State secretary Reggie Bicha will appear in front of the Joint Finance Committee Tuesday to address fraud accusations against Wisconsin Shares, a child care subsidy program.
The Department of Children and Families serves as an oversight department to ensure programs such as Wisconsin Shares manage their funds properly.
Bicha, the department's secretary, has come under fire after an audit revealed mishandling of payments to child care providers.
On the news show UpFront with Mike Gousha, Bicha stood by Wisconsin Shares, citing a lack of oversight in regulating its activities. Bicha said he thought there were never enough ""controls"" in place when the program was originally created to avoid fraudulent activity.
Governor Jim Doyle defended Bicha's work with the department in a press conference held Friday at the Capitol.
""Secretary Bicha has worked very hard now to bring some order to what is really a disorderly situation,"" he said. ""He has really led the effort to have a task force with the Milwaukee County District Attorney and other law enforcement agencies.""
However, in a statement, state Sen. Alan Lasee, R-De Pere, described the department's response to the controversy as ""unacceptable.""
""It is beyond outrageous that an agency charged with protecting our children is responding to these allegations by forming a task force,"" he said. ""Let's get real.""
Lasee demanded that Bicha step down.
""It's time for secretary Bicha to step up to the plate, accept responsibility for these problems, apologize and resign,"" he said. ""The taxpayers and children of this state deserve better.""
Doyle dismissed Lasee's requests.
""I think it's ridiculous to call for [his resignation] ... he's the one who's really working night and day trying to take care of this,"" he said.
