To the Senate committee on Rural Issues, Biofuels, and Information Technology: Senators Kreitlow (Chair), Jauch, Holperin, Kapanke, and Kanavas.
To the Senate committee on Small Business, Emergency Preparedness, Technical Colleges, and Consumer Protection: Senators Wirch (Chair), Plale, Holperin, Hopper, and Lazich.
To the Senate committee on Transportation, Tourism, Forestry, and Natural Resources: Senators Holperin (Chair), Sullivan, Plale, Hansen, Leibham, Kedzie, and Grothman.
To the Senate committee on Veterans and Military Affairs, Biotechnology, and Financial Institutions: Senators Sullivan (Chair), Coggs, Carpenter, Leibham, and Kanavas.
Joint Committees:
To the joint committee for Review of Administrative Rules: Senators Holperin (Co-Chair), Lehman, Risser, Grothman, and Cowles.
To the joint Legislative Audit Committee: Senators Vinehout (Co-Chair), Jauch, Miller, Cowles, and Lazich.
To the joint review committee on Criminal Penalties: Senators Taylor (Co-Chair), Erpenbach, and Sullivan.
To the joint committee on Finance: Senators Miller (Co-Chair), Hansen, Taylor, Lehman, Robson, Lassa, Darling, and Olsen.
To the joint committee on Information Policy and Technology: Senators Kreitlow (Co-Chair), Jauch, Miller, Cowles, and Leibham.
To the joint Legislative Council (Senators Risser, Kreitlow, Decker, Miller, Fitzgerald, and Darling are all ex-officio): Senators Risser (Co-Chair), Kreitlow, Decker, Miller, Coggs, Robson, Wirch, Fitzgerald, Darling, Schultz, and Harsdorf.
To the joint survey committee on Retirement Systems: Senators Wirch (Co-Chair), Carpenter, and Schultz.
To the joint survey committee on Tax Exemptions and Tax Credits: Senators Erpenbach (Co-Chair), Decker, and Ellis.
With regard to members of the minority party, appointments are made based on nominations by the Minority Leader.
Sincerely,
russ decker
Majority Leader
Chair, Committee on Senate Organization
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State of Wisconsin
Office of the Majority Leader
January 6, 2009
The Honorable, The Senate:
Pursuant to Senate Rule
20, I am appointing Senator Jeff Plale to the Wisconsin Building Commission, as well as Senator Fred Risser from 1/6/09 - 1/5/10 and Senator Pat Kreitlow beginning 1/6/10.
Thank you and please feel free to contact me with any questions.
Sincerely,
russ decker
Majority Leader
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Legislative Audit Bureau
December 11, 2008
The Honorable, The Legislature:
We have completed an evaluation of the efforts of the Department of Health Services (DHS), formerly the Department of Health and Family Services, to ensure the integrity of Wisconsin's Medical Assistance program, including its certification of providers and audits of provider payments. In fiscal year (FY) 2006-07, expenditures for DHS's program integrity activities, excluding payments made to contractors that assist DHS in these activities, totaled $3.2 million.
Most providers must be certified by the State to receive Medical Assistance reimbursement for services rendered. We found that the initial certifications are generally processed on a timely basis. Some provider recertifications, which are generally required every three years, have not been completed since at least 2002, in part because of delays DHS has encountered in implementing its new Medicaid Management Information System. Delays in recertification increase the risk that unallowable payments will be made because some providers no longer meet certification requirements.
From FY 2002-03 through FY 2006-07, DHS conducted 8,517 audits of Medical Assistance providers and recovered $31.8 million, which was used to offset state and federally funded Medical Assistance expenditures. We independently analyzed 9.4 million claims paid to four types of providers during one year-FY 2005-06 and found an additional $268,000 in payments for provider claims that appear to be unallowable. We make several recommendations to improve the audit process, including seeking recovery of the payments we identified, imposing sanctions on providers found to repeatedly violate program rules, and charging interest to providers that fail to promptly return unallowable claims payments.
We also reviewed the role of the Department of Justice (DOJ) in prosecuting cases of Medical Assistance fraud. From FY 2002-03 through FY 2006-07, DOJ obtained 34 criminal convictions and negotiated 16 civil settlements between the State and Medical Assistance providers. During that period, courts ordered convicted providers to pay a total of $2.9 million, and the State received $11.7 million from civil settlements.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by DHS and DOJ staff. A response from DHS follows our report.
Sincerely,
janice mueller
State Auditor
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University of Wisconsin System
December 15, 2008
The Honorable, The Legislature:
The 1999-2001 State of Wisconsin Biennial Budget,
1999 Wisconsin Act 9, included a provision to change the University of Wisconsin System's appropriation for tuition and fee revenues (Academic Student Fees, Fund 131) from an annual, sum certain appropriation to a continuing appropriation.
Wisconsin Act 9 required the Board of Regents to report annually, beginning on December 15, 2000, the amount by which actual expenditures in the previous fiscal year, in this case 2007-08, exceeded the amount in the schedule for that appropriation in the previous fiscal year. That report, including the purposes for which the additional revenues were spent and the amount spent for each purpose, is attached.
Please contact Lynn Paulson at (608) 263-7481, if you have any questions related to this report.
Sincerely,
deborah A. durcan
Vice President for Finance
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State of Wisconsin
Department of Public Instruction
December 17, 2008
The Honorable, The Senate:
Pursuant to s.
115.361(2), Wis. Stats., the attached report is submitted to you for referral to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature under s.
13.172 (3), Wis. Stats. 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 AODA 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,
elizabeth burmaster
State Superintendent
Referred to committee on Education.
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State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
December 19, 2008
The Honorable, The Legislature:
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.
ECB, which is an agency of the State of Wisconsin, operates a television network of 5 digital stations and 5 analog stations, as well as a radio network of 13 FM stations and 1 AM station. The ECB Television Network reported $10.3 million in support and revenue during fiscal year (FY) 2007-08, including state support, member contributions, funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and various other grants.
Our audit report contains the ECB Television Network's financial statements and related notes as of and for the periods ending June 30, 2008, and June 30, 2007. We were able to issue an unqualified independent auditor's report on these statements.
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We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by ECB staff during the audit.
Sincerely,
janice mueller
State Auditor
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
December 19, 2008
The Honorable, The Legislature:
We have completed a financial audit of the State of Wisconsin Educational Communications Board (ECB) Radio 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.
ECB, which is an agency of the State of Wisconsin, operates a radio network of 13 FM stations and 1 AM station, as well as a television network of 5 digital stations and 5 analog stations. The ECB Radio Network reported $9.2 million in support and revenue during fiscal year (FY) 2007-08, including state support, member contributions, funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and various other grants.
Our audit report contains the ECB Radio Network's financial statements and related notes as of and for the periods ending June 30, 2008, and June 30, 2007. We were able to issue an unqualified independent auditor's report on these statements.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by ECB staff during the audit.
Sincerely,
janice mueller
State Auditor
__________________
The following Professional Standards Council for Teachers Appointments were continued from the 2007-08 session and carried over to the 2009-10 session and referred to the committee on
Education, pursuant to s.
17.20(2)(b) of the Wisconsin Statutes:
