Noes: 1 - Representative
Knudson.
Passage as amended:
Ayes: 7 - Representatives Brooks, Thiesfeldt, Spanbauer, Jacque, Ziegelbauer, Ringhand and Pocan.
Noes: 1 - Representative
Knudson.
To committee on Rules.
Senate Bill 18
Relating to: requiring political subdivisions to pay health insurance premiums for survivors of a law enforcement officer who dies, or has died, in the line of duty.
Assembly Amendment 1 adoption:
Ayes: 9 - Representatives Brooks, Thiesfeldt, Spanbauer, Jacque, Knudson, Ziegelbauer, Ringhand, E. Coggs and Pocan.
Noes: 0.
Concurrence as amended:
Ayes: 9 - Representatives Brooks, Thiesfeldt, Spanbauer, Jacque, Knudson, Ziegelbauer, Ringhand, E. Coggs and Pocan.
Noes: 0.
To joint committee on Finance.
Edward Brooks
Chairperson
Committee on Urban and Local Affairs
The committee on Veterans and Military Affairs reports and recommends:
Assembly Bill 121
Relating to: expanding the eligibility of an unremarried surviving spouse of a veteran to claim the veterans and surviving spouses property tax credit.
Passage:
Ayes: 11 - Representatives Spanbauer, Wynn, Petrowski, Bies, Nerison, Petryk, Kooyenga, Milroy, Radcliffe, Sinicki and Ringhand.
Noes: 0.
To joint committee on Finance.
Richard Spanbauer
Chairperson
Committee on Veterans and Military Affairs
__________________
A540
Speaker's Communications
DATE: September 30, 2011
TO: Patrick E. Fuller, Assembly Chief Clerk
FROM: Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald
RE: Representative Brett Hulsey's committee appointment
Assembly Speaker Jeff Fitzgerald, in accordance with Assembly Rule
9 (2)(c) has confirmed Assembly Minority Leader Peter Barca's nomination of Representative Brett Hulsey to the Committee on Tourism, Recreation, and State Properties. Representative Hulsey will be replacing Cory Mason on the Committee on Tourism, Recreation and State Properties.
__________________
Communications
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Reference Bureau
Madison
DATE: September 30, 2011
TO: Patrick E. Fuller
Assembly Chief Clerk
Robert Marchant
Senate Chief Clerk
FROM: Bruce J. Hoesly
Code Editor
SUBJECT: Rules published in the September 30, 2011
Wisconsin Administrative
Register, No. 669.
The following rules have been published:
__________________
October 3, 2011
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 261, the rail passenger service assistance and promotion program.
Sincerely,
Dean Kaufert
State Representative
55th Assembly District
__________________
Referral of Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
WHA Information Center
Madison
September 26, 2011
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Enclosed is a hard copy of the Fiscal Year 2010 Uncompensated Health Care Report produced by WHA Information Center pursuant to s.
153.22, Wis. Stats. The report was posted on our Web site in August 2011. Please feel free to download and print additional copies.
If you have any questions regarding the report you may contact me at 608-274-1820, 800-231-8340 or
drickelman@wha.org.
Sincerely,
Debbie Rickelman
Senior Director
WHA Information Center
Referred to committee on Health.
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Supreme Court of Wisconsin
Madison
October 3, 2011
To the Honorable, the Legislature:
Under ss.
758.19 (5)(e) and
758.19 (6)(d), Wis. Stats., each county is required to submit an annual report to the Director of State Courts that provides information on the actual amount of revenues collected and expenditures incurred by the county for the operation of its circuit courts. Pursuant to s.
758.19 (5)(i), Wis. Stats., the Director of State Courts is required to compile and annually submit the information to the Governor and the Legislature.
