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SB1065,1,3 1An Act to amend 25.60 and 299.97 (2); and to create 13.59, 20.855 (4) (fb), 25.44
2and 299.87 of the statutes; relating to: creating the water fund for our future
3and making an appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill creates a new nonlapsible trust fund, designated as the water fund for
our future, to consist of $10,000,000 transferred biennially from the general fund.
Under the bill, the Joint Committee on Finance may at any time transfer any amount
of the unencumbered balance from the fund to the budget stabilization fund, if the
budget stabilization fund has been fully expended.
The bill also creates the Joint Committee for the Oversight of the Water Fund
for Our Future. Under the bill, the committee receives applications for making
expenditures from the fund and makes recommendations to JCF regarding use of the
fund.
Under the bill, the committee may also recommend to JCF an amount to
transfer to a rapid response account created within the water fund for our future,
which may be used by the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of
Health Services to respond to natural disasters and public health emergencies.
Funds from the rapid response account may be used for the costs of remediation and
to notify, relocate, and assist people affected by the natural disaster or public health
emergency.
The bill also allows DNR and the Department of Justice to seek reimbursement
from responsible parties for funds expended from the water fund for our future.

In addition, the bill allows any agency to submit a request to JCF for
supplemental funds from the water fund for our future. JCF may approve the
request after considering any recommendation from the Joint Committee for the
Oversight of the Water Fund for Our Future.
Finally, the bill provides additional funding for the University of Wisconsin
System under its general program operations appropriation and for special
education aid for school districts, independent charter schools, cooperative
educational service agencies, and county children with disabilities education boards
for purposes of maintaining compliance with maintenance of effort requirements of
the federal Consolidated Appropriations Act and the federal American Rescue Plan
Act.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
SB1065,1 1Section 1 . 13.59 of the statutes is created to read:
SB1065,2,6 213.59 Joint committee for the oversight of the water fund for our
3future. (1)
Creation. There is created a joint standing committee for the oversight
4of the water fund for our future composed of 3 majority party and 2 minority party
5senators and 3 majority party and 2 minority party representatives to the assembly,
6appointed as are the members of standing committees in their respective houses.
SB1065,2,8 7(2) Officers. In making appointments of the members of each house, each
8house shall designate a cochairperson.
SB1065,2,10 9(3) Staff. The committee shall be staffed as are other standing committees of
10the legislature.
SB1065,2,12 11(4) Meetings. The committee shall meet as often as necessary to perform its
12duties and functions.
SB1065,2,13 13(5) Powers and duties. (a) The committee shall do all of the following:
SB1065,3,3
11. Receive applications for making expenditures from the water fund for our
2future and make recommendations to the joint committee on finance regarding use
3of the water fund for our future.
SB1065,3,54 2. Recommend to the joint committee on finance an amount to transfer from
5the water fund for our future to the rapid response account under s. 25.44 (3).
SB1065,3,86 (b) The committee may not recommend, and the joint committee on finance may
7not approve, expenditures from the water fund for our future for purposes other than
8to fund activities relating to clean water.
SB1065,2 9Section 2 . 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert
10the following amounts for the purposes indicated: - See PDF for table PDF
SB1065,3 11Section 3 . 20.855 (4) (fb) of the statutes is created to read:
SB1065,3,1412 20.855 (4) (fb) Transfer to the water fund for our future. Biennially, from the
13general fund, the amounts in the schedule to be transferred to the water fund for our
14future.
SB1065,4 15Section 4. 25.44 of the statutes is created to read:
SB1065,4,2 1625.44 Water fund for our future. (1) There is established a separate
17nonlapsible trust fund designated as the water fund for our future, to consist of all
18moneys transferred under s. 20.855 (4) (fb) and all moneys collected by the
19department of natural resources or the department of justice under settlement

1agreements or orders in settlement of actions or proposed actions as reimbursement
2for expenditures from this fund.
SB1065,4,5 3(2) The joint committee on finance may at any time transfer any amount of the
4unencumbered balance from this fund to the budget stabilization fund if the moneys
5in the budget stabilization fund have been fully expended.
SB1065,4,11 6(3) There is established in the water fund for our future a rapid response
7account consisting of all moneys transferred to the account by the joint committee
8on finance, which may at any time transfer any amount of the unencumbered balance
9from the water fund for our future to the rapid response account. Moneys in the rapid
10response account shall be reserved for discretionary use by the department of
11natural resources and the department of health services under s. 299.87.
SB1065,5 12Section 5. 25.60 of the statutes is amended to read:
SB1065,4,19 1325.60 Budget stabilization fund. There is created a separate nonlapsible
14trust fund designated as the budget stabilization fund, consisting of moneys
15transferred to the fund from the general fund under ss. 16.518 (3) and 16.72 (4) (b)
16and any moneys transferred to the fund from the water fund for our future under s.
1725.44
. Moneys in the budget stabilization fund are reserved to provide state revenue
18stability during periods of below-normal economic activity when actual state
19revenues are lower than estimated revenues under s. 20.005 (1).
SB1065,6 20Section 6 . 299.87 of the statutes is created to read:
SB1065,5,4 21299.87 Rapid response; supplemental funding requests from the water
22fund for our future.
(1) The department and the department of health services
23may use moneys from the rapid response account of the water fund for our future
24under s. 25.44 to respond to natural disasters and public health emergencies. Funds
25from the rapid response account may be used for the costs of remediation and to

1notify, relocate, and assist people affected by the natural disaster or public health
2emergency. The department and the department of health services may promulgate
3rules as necessary to establish procedures and policies for the use of moneys from the
4rapid response account.
SB1065,5,14 5(2) Any department may submit to the joint committee on finance for
6consideration under s. 13.10 a request for funding from the water fund for our future.
7The joint committee on finance shall notify the joint committee for the oversight of
8the water fund for our future of the request. After receiving notification of a request,
9and at least 14 working days before the next regularly scheduled meeting of the joint
10committee on finance under s. 13.10, the joint committee for the oversight of the
11water fund for our future shall submit to the joint committee on finance a written
12recommendation regarding the request. The joint committee on finance may provide
13the requested supplement only if the joint committee for the oversight of the water
14fund for our future recommends approving the request.
SB1065,7 15Section 7 . 299.97 (2) of the statutes is amended to read:
SB1065,5,2416 299.97 (2) In addition to the penalties provided under sub. (1), the court may
17award the department of justice the reasonable and necessary expenses of the
18investigation and prosecution of the violation, including attorney fees. The
19department of justice shall deposit in the state treasury for deposit into the general
20fund all moneys that the court awards to the department or the state under this
21subsection, except that any moneys awarded as reimbursement for expenditures
22from the water fund for our future shall be deposited into that fund
. The costs of
23investigation and the expenses of prosecution, including attorney fees, shall be
24credited to the appropriation account under s. 20.455 (1) (gh).
SB1065,8 25Section 8 . Fiscal changes.
SB1065,6,4
1(1) Special education aid. In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the
2appropriation to the department of public instruction under s. 20.255 (2) (b), the
3dollar amount for fiscal year 2022-23 is increased by $3,160,000 to increase funding
4for aids for special education under s. 115.88.
SB1065,6,85 (2) UW System; general program operations. In the schedule under s. 20.005
6(3) for the appropriation to the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin
7System under s. 20.285 (1) (a), the dollar amount for fiscal year 2022-23 is increased
8by $790,000 for the purpose for which the appropriation is made.
SB1065,6,99 (End)
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