Friday, November 19, 2010
Ninety-Ninth Regular Session
The Chief Clerk makes the following entries under the above date.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources
November 12, 2010
The Honorable, The Legislature:
Pursuant to
2009 Act 40 and s.
23.39, Stats., and in compliance with s.
13.172(2) Stats., the Department of Natural Resources respectfully submits a report regarding authorities to protect wildlife and the environment from any adverse impacts of wind energy development in the State.
If you require additional information and explanation regarding these conclusions, please contact Mr. David Siebert, Director of the DNR Office of Energy and Environmental Analysis, at 264-6048.
Sincerely,
matt frank
Secretary
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources
November 15, 2010
The Honorable, The Legislature:
The DNR is required to submit the attached Report to the Legislature per s.
23.0916(6), Wis. Stats. this report is to be shared with the Joint Committee on Finance (16 copies), Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources (5 copies), and Assembly Committee on Natural Resources (14 copies).
Please contact Mary Rose Teves, Director, Bureau of Community Financial Assistance, at 267-7683 if you should have any questions about this document.
Sincerely,
matt frank
Secretary
Referred to joint committee on Finance.
Referred to committee on Transportation, Tourism, Forestry and Natural Resources.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Government Accountability Board
November 16, 2010
The Honorable, The Senate:
The following lobbyists have been authorized to act on behalf of the organizations set opposite their names.
For more detailed information about these lobbyists and organizations and a complete list of organizations and people authorized to lobby the 2009-2010 session of the legislature, visit the Government Accountability Board's web site at:
http://gab.wi.gov/.
Petersen, Eric J AT&T Wisconsin
Also available from the Wisconsin Government Accountability 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,
kevin kennedy
Director and General Counsel
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
November 16, 2010
The Honorable, The Legislature:
We have completed our calendar year 2009 financial audit of the Department of Employee Trust Funds, as requested by the Department and to fulfill our audit requirements under s.
13.94(1)(dd), Wis. Stats. The Department's financial statements report on the financial position and activity of various benefit programs available to state and local public employees, including the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS) and health and life insurance programs for active and retired employees of the state and participating local governments. The statements and our unqualified opinion on them are included in the Department's 2009 Comprehensive Annual Financial Report (CAFR), which can be found on its Web site.
The largest program administered by the Department is the WRS, which reported net assets of $70.0 billion at the end of 2009 and provided benefits totaling $3.8 billion during 2009. After experiencing significant investment losses and a decrease in net retirement assets of $25.2 billion during 2008, the WRS reported positive investment returns and a net increase in retirement assets of $10.6 billion during 2009. At the end of 2009, the WRS was 88.2 percent funded based on the fair value of its assets and 99.8 percent funded based on standard actuarial measures, which smooth investment returns over a five-year period. As required by s.
13.94(1)(dc), Wis. Stats, the Audit Bureau is currently contracting with an independent actuary to perform an audit of the WRS's consulting actuary.
S881
Accompanying this letter is a management letter we provided to the Department, which includes an auditor's report on internal control and compliance, as required by Government Auditing Standards. We are pleased to note that the Department has been attentive to addressing concerns we noted in past audits about access to certain computer systems.
We also note that the Department is in agreement with our recommendation and is working to address our continuing concern with cash reconciliations on a program level. During 2010, the Department was able to successfully reconcile the differences for some of its programs; however, it continues to investigate the variances in cash balances for the WRS and programs invested in the WRS's Core Fund. The Department anticipates resolving remaining cash differences by the end of 2010. We will continue to monitor and report on the Department's progress in addressing this concern in future audits.
Sincerely,
janice Mueller
State Auditor
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
April 2, 2009
The Honorable, The Legislature:
As required by Article V, Section 6 of the Wisconsin Constitution, I am submitting the annual Executive Clemency Report to the Legislature, covering those clemency cases upon which final disposition were rendered for applicants during the 2008 calendar year. Below are the thirty-five applicants who received a full pardon in 2008:
Todd Bents, (date of birth November 17, 1961) convicted on or about December 1, 1988, of Burglary in Barron County, for helping a friend store stolen items in his shed, and sentenced to four months jail, five years probation, and restitution. The Governor's Pardon Advisory Board recommended granting a pardon by a vote of 7-0. Following the Board's recommendation, Mr. Bents was granted a pardon on January 14, 2008, based on his positive adjustment and extensive personal growth and development. In addition, Mr. Bents would like to hold public office.
Tam'meka Berry, (date of birth July 6, 1973) convicted on or about September 11, 2002, of Two Counts Resisting or Obstructing an Officer in Milwaukee County, for sliding into an officer who was arresting one of her family members, and sentenced to one year probation for each count and thirty days in the House of Corrections for each count. The Governor's Pardon Advisory Board recommended granting a pardon by a vote of 3-2. Following the Board's recommendation, Ms. Berry was granted a pardon on January 14, 2008, based on based on a lack of other criminal justice system contacts, valid job concerns, and a substantial need in order to obtain her license to become a professional counselor.
