Theo, Peter Wisconsin Dental Hygienists Assoc.
Theo, Peter Wisconsin Optometric Assoc.
Warmuth, Judith Wisconsin Hospital Association Inc (WHA)
Welch, William Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce & Industry
Welsh, Michael Orion Energy Systems
Welsh, Michael Wisconsin Cemetery Association
Williams, Lilia United Council of UW Students
Wininsky, Dona American Lung Association of Wisconsin Inc
Winn, Joseph America's Health Insurance Plans (AHIP)
Also available from the Wisconsin Ethics Board are reports identifying the amount and value of time state agencies have spent to affect legislative action and reports of expenditures for lobbying activities filed by organizations that employ lobbyists.
Sincerely,
R. Roth Judd
Executive Director
State of Wisconsin
Investment Board
January 31, 2005
The Honorable, The Senate:
I have enclosed a copy of the FY 2004 Annual Fiscal Report and Schedule of Investments for the State of Wisconsin Investment Board. The report contains Independent Auditor's Reports, prepared by the Legislative Fiscal Bureau, for the funds that we manage. They include the Fixed and Variable Funds of the Wisconsin Retirement System, the State Investment Fund and various smaller funds.
I have attached an electronic copy for you to distribute to the members of the Senate. Please contact Sandy Drew (261-0182) if anyone would prefer a hard copy of either. Thank you.
Sincerely,
David C. Mills
Executive Director
Wisconsin Council on Children & Families
February 8, 2005
The Honorable, The Legislature:
The Wisconsin Council on Children and Families recently released a new report identifying serious concerns with Refund Anticipated Loans and the impact on low-income workers, their families and local economies. We are eager to share this important information with you particularly at tax time and have attached a copy of that report for your review.
A Refund Anticipated Loan (RAL) is a short-term loan secured by a tax-filer's expected refund and aggressively marketed to low-income filers by many paid tax preparation firms. The report, written by Council research analyst John Keckhaver, focuses on the high costs of RALs for the working poor, their families and the communities where they live.
Those taking out a RAL pay an average fee of $130 in order to receive their tax refund a few days to a couple weeks early. This results in effective annualized interest rates anywhere from 70 to 700 percent, depending on the size of the refund. These costs can rise even higher if an individual is paying for tax preparation and check cashing.
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It is particularly troubling that of the nearly 114,000 RALs taken out in Wisconsin last year, over half were taken out by recipients of the federal Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). As you know, Wisconsin invests in this tax credit aimed at lifting the working poor out of poverty. However, when EITC dollars are siphoned off to pay RAL fees, this very effective public investment in low-income workers is not returning what it could. Local economies are also shortchanged when federal EITC recipients' dollars are diverted to RAL fees rather than flowing into their local neighborhood businesses.
We hope yuo use the information we've provided to encourage credit unions and community banks within your legislative districts to participate in efforts to increase savings/checking accounts among low-income residents. Many EITC recipients do not have accounts into which they can have their refunds directly deposited thereby allowing them to receive the refund more quickly and making RALs less attractive. The Wisconsin Department of Revenue is currently working with the Wisconsin Credit Union League to have staff at their Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) sites where they can help low-income families open accounts.
Additionally, feel free to use this information to help increase the awareness of your constituents about the high cost and low benefits of RALs. Tax preparation storefronts are springing up in poor neighborhoods throughout the state, and RALs have become a significant source of revenue for professional tax preparers at the expense of poor families and local economies. Efforts to stem the proliferation of RALs will benefit thousands of low-income workers and the state economy.
If you have any questions, please contact John Keckhaver at 284-0580 ext 305.
Sincerely,
CHARITY ELESON
Executive Director
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
January 31, 2005
The Honorable, The Senate:
I am pleased to nominate and with the advice and consent of the Senate, do appoint Anderson, June,
of Oshkosh, as a member of the Educational Communications Board, to serve for the term ending May 1, 2007.
Sincerely,
JIM DOYLE
Governor
Read and referred to committee on Higher Education and Tourism.
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
February 3, 2005
The Honorable, The Senate:
I am pleased to nominate and with the advice and consent of the Senate, do appoint Baier
, Bruce,
of Brown Deer, as a member of the Hearing and Speech Examining Board, for the term ending July 1, 2008.
Sincerely,
JIM DOYLE
Governor
Read and referred to committee on Health, Children, Families, Aging and Long Term Care.
Senator Schultz, with unanimous consent, asked that all appointments except that of Mark Meyer, be taken up en masse.
Johnson, Diane L.,
of Hazelhurst, as a member of the Dietitians Affiliated Credentialing Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2006.
Jordan
, Virginia,
of Eau Claire, as a member of the Dietitians Affiliated Credentialing Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2007.
Kuehl
, Bruce,
of Menomonie, as a member of the Marriage and Family Therapy Professional Counseling and Social Work Examining Board, to serve for the term ending July 1, 2007.
The question was: Confirmation?
The ayes and noes were required and the vote was: ayes, 31; noes, 0; absent or not voting, 2; as follows:
Ayes - Senators Breske, Brown, Carpenter, Coggs, Cowles, Darling, Decker, Ellis, Erpenbach, S. Fitzgerald, Grothman, Hansen, Harsdorf, Jauch, Kanavas, Kapanke, Kedzie, Lassa, Lazich, Leibham, Miller, Olsen, Plale, Reynolds, Risser, Robson, Roessler, Schultz, Stepp, Taylor and Wirch - 31.
Noes - None.
Absent or not voting - Senators A. Lasee and Zien - 2.
Confirmed.
Meyer
, Mark,
of La Crosse, as a member of the Public Service Commission, to serve for the interim term ending March 1, 2005 and for the full term ending March 1, 2011.
The question was: Confirmation?
The ayes and noes were required and the vote was: ayes, 31; noes, 0; absent or not voting, 2; as follows:
Ayes - Senators Breske, Brown, Carpenter, Coggs, Cowles, Darling, Decker, Ellis, Erpenbach, S. Fitzgerald, Grothman, Hansen, Harsdorf, Jauch, Kanavas, Kapanke, Kedzie, Lassa, Lazich, Leibham, Miller, Olsen, Plale, Reynolds, Risser, Robson, Roessler, Schultz, Stepp, Taylor and Wirch - 31.
Noes - None.
Absent or not voting - Senators A. Lasee and Zien - 2.
Confirmed.
__________________
Relating to technology commercialization programs and affecting small businesses.
Submitted by Department of Commerce.
Report received from Agency, February 3, 2005.
Referred to committee on Job Creation, Economic Development and Consumer Affairs, February 8, 2005.
__________________
The committee on Natural Resources and Transportation reports and recommends:
Relating to snowmobile noise testing procedures.
No action taken.
Relating to grants for the control of aquatic invasive species.
No action taken.
