State of Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction
Madison
December 3, 2010
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
The Department of Public Instruction (DPl) is submitting the 2009 annual report on the status of bilingual-bicultural education programs as required under s.
115.996, Wis. Stats. The report provides data from the state-aided bilingual-bicultural education programs for the 2009 fiscal year (July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009).
This annual report presents details on the state's administration and funding of bilingual education in Wisconsin, including:
• the number of pupils served in bilingual-bicultural education programs for each language group by school district;
• the cost of the program per pupil for each school district; and
• the number of pupils in each school district and language group who as a result of participation in a bilingual-bicultural education program improved their English language ability and no longer need program services.
In addition, the report comments on factors contributing to program growth.
Sincerely,
Tony Evers, PhD
State Superintendent
Referred to committee on Education.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Health Services
Madison
December 6, 2010
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Section
20.907 (1m) of the Wis. Stats. requires the Department to submit a report on expenditures made by the agency during the preceding fiscal year from nonfederal funds received as gifts, grants, bequests or devises. The expenditure report is attached. In addition, the Department has no in-kind contributions to report.
Sincerely,
Karen E. Timberlake
Secretary
Referred to committee on Ways and Means.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Health Services
Madison
December 15, 2010
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
The Department of Health Services (DHS) is pleased to provide you this annual report of plans and progress in addressing food insecurity, as required under s.
49.76 (4) and
(5).
Highlights from the report include:
○ The Wisconsin Food Security Consortium remained active during 2010 despite critical staffing challenges:
•Kadi Row, the Food Security Coordinator for UW Extension and Lead for the Consortium, resigned earlier this year. DHS attempted to identify resources to assume leadership of the Consortium, since UW Extension will not be able to do so.
•The Consortium made efforts to visit different areas of the state to study local issues that have an impact on food security. The Consortium met August 11 with the Hunger Prevention Coalition for Eau Claire County, and had the pleasure of also visiting the Community Table meal site and two local community gardens.
•The Steering Committee met monthly and added new members representing two critical food security programs (FoodShare and DPI school meals).
○ The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) provided resources to strengthen Wisconsin's food assistance safety net:
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•TEFAP (The Emergency Food Assistance Program) provided $1.6 million in food to distribute through food pantries, soup kitchens and meal sites; and over $800,000 for distribution, storage, and program costs.
•FoodShare benefits were increased in April 2009 as a result of ARRA. Through July of 2010, about $258 million was added to Wisconsin FoodShare benefits.
○ Wisconsin FoodShare Program:
•Monthly average participation increased from 595,025 in 2009 to 737,393 (January through October 2010).
•More than 200 community leaders and partners dedicated to ending hunger in Wisconsin attended the first annual FoodShare outreach conference, "Swipe Out Hunger: Putting Food on Your Table and Money in your Community Through Food Share."
○ USDA recently released the Household Food Security in the United States, 2009. Wisconsin food insecurity increased from 10.1% (2006-2008) to 11.4% (2007-2009); very low food security (also known as hunger) increased from 3.7% to 4.4% for the same time period.
These successes and challenges indicate the need for continued commitment by DHS to fight hunger in Wisconsin.
Sincerely,
Karen E. Timberlake
Secretary
Referred to committee on Children and Families.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Medical College of Wisconsin
Milwaukee
December 20, 2010
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Enclosed please find the Medical College of Wisconsin's (MCW) annual report for the Breast and Prostate Cancer Research Program. This Program is funded through the Wisconsin income tax checkoff created by the 2003 Wisconsin ACT 176 (breast cancer) and the 2005 Wisconsin ACT 460 (prostate cancer). The law requires that MCW use this money for breast and prostate cancer research and to report annually on the use of funds.
This document reports activities, projects and research funded through the Breast and Prostate Cancer Research Program at MCW for the period of July 1, 2009-June 30, 2010. If you have any questions or comments regarding this report, please contact me at 414-955-8217.
