AB151: Bill Text

LRB-2073/1

ZDW:skw

2021 - 2022 LEGISLATURE

2021 Assembly BILL 151

March 10, 2021 - Introduced by Representatives Krug, Armstrong, Edming, Knodl, Kurtz, Moses, Oldenburg, Rozar and Tusler, cosponsored by Senators Cowles, Stroebel, Ballweg, Nass and Roth. Referred to Committee on Sporting Heritage.

AB151,1,1 An Act to create 289.56 of the statutes; relating to: disposal of deer carcasses.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill requires the Department of Natural Resources to award up to $200,000 in grants in the 2021-23 fiscal biennium for the creation of new sites for the disposal of deer carcasses. DNR must prioritize the development of sites in underserved areas that are affected by chronic wasting disease and ensure the greatest geographic distribution of disposal sites. Disposal sites created with a grant award must be accessible to the general public throughout deer hunting season and may not charge any fee for carcass disposal.

An applicant may receive only one grant for a disposal site but may apply for a grant in an amount equal to the applicant's eligible expenses over a three-year period. Eligible expenses include disposal equipment, pickup and disposal of carcasses, site preparation and promotion, and other expenses approved by DNR.

The bill also provides that the operator of a landfill may not refuse to accept any deer carcass that is in a bag for disposal.

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:

AB151,1 Section 1 . 289.56 of the statutes is created to read:

AB151,2,2 289.56 Deer carcass disposal. (1) The operator of a landfill may not refuse to accept any deer carcass that is double-bagged for disposal.

AB151,2,8 (2) (a) In the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium, from the appropriation under s. 20.370 (4) (mq), the department shall award grants to local units of government, nonprofit organizations, religious nonprofit organizations, and private businesses for the creation of new sites for the disposal of deer carcasses. The total amount that the department awards under this section may not exceed $100,000 in each fiscal year of the 2021-2023 fiscal biennium.

AB151,2,10 (b) In awarding grants under this subsection, the department shall do all of the following:

AB151,2,14 1. Give priority to applicants proposing to establish disposal sites in areas that are underserved by existing disposal sites and located in counties affected by chronic wasting disease and counties that border counties affected by chronic wasting disease.

AB151,2,17 2. Ensure the greatest geographic distribution practicable of disposal sites across all counties, including counties that are not affected by chronic wasting disease.

AB151,2,24 (c) An applicant may apply for a grant under this subsection in an amount equal to the eligible expenses incurred or anticipated by the applicant over a 3-year period. Eligible expenses include the purchase or rental of disposal equipment; pickup and disposal of carcasses, including tipping fees; site preparation costs, including odor and varmint control measures; promotion of the disposal location, including signage; and other expenses approved by the department. An applicant may receive only one grant award for a disposal site.

AB151,3,6 (d) A disposal site for which a grant is awarded under this subsection shall be located and operated so that the site is easily accessible to the general public for the duration of all open seasons for hunting deer and for not less than 2 weeks after the end of each open season for hunting deer. The owner or operator of the site may not charge any fee for use of the site but may accept voluntary contributions for maintenance of the site.

AB151,3,9 (e) The recipient of a grant under this subsection shall notify the department of the location of the disposal site created with the grant award and the department shall publish the location on the department's Internet site.

AB151,3,10 (End)