1410 WIZM

State Senator Dan Kapanke was not to happy to learn that the Legislative Audit Bureau discovered $45.3 million in additional losses to the current state budget. The losses are the result of two accounting maneuvers by the former administration.

The Lacrosse native says the Doyle administration lapsed funds from cashless accounts into the state’s General Fund and Doyle administration authorized expenditures made during the 2009-2010 fiscal year, but charged them to 2010-2011 fiscal year accounts in order to give the illusion of a balanced budget.

He says at a time when our state is already $3 billion dollars in the hole, it’s disparaging to say the least to find out this troubling information and that the people of Wisconsin deserve better financial record keeping than this.

Jennifer Shilling says she had in mind something more job-related. The La Crosse democratic state rep  says that's what she expected in the legislative special session that Wisconsin governor Scott Walker called shortly after getting sworn in this month. That's why she's not a big fan of one of the first measures passed in the session: a tax credit for health savings accounts.   Shilling says, the measure comes with a fiscal estimate of $48 million for the state.   She wonders what parts of government will have to be cut to pay for the new tax credit. No ideas from Republicans on that one yet, she says.   Walker signs the HSA bill and tort reform legislation into law today.   His first bill signings as governor.  

No teeth yet to enforce it, but a state law mandating carbon monoxide detectors in single and double family homes goes into effect on February first. From the La Crosse fire department, Lieutenant Craig Snyder says he often sees the detectors in homes right now.  Plenty of times though, says Snyder, those detectors are old and ineffective or there just aren't enough of them.  Although the CO mandate is set to go into effect next week, Snyder says, right now, there's no penalty that's scheduled to accompany the law.

Next step in the La Crosse mayor's ethics investigation: The penalty phase. Last week, the city's ethics board found mayor Matt Harter had, in fact, used his position to try and gain special privileges for his family's garbage hauling business through meetings with the county solid waste director. Although not required to do so, the board recommended no punishment for the mayor, saying that the mayor will go through enough public reprimand after the release of the findings of the investigation. Coming up, the city council's judiciary and administration will decide if a penalty hearing is needed. If so, a hearing would be held in front of the city council. It's the council that will determine punishment. Could mean removal from office.