1. 1 Credentialing Fees Department of Regulation and Licensing Legislative Audit Bureau September 2004

2. 2 Department of Regulation and Licensing’s Regulatory Activities u Support 21 boards with independent authority to license and discipline members u Support 17 additional boards and councils with more limited authority u Regulate directly a limited number of professions u Wisconsin has 318,000 individual and business credential holders in 84 professions and 26 business types

3. 3 Largest Regulated Professions Registered Nurse67,700 Physician20,500 Engineer19,600 Barber or Cosmetologist19,300 Barbering or Cosmetology Manager15,500 Licensed Practical Nurse15,500 Real Estate Salesperson13,600 Real Estate Broker13,400 Certified Public Accountant12,600 Private Security Person10,200

4. 4 Staffing and Funding u 125.5 full-time equivalent staff and a FY 2003-04 budget of $11.1 million u All funds are program revenue, primarily from new and renewal credentialing fees u Statutes require that credentialing fees for each profession reflect the cost of services received by that profession

5. 5 Fee Concerns u New credentials are $53; renewals vary from $53 to $343 u Department’s proposal for new fees in FY 2003-05 budget rejected for two reasons: – calculations were based on estimates rather than actual costs – proposal resulted in significant fee changes for some professions u LAB directed to determine whether the fee methodology reflected actual regulatory costs

6. 6 Current Allocation Method u Most costs (72.6%) are allocated equally, regardless of differences in level of service to different professions u Costs that are allocated by level of service (27.4%) are allocated by inaccurate measures of service delivery costs

7. 7 Proposed Allocation Method u Percentage of costs allocated based on level of services increases from 27.4% to 58.2% u Costs will be calculated based on actual time spent rather than estimates

8. 8 Comparison of Current and Proposed Allocation Methods

9. 9 Recommended Improvements to Proposed Method u Increase further the proportion of costs allocated based on actual staff time spent u Provide clear explanations of allocation methods to make the process more transparent and understandable

10. 10 Future Considerations u Determining levels of service for the boards u Determining total revenue needs

11. 11 Appropriation Balances (in millions) FY 2003-04FY 2004-05 Opening Balance$2.7$3.6 Revenues12.710.1 Lapses to General Fund (2.2) Total Available13.211.5 Expenditures 9.610.4 Closing Balance$3.6$1.1

12. 12 Legislative Options u Make no fee changes u Consider surcharges for those professions wishing increased levels of service u Consider adding an inflation factor to all fees u Implement the proposed methodology with the recommended improvements

13. 13 Renewal Fee Comparisons ProfessionMidwest Avg.WI Physician$272$106 Pharmacist 149 97 Certified Public Accountant 84 59 Engineer 82 58 Barber 62 63 Registered Nurse 59 66 Licensed Practical Nurse 59 69 Cosmetologist 43 63 Real Estate Broker 94 128