attorney certifications, employee travel reimbursements, fixed assets, and password security. The Office agrees with the recommended improvements and has identified its plans to implement our recommendations. Its responses have been incorporated into this letter.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by Office staff during our audit.
Sincerely,
JANICE MUELLER
State Auditor
State of Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction
March 21, 2005
The Honorable, The Senate:
The annual report on the status of the Preschool-to-Grade-Five (P-5) Program has been submitted to the joint committee on Finance and is submitted to you for referral to the appropriate standing committees pursuant to s.115.45 (6), Wis. Stats.
All P-5 school district evaluation reports for 2003-04 are contained herein reporting on the academic progress for all schools funded by the P-5 program. If you have any questions, please contact my office or Sandra J. Dercole in the DPI Office of Urban Education (414-227-4942).
Sincerely,
ELIZABETH BURMASTER
State Superintendent
Referred to the committee on Education.
Pursuant to Senate Rule
17 (5), Senator Kedzie added as a coauthor of
Senate Bill 88.
__________________
Senator Schultz, with unanimous consent, asked that the reading be dispensed with and the appointments be taken up en masse.
Arneson, Kenneth D.,
of Oshkosh, as a member of the Nursing Home Administrator Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2006.
Boron
, Rose,
of Mosinee, as a member of the Board on Aging and Long Term Care, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2009.
Garcia
, Terrie,
of Waukesha, as a member of the Board of Nursing, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2008.
Heine
, Margaret,
of Janesville, as a member of the Board of Nursing, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2005.
Kaufert, Dean,
of Madison, as a member of the Council on Domestic Abuse, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2007.
Rabinowitz, Abe,
of Middleton, as a member of the Marriage and Family Therapy Professional Counseling and Social Work Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2005.
Stolpman, Kathie,
of Milwaukee, as a member of the Council on Domestic Abuse, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2006.
Read.
The question was: Confirmation?
The ayes and noes were required and the vote was: ayes, 33; noes, 0; absent or not voting, 0; as follows:
Ayes - Senators Breske, Brown, Carpenter, Coggs, Cowles, Darling, Decker, Ellis, Erpenbach, S. Fitzgerald, Grothman, Hansen, Harsdorf, Jauch, Kanavas, Kapanke, Kedzie, A. Lasee, Lassa, Lazich, Leibham, Miller, Olsen, Plale, Reynolds, Risser, Robson, Roessler, Schultz, Stepp, Taylor, Wirch and Zien - 33.
Noes - None.
Absent or not voting - None.
Confirmed.
__________________
Relating to the dry cleaner environmental response program.
Submitted by Department of Natural Resources.
Report received from Agency, April 8, 2005.
Referred to committee on Natural Resources and Transportation, April 12, 2005
.
Relating to the administration of the managed forest law.
Submitted by Department of Natural Resources.
Report received from Agency, April 8, 2005.
S163
Referred to committee on
Natural Resources and Transportation, April 12, 2005
.
__________________
The committee on Natural Resources and Transportation reports and recommends:
Relating to live well standards for participants in the bass fishing tournament pilot program established in
2003 Wisconsin Act 249.
No action taken.
Relating to recycling.
No action taken.
Neal Kedzie
