Friday, June 12, 2009
Ninety-Ninth Regular Session
The Chief Clerk makes the following entries under the above date.
__________________
The committee on Labor, Elections and Urban Affairs reports and recommends:
Lawton
, John R.,
of Madison, as Administrator in the Division of Merit Recruitment and Selection in the Office of State Employment Relations, to serve for the term ending on March 26, 2014.
Confirmation.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Coggs, Wirch, Lehman, A. Lasee and Grothman.
Noes, 0 - None.
Spencer Coggs
Chairperson
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Secretary of State
June
12
, 2009
The Honorable, the Legislature:
Bill Number Act Number
Publication Date
Senate Bill 20Act
20
June 22
, 2009
Senate Bill 29Act
22
June 22
, 2009
Senate Bill 46Act
21
June 22
, 2009
Sincerely,
DOUGLAS LA FOLLETTE
Secretary of State
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
June 12, 2009
The Honorable, The Legislature:
We have completed a review of Wisconsin Shares, the State's child care subsidy program, which is administered by the Department of Children and Families (DCF). This review is the first phase of a comprehensive evaluation of the program as approved by the Joint Legislative Audit Committee. The second phase, an evaluation of the effectiveness of child care regulation, will be completed later this year.
From fiscal year (FY) 2004-05 through FY 2007-08, program expenditures increased from $312.3 million to $354.5 million, or by 13.5 percent. They are projected to total $371.2 million in FY 2008-09.
To independently assess the accuracy and documentation supporting eligibility decisions, we reviewed the case files of 400 randomly chosen program participants who received benefits during 2008. We found periods of ineligibility, a lack of appropriate documentation, and other problems in the files of 43 participants, or 10.8 percent of our sample. Extrapolating from this statistically valid sample, we estimate that $16.7 to $18.5 million in improper subsidy payments were made in 2008 as a result of the problems we identified. We include a recommendation for DCF to strengthen its eligibility and wage verification processes.
We also requested daily child attendance records for one month-October 2008-from 50 child care providers for whom our analyses indicated potential program violations. Five providers did not submit records to us. Among the 45 that did, we found numerous problems. For example, 21 providers were paid for care they either did not provide or were not authorized to provide. Because of errors or potentially fraudulent reporting in the sample of 50 providers we analyzed, we estimate that approximately $4.0 million in improper subsidy payments were made to these providers in 2008.
We also identified a significant problem with program rules that allow providers to care for one another's children, thereby creating child care "rings." DCF policies also allow providers to hire the parents of children for whom they receive subsidy payments. We found five instances of providers caring for one another's children. These providers received $109,700 in subsidy payments in 2008 and early 2009. In addition, we found that in a single month, 12 of the 45 providers whose records we reviewed employed a total of 93 participants and received $167,000 in subsidy payments for caring for these participants' children. Such situations significantly increase the likelihood for fraud or abuse to occur, and we include a recommendation for the Legislature to consider statutory changes to the program rules under which they are allowed.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by DCF, the Department of Workforce Development, and the county agencies we contacted during our review.
Sincerely,
janice mueller
State Auditor
__________________
Relating to hunting and trapping regulations, closed areas and game refuges.
Submitted by Department of Natural Resources.
Report received from Agency, June 8, 2009.
Referred to committee on Transportation, Tourism, Forestry, and Natural Resources, June 12, 2009
.
__________________
The committee on Commerce, Utilities, Energy, and Rail reports and recommends:
Relating to modification of existing rules for control of nitrogen oxide (NOx) emitted by stationary sources in the ozone nonattainment area in southeastern Wisconsin and to issues for SIP approvability and miscellaneous implementation issues.
No action taken.
Relating to flammable, combustible, and hazardous liquids, and affecting small businesses.
No action taken.
Jeffrey Plale
Chairperson
__________________
Motions Under Senate Rule
98 and Joint Rule
7
for the Month of May 2009
A certificate of commendation by the Wisconsin Senate on the motion of Senator Ellis, for Joey Abraham, on the occasion of earning and attaining the rank of the Eagle Scout Award.
A certificate of congratulations by the Wisconsin Senate on the motion of Senator Schultz, for Nyada Yoba Baldeh, Jr. from River Valley High School, on the occasion of the completion of the Senate Scholar Program.
A certificate of commendation by the Wisconsin Senate on the motion of Senator Kanavas, for Dr. Margaret Bauman, on the occasion of her retirement after more than 40 years of dedicated service to the Hamilton School District.
A certificate of congratulations by the Wisconsin Senate on the motion of Senator Erpenbach, for Daniel Alan Becker, on the occasion of earning and attaining the rank of the Eagle Scout Award.
