Treasury management

Wis. Stat. § 16.401

in effect

The department shall: (1) Have custody of moneys. Receive and have charge of all moneys paid into the treasury and any other moneys received by officers and employees of state agencies, and pay out the moneys as directed by law, except as provided in ss. 16.52 (7), 20.907 (5) (b), 20.920, and 20.929. (2) Issue receipts. Issue receipts for all money paid to the department. (3) Pay claims as presented. Pay all claims authorized to be paid out of the treasury in the order in which they are presented, giving a preference to no one. (4) Pay on warrants sums authorized by law. (a) Pay out of the treasury, on demand, upon the warrants of the department, except as provided in s. 20.929, such sums only as are authorized by law to be so paid, if there are appropriate funds therein to pay the same, and, when any sum is required to be paid out of a particular fund, pay it out of such fund only; and upon each such warrant, when payment is made in currency, take the receipt endorsed on or annexed thereto, of the payee therein named or an authorized agent or assignee. The secretary shall accept telephone advice believed by him or her to be genuine from any public depository, as defined in s. 34.01 (5), stating that a specified amount of money has been deposited with such public depository for the credit of the state, and shall act upon such telephone advice as though it had been in writing. (b) When in the judgment of the secretary balances in state public depository accounts are temporarily in excess of that required under par. (a), the secretary may transfer the excess balance to the investment fund for the purpose of investment only. The earnings attributable to the investment of temporary excess balances shall be distributed as provided in sub. (14). (5) Account for interest. Pay into the treasury and account for all sums directly or indirectly received by the secretary by virtue of the secretary’s office, or as interest or compensation for the use, deposit, or forbearance of any state moneys in the secretary’s hands or under the secretary’s control. (6) Keep cash and fund accounts. Keep records showing the number, date, and amount of each cash receipt issued by the department and classify said receipts by state funds; submit a summary statement of collections by fund together with a copy of each remittance advice in support thereof; keep also records showing the check, share draft, or other draft number, date, payee, and amount of each cash disbursement and classify said disbursements by state funds; keep a record of the date, payee, and amount of each disbursement made by a money transfer technique other than a check or draft and classify the disbursement by state fund; and verify at the end of each week the amounts shown by the secretary’s records to represent total cash balance and cash balances of individual state funds by comparing said amounts with corresponding balances appearing on records maintained by the department. (7) Report to governor monthly. Report to the governor monthly, or oftener if the governor so requires, on: (a) The total amount of funds in the treasury, specifying in what kind of currency they consist, the amount of each kind, and the amount belonging to each separate fund. (b) The amounts in each of the state depositories, together with the interest earned thereon. (c) Any defalcation or neglect of duty of any disbursing or collecting officer or agent of the state. (8) Submit biennial report. As part of the report submitted under s. 15.04 (1) (d), include a statement showing for each of the 2 preceding fiscal years the cash balance in each state fund at the beginning of the fiscal year, the aggregate amount of receipts credited, and the aggregate amount of disbursements charged to each said fund during the fiscal year and the resultant cash balance in each state fund at the end of the fiscal year. This statement shall further show as of the end of each said 2 fiscal years, at par, the aggregate value of securities held for each state fund and the aggregate value of securities held in trust or deposited for safekeeping, and shall show the manner in which the total cash balance was accounted for by listing the balances on deposit in each state account in a public depository, deducting from the total of such balances the aggregate amount of checks, share drafts, or other drafts outstanding and adding thereto the aggregate amount of cash and cash items in office. (9) Report certain payments. Whenever the secretary or any state department shall remit to any county, city, town, or village any sum in payment of a state aid or other item, the remitter shall transmit a statement of the amount and purpose thereof to the clerk of such municipality. After the receipt thereof, the clerk of such municipality shall present such statement at the next regular meeting of the governing body and shall thereafter file and keep such statement for 6 years. (10) Stamp checks and drafts. Cause to be plainly printed or stamped upon each check, share draft, and other draft issued by the secretary the period of time, as determined by the secretary but not to exceed one year, during which the check or other draft may be presented for payment. The secretary shall cancel on his or her records any check or other draft that is not presented for payment within the prescribed time period and shall credit the amount thereof to the fund upon which it is drawn. (11) Provide services in connection with securities held in trust. Upon request therefor from any company, corporation, society, order, or association that has securities on deposit with the secretary, in trust, mail to its address not to exceed 60 days before the same become due, any or all interest coupons; return to it any or all bonds, notes, or other deposits as they become due and are replaced by other securities; cut all interest coupons, make any endorsement of interest or otherwise on any such securities; and collect therefor from the company, corporation, society, order, or association making the request, a 25-cent fee for a single coupon cut, or for each entry of interest endorsed on a note or return of a bond, note, or other security, and a 10-cent fee for each additional coupon cut, or entry of interest endorsed on a note, bond, or other security, and may withhold any and all coupons cut or refuse endorsement of interest on securities until such fee is paid. Such fees shall be paid into the state treasury as a part of the general fund, and an extra charge may be required for postage or registered mail. (12) Hold safekeeping receipts for federal securities. Whenever any federal securities are purchased under authority of any law and the secretary is custodian thereof the secretary may accept and hold safekeeping receipts of a federal reserve bank for such securities. Each such receipt shall be identified on its face with the name of the fund to which the securities described in the receipt belong. (13) Sale of investments. Whenever the department draws a check, share draft, or other draft dated the next following business day upon a fund whose investment and collection is under the exclusive control of the investment board pursuant to s. 25.17 (1), and the receipts of the state are insufficient to permit a disbursement from said fund in the amount of such check, share draft, or other draft, the investment board shall sell investments owned by such fund for delivery in time to provide sufficient money to cover such check, share draft, or other draft on the date that it bears. (14) Apportion interest. Apportion at least quarterly the interest earned on state moneys in all depositories among the several funds as provided in s. 25.14 (3), except that earnings attributable to the investment of temporary excess balances under sub. (4) (b) shall be distributed according to a formula prescribed by the secretary or his or her designee. To the maximum extent deemed administratively feasible by the secretary or his or her designee, the formula shall approximate the distribution of earnings among funds which would occur if earnings were allocated in proportion to each fund’s actual contribution to the earnings. Interest so apportioned shall be added to and become a part of such funds. (15) Report fees and surcharges. Report annually to the legislature the amount of money collected by municipal and circuit courts as costs, fees, fines, forfeitures, and surcharges imposed under ch. 814.

Source: WI Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov/document/statutes/16.401Fetched: 10/7/2026