Conservatively Speaking
State Senator Mary Lazich (R-New Berlin) represents parts of four counties: Milwaukee, Waukesha, Racine, and Walworth. Her Senate District 28 includes New Berlin, Franklin, Greendale, Hales Corners, Muskego, Waterford, Big Bend, the town of Vernon and parts of Greenfield, East Troy, and Mukwonago. Senator Lazich has been in the Legislature for more than a decade. She considers herself a tireless crusader for lower taxes, reduced spending and smaller government.
Wisconsin failed to learn from food stamp mess
A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel investigation turned up astounding levels of fraud in the Wisconsin Shares program, a taxpayer-funded benefit meant to help needy families afford child care. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel was able to identify nearly $750,000 in suspcious child care disbursements.
Since then, the Legislative Audit Bureau has estimated that fraud and errors cost
The controversy swirling around the Wisconsin Shares child care program should have been noticed long ago, and should not have happened at all.
During 2003, the Legislative Audit Bureau reported that “
They continued: “
The Legislative Audit Bureau further reported that the Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS) was implementing plans to reduce that error rate, and in fact may have already succeeded in doing so, spending $6.2 million to reduce that error rate. Yet just a few years, and millions spent to eliminate fraud, later the Legislative Audit Bureau reported that prison inmates were improperly receiving food stamp benefits while in prison.
Granted, food stamps and Wisconsin Shares are not the same program. However, until July 1, 2008, they were administered by the same department. Serious errors happened in the food stamp program, followed by fraud in Wisconsin Shares.
Where else are errors and fraud happening? Are these isolated occurrences, affecting only food stamps and child care? Where there is smoke, there is fire.
The Legislative Audit Bureau has a fraud, waste, and mismanagement hotline that citizens may call. The number is 1-877-372-8317.
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