655.61 Funding.
(1) The mediation fund created under s. 655.68 shall be financed from fees charged to health care providers. The director of state courts shall, by February 1 annually, determine the revenues needed for the operation of the mediation system during the succeeding fiscal year and inform the board of governors of that amount. The director of state courts shall also inform the board of governors of the number of requests for mediation involving each type of health care provider set out in s. 655.002 for the most recent fiscal year for which statistics are available. The board of governors shall set fees to charge health care providers at a level sufficient to provide the necessary revenue.
(1m) Notwithstanding sub. (1), the board of governors may exempt any type of health care provider set out in s. 655.002 from payment of the annual fee based on a low number of requests for mediation involving that type of health care provider.
(2) The annual fees under sub. (1) shall be collected in a manner prescribed by rule of the commissioner. The commissioner shall pay all money collected under sub. (1) into the mediation fund created under s. 655.68.
(3) If the fees under sub. (1) for any particular fiscal year are not established by the board of governors or approved by the joint committee on finance under s. 655.27 (3) (bt) before June 2 of that fiscal year, the commissioner may elect to collect fees as established for the previous fiscal year. If the commissioner so elects and the fees for that fiscal year are subsequently established by the board of governors or approved by the joint committee on finance under s. 655.27 (3) (bt), the balance for the fiscal year shall be collected or refunded, except that the commissioner may elect not to collect or refund minimal amounts.
History: 1985 a. 340; 1989 a. 187; 1991 a. 214; 2015 a. 90.