A541
Since state fiscal year (FY) 1994-95, the Director of State Courts has compiled the counties' financial information with the warning that since counties do not submit audited reports, the information was not reliable and not comparable among counties because there are differing and inconsistent accounting practices among and within counties. To address these concerns, the 2007- 2009 biennial budget,
2007 Act 20, gave the Director of State Courts the statutory authority to institute a standardized program for recording, reporting, and auditing the revenues and expenditures of Wisconsin's circuit Courts. Specifically, s.
758.19(5)(am), Wis. Stats., allowed the Director of State Courts to create a uniform chart of accounts that "each county shall be required to use for the recording of all financial transactions relating to the operation of circuit courts." In addition, statutes authorize the Director to audit the counties' annual financial information reported to ensure compliance with the uniform chart of accounts.
2007 Act 20 also authorized a two-year project auditor position to assist in the creation of this new program. The extension of the two-year auditor position in
2009 Act 28 allowed the audit function to be implemented. The project auditor position was converted to a permanent position in the 2011-2013 biennial budget,
2011 Act 32.
In October 2008, the Director of State Court released the Circuit Court Revenue and Expenditure Uniform Chart of Accounts. The chart of accounts provides guidance to counties on how to complete the annual reporting requirements of circuit court revenues and expenditures under s. 758.l9 (5)(e), Wis. Stats. Beginning with the reporting of calendar year 2008 information (reported to the Director in May 2009), each county has been required to report the county's revenue and cost information associated with operating the county's circuit court over the past calendar year in a manner that comports with the State's uniform chart of accounts.
The auditing of counties' financial reports began in FY 2009-10. Early audit findings have shown the importance of this audit function by confirming the Director's long held belief that even with a uniform chart of accounts counties' financial data is not complete. In FY 2009-10, the auditor visited 19 counties and found in all counties inconsistencies in the reporting of county financial and staffing. The 24 counties visited by the auditor in FY 2010-11 also had variances between the requirements of the uniform chart of accounts and information reported. My office continues to work with the counties to improve the accuracy of reporting and identifying system improvements at the county level.
To comply with s.
758.19 (5)(i), Wis. Stats., the Director of State Courts has compiled the counties' revenue and expenditure information for calendar year 2010. In total, counties reported receiving $93.9 million in court-related revenue. However, until all counties have been audited, it has not been verified that this amount represents only revenue collected by the counties that actually support circuit court functions. In addition, during 2010, counties reported incurring total court costs of $199.1 million, which includes costs relating to courtroom security, rent, utilities, maintenance, rehabilitation, and construction of court facilities for the operation of their circuit courts during 2010 (costs totaled $159.8 million that are allowable under s.
758.19 (5)(a), Wis. Stats.). Because the initial audits have determined counties' financial information to be inconsistently reported, individual county data is not being presented until all counties have been audited and their reports have been found in substantial compliance with the State's uniform chart of accounts.
Sincerely,
A. John Voelker
Director of State Courts
Referred to committee on Children and Families.
__________________
Agency Reports
State of Wisconsin
Legislative Audit Bureau
Madison
September 29, 2011
To the Honorable, the Assembly:
As required by s.
13.94 (1)(dg), Wis. Stats., we have completed a limited-scope review of the dental services grant provided by the Department of Health Services to the Marquette University School of Dentistry for fiscal year (FY) 2008-09 and FY 2009-10. During that two-year period, Marquette University received $5.5 million in general purpose revenue to help fund dental services provided to underserved individuals at clinics in various locations throughout Wisconsin.
Overall, we found Marquette University has developed and implemented adequate procedures to ensure compliance with statutory and grant requirements. In addition, we confirmed that dental services grant funds were expended only for services normally considered a part of comprehensive general dental treatments.
We note that dental services expenses exceeded revenues by $2.8 million in FY 2008-09 and $2.9 million in FY 2009-10. Marquette University staff indicate that clinic revenues, which include the dental services grant, patient fees, and other revenues, are not intended to cover all costs. Instead, the focus of the clinics is to provide clinical education experiences for dental students and dental services for underserved Wisconsin residents.
We appreciate the courtesy and cooperation extended to us by Marquette University staff during our review.