Sincerely,
Kathryn A. Kuhn
Vice President
Government and Community Relations
Referred to committee on Public Health.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources
Madison
December 21, 2010
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
In fulfillment of the requirements under s.
299.83 (8)(h), Wisconsin State Statutes, I am transmitting the 2010 Biennial Progress Report. Please distribute as appropriate. I am also providing a copy of the Report to the Governor and to the Chief Clerk of the Senate.
Green Tier continues to provide tools and strategies to make Wisconsin the idea state for growing the green bottom line. Businesses have weathered the economic crisis and some have even grown as a result of the working relationships and flexibility that we have been able to provide. This report not only provides some retrospective analysis of what we have done but also the insights of some very thoughtful partners about what we can do. In so doing, our hope is that the report will provide information that stimulates conversations and actions that make sustainable behavior and practices a more integral part of public policy and business practice.
Sincerely,
Matthew J. Frank
Secretary
Referred to committee on Natural Resources.
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction
Madison
December 23, 2010
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
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Pursuant to Wis. Stats. sec. 115.361 (2), the attached report is submitted to you for referral to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature under Wis. Stats. sec. 13.172 (3). The report provides a collection of analyzed information about programs funded under this section along with evidence of their effectiveness. Further, this report covers a two-year
cycle and provides information on a wide-range of Alcohol and Other Drug Abuse related resources, including grants, training, technical assistance, and educational materials.
If you have any questions regarding this document, please contact Kenneth Wagner at (608) 266-5181.
Sincerely,
Tony Evers, PhD
State Superintendent
Referred to committee on Education.
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Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
December 16, 2010
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed our fiscal year (FY) 2009-10 financial audit of the State of Wisconsin Investment Board, as requested by the Investment Board and to fulfill our audit requirements under s.
13.94 (1)(df), Wis. Stats. The Investment Board's financial statements report the investments and investment activity for the Wisconsin Retirement System funds, the State Investment Fund, and five other smaller insurance and trust funds. The statements and our unqualified opinions on them are included in the Investment Board's FY 2009-10 Annual Report, which can be found on the Investment Board's Web site.
The retirement funds, which include the Core Retirement Investment Trust Fund and the Variable Retirement Investment Trust Fund, experienced positive investment returns in FY 2009-10. The Core Fund reported net investment income of $7.7 billion, and the Variable Fund reported net investment income of $0.6 billion. After factoring in net investment income and net contribution receipts and benefit disbursements in FY 2009-10, the net investment assets of the retirement funds as of June 30, 2010, were $64.6 billion for the Core Fund and $4.5 billion for the Variable Fund.
The State Investment Fund invests the excess operating funds of State of Wisconsin agencies, the retirement funds, and the Wisconsin Local Government Investment Pool. Net investment income earned by the State Investment Fund decreased 81.4 percent, from $82.6 million in FY 2008-09 to $15.4 million in FY 2009-10 because of lower interest rates in the markets. After factoring in net investment income and net deposits and withdrawals, the State Investment Fund had a net asset balance of $6.5 billion as of June 30, 2010.
The Investment Board is also responsible for investing the assets of five insurance and trust funds: the Injured Patients and Families Compensation Fund, the State Life Insurance Fund, the Local Government Property Insurance Fund, the Historical Society Trust Fund, and the EdVest Tuition Trust Fund. Each of these funds has different investment policies, as established by the agency responsible for the fund and the Investment Board.
Enclosed is a management letter, which includes an auditor's report on internal control over financial reporting and on compliance and other matters, as required by Government Auditing Standards. As noted in this letter, which was provided to the Investment Board, we did not identify any control or compliance concerns that are required to be reported under these standards.
Sincerely,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
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State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
December 17, 2010
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
We have completed a financial audit of the State of Wisconsin Educational Communications Board (ECB) Television Network to meet our audit requirements under s.
13.94, Wis. Stats., and as requested by ECB to fulfill the audit requirements of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The Corporation requires audited financial statements of public broadcasting entities to determine future funding levels.
