The committee on Transportation reports and recommends:
Assembly Bill 341
Relating to: driving a motor vehicle while using a cellular telephone or other wireless telecommunications device and providing a penalty.
Assembly Amendment 1 adoption:
Ayes: 10 - Representatives Steinbrink, Vruwink, Garthwaite, Fields, Bernard Schaber, Sinicki, Petrowski, A. Ott, Stone and Bies.
Noes: 0.
Passage as amended:
Ayes: 10 - Representatives Steinbrink, Vruwink, Garthwaite, Fields, Bernard Schaber, Sinicki, Petrowski, A. Ott, Stone and Bies.
Noes: 0.
To committee on Rules.
John Steinbrink
Chairperson
Committee on Transportation
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Reference Bureau Corrections
Assembly Bill 411
1. Page 5, line 11: delete "of" and substitute "or".
Assembly Joint Resolution 75
1. Page 2, line 15: delete "corner's" and substitute "coroner's".
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Communications
October 16, 2009
Patrick Fuller
Assembly Chief Clerk
17 West Main Street, Suite 401
Madison, WI 53703
Dear Chief Clerk Fuller:
I would like to be added as a co-author to Assembly Bill 373, regarding providing information to a firearms dealer when purchasing a handgun.
A436
Please contact me if you have any questions, or if I need to fill out additional paperwork regarding this request.
Sincerely,
Pat Strachota
State Representative
58th Assembly District
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October 19, 2009
Patrick Fuller
Assembly Chief Clerk
17 West Main Street, Suite 401
Madison, WI 53703
Dear Chief Clerk Fuller:
Please add my name as a co-author of Assembly Bill 426, relating to authorizing the designation of a tax incremental district as distressed and expanding the use of donor tax incremental districts.
Sincerely,
Kim Hixson
State Representative
43rd Assembly District
Referral of Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Office of State Employment Relations
Madison
October 15, 2009
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
I am pleased to forward the Fiscal Year 2009 report on employment of customers of the Wisconsin Works (W-2) program. Included in this report are the number of W-2 job seekers employed by each state agency and the classification of each position filled from July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008. Of the 1,994 new hires to state employment, 110 or 5.5 percent were W-2 hires. This exceeds the state's hiring goal of 2 percent.
Attached is a copy of the W-2 Hiring Report. Please contact Claire Dehnert at (608) 267-1005 or email
Claire.Dehnert@wisconsin.gov if you have questions or need additional information regarding this report.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Donnelly
Director
Referred to committee on Children and Families.
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Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Department of Administration
Madison
October 15, 2009
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
This report presents statements of fund condition and operations (budgetary basis) of the State of Wisconsin for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2009. This satisfies the requirements of sec. 16.40 (3), Wisconsin Statutes. Displayed are major sources of revenues and major categories of expenditures for the General Fund and other funds compared to the prior year.
The General Fund has an undesignated balance of $89.6 million as of the end of the fiscal year. This is $19.2 million higher than the balance of $70.4 million projected in the estimate for
2009 Wisconsin Act 28 and other related budget legislation. This higher ending balance was due to less spending than estimated.
General-purpose revenue taxes were $12.113 billion compared to $13.043 billion in the prior year, a decrease of $930 million or 7.1 percent. Actual revenue collections in fiscal year 2008-09 were $1.173 billion less than the $13.286 billion estimated in May 2008, a reduction of 8.8 percent. This dramatic fall off in revenue collections reflects the impact of the worst global and national economic conditions in decades on Wisconsin's economy. Compared with estimates reflected in
2009 Wisconsin Act 28 and other related budget legislation, actual collections were only $4.3 million (0.04 percent) lower.
General-purpose revenue expenditures, excluding fund transfers, were $12.744 billion compared to $13.526 billion in the prior year, a decrease of $782 million or 5.8 percent. This decrease reflects spending cuts to GPR appropriations and federal fiscal relief for education and Medicaid programs under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
In fiscal year 2009, the State of Wisconsin continued to devote the major share of state tax collections to assistance to local school districts, municipalities and counties. Local assistance accounted for 56.7 percent of total general purpose revenue spending. Aid payments to individuals and organizations represented 17.3 percent of total general purpose revenue expenditures. The University of Wisconsin accounted for 8.8 percent of total general purpose revenue spending and state operations spending for all other state agencies accounted for 17.2 percent of the total.
The State of Wisconsin expects to publish its comprehensive annual financial report in December of 2009. The report will be prepared under generally accepted accounting principles.
Respectfully submitted,
Michael L. Morgan
Secretary of Administration
Stephan J. Censky, CPA
State Controller
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
October 15, 2009
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
We have completed financial audits of Mendota and Winnebago Mental Health Institutes for the period July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008. The audits were requested by the Department of Health Services (DHS). We were able to express an unqualified opinion on each Institute's financial statements.
Mendota and Winnebago Mental Health Institutes are licensed and accredited hospitals that provide specialized diagnostic, evaluation, and treatment services for mentally ill children and adults. The Institutes also provide services to forensic patients referred to them through the criminal justice system. The Institutes are funded through a mix of general purpose revenue and program revenue.
The Institutes reported mixed financial results for fiscal year 2007-08. Mendota reported a $0.6 million gain in net assets, primarily as a result of increased settlements from the federal government. Winnebago reported a $2.5 million loss in net assets because it did not generate enough revenue to cover its expenses. The cash balance in the Institutes' primary program revenue appropriation has been declining over the past five years. To address this decline, DHS approved increases in daily patient rates of 9.5 percent at both Institutes effective October 1, 2009. This follows rate increases of 9.5 percent at Mendota and 11.0 percent at Winnebago that were effective in October 2008.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by DHS staff during our audit.
Respectfully submitted,
Janice Mueller
State Auditor
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Assembly Joint Resolution 75
Relating to: the life and public service of John Stanley.
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