Also available from the Wisconsin Ethics 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,

Environmental Improvement Fund (EIF) program legislation (s.281.59(3), Wis. Stats.) requires the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Administration to submit to the Legislature and to the State Building Commission amendments to the EIF Biennial Finance Plan that update the plan to reflect material approved by the Governor for inclusion in the budget. The purpose of the Plan is to provide information on loan, loan subsidy, and bonding levels for program operations in the 2007-2009 biennium.

The Governor's budget modified the interest rate at which the fund would make certain loans to local units of government from 55% of the statutory market rate to 70% of that market rate. This change results in modifications to the proposed biennial levels of general obligation bonding from $85.7 million to $49.5 million and in the present value of subsidy from $143.1 million to $99.1 million.

A third, and final, version of the Biennial Finance Plan will be distributed after the biennial budget is enacted.

If you have any questions regarding the Biennial Finance Plan, please contact Robert Ramharter at 266-3915 or Frank Hoadley at 266-2305.

Sincerely,

Referred to committee on Environment and Natural Resources.