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Please see http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov for the production version.
This bill requires the Department of Tourism to award grants to nonprofit
organizations whose primary purpose is the promotion and development of tourism
in Wisconsin to assist those organizations to remain operational in the wake of the
COVID-19 global pandemic. The bill also requires the department to award grants
to such nonprofit organizations and to certain governmental organizations also
having that same primary purpose for purposes of tourism marketing in connection
with Wisconsin's recovery from the COVID-19 global pandemic. A nonprofit or
governmental organization may not receive grants totaling more than the lesser of
$1,000,000 or 50 percent of the organization's average annual tourism marketing
budget over the previous three years, not including 2020. The bill appropriates
$25,000,000 for the grants.
Victim services grants
Under current law, DOJ administers a grant program to award grants to
organizations that provide services to victims of sexual assault. Under this bill, DOJ
must administer a grant program to award grants to organizations that provide
services, such as advocacy, counseling, and crisis phone services, to victims of crimes.
The bill provides $5,000,000 for the grants in each fiscal year of the 2021-23
biennium.
Funding for broadband expansion grant program
This bill appropriates $200,000,000 in general purpose revenue for the
broadband expansion grant program administered by the Public Service
Commission.
The Literacy Lab; support
This bill requires the Department of Public Instruction to annually distribute
the amount appropriated to The Literacy Lab to provide evidence-based literacy
interventions to prekindergarten to third grade pupils in this state. The bill
appropriates $1,500,000 for this purpose in each of the 2021-22 and 2022-23 fiscal
years.

University of Wisconsin System application fee exemption for service
members
This bill creates an application fee exemption for veterans and members of the
U.S. armed forces applying for admission to University of Wisconsin System schools.
Under current law, a student who is a service member must be given priority
in registering for courses at UW System schools. A “service member” is defined as
a person who has served or is serving on active duty under honorable conditions in
the U.S. armed forces, in forces incorporated as part of the U.S. armed forces, in the
national guard, or in a reserve component of the U.S. armed forces.
Under this bill, a UW System school may not charge an application fee to a
service member applying for admission to the UW System school or to any program
offered at the school.
Partnership program for the Lake Superior Research Institute
This bill requires the Board of Regents of the UW System to establish a
partnership program between UW-Superior's Lake Superior Research Institute and
northern Wisconsin communities. The program must be designed to accomplish
specified objectives. The bill provides funding and 5.0 positions for the program
through a new annual appropriation.
Grant to Mid-State Technical College for Apprenticeship Center
This bill requires the Technical College System Board to award a grant of
$9,600,000 in the 2021-22 fiscal year to Mid-State Technical College for a
manufacturing engineering apprenticeship center. The bill also provides funding for
the grant through a continuing appropriation.
Black women's health and infant and maternal mortality
This bill instructs DHS to annually award $1,750,000 in grants to
community-serving organizations that are led by Black women that improve Black
women's health in Dane, Milwaukee, Rock, and Kenosha Counties. Further, the bill
directs DHS to annually award $1,750,000 in grants to organizations that work to
reduce racial disparities related to infant and maternal mortality. Additionally, this
bill instructs DHS to award a grant totaling $500,000 in fiscal year 2021-22 and
another grant totaling $500,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 to an entity to coordinate
efforts among the state, public and private sector organizations, and community
organizations to support a statewide strategy to advance Black women's health.
Grants for community health workers
This bill directs DHS to annually award grants in the amount of $15,000,000
for community health workers.
Grants for federally qualified health centers in Racine County
This bill directs DHS to award grants in the total amount of $53,000,000 to
create federally qualified health centers in Racine County before June 30, 2023.
Federally qualified health centers are community-based health care providers that
serve an underserved area or population.
Funding for rural emergency medical services
This bill provides $5,500,000 in each fiscal year of the 2021-23 biennium to
support emergency medical services in rural areas.

Grant to Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County
This bill appropriates $4,000,000 in general purpose revenue for DHS to give
the county-owned Memorial Hospital of Lafayette County in Darlington a grant for
its facility planning, expansion, and construction.
Mental health bed capacity in north central Wisconsin
This bill requires DHS to award a grant to an organization that applies to DHS
and that provides mental and behavioral health services in north central Wisconsin
and has a campus in Marathon County. The grant is in the amount of $5,000,000 for
the purpose of expanding mental health bed capacity. The organization that is
awarded the grant under the bill must do all of the following: 1) agree to renovate
or expand its existing mental health campus to provide additional capacity for
mental health treatment; 2) identify measures that it believes will serve the needs
of area residents with mental health needs, especially, as a critical component of the
measures, in reducing the burden on state-operated facilities; and 3) report annually
to the legislature the services provided with the resources funding by the grant. The
organization that receives the grant is liable to repay the grant funds to the state if
the organization fails to continue to maintain the expanded mental health services
for an agreed upon period.
Mental health funding
This bill provides $25,000,000 general purpose revenue in each fiscal year of the
2021-23 biennium to fund DHS mental health services, initiatives, programs, and
facilities.
Grants for community health centers
This bill increases by $3,000,000 in each fiscal year the funding for grants to
community health centers. Under current law, DHS must award grants to each
community health center that receives federal grants in an amount calculated by
multiplying the amount of state funds available for all community health centers by
the fraction obtained by dividing the amount of federal grant moneys that the
particular community health center receives by the total amount of federal grant
moneys paid to all Wisconsin community health centers. The additional funding
provided in the bill is to be divided among community health centers in the same
manner as current law.
Grants to free and charitable clinics
This bill incorporates into statutory language the allocation made in 2019
Wisconsin Act 9
, the biennial budget act, that requires DHS to give $500,000 in
grants annually to free and charitable clinics. The bill also increases the annual
grant to free and charitable clinics from $500,000 to $3,500,000
Suicide prevention programming grants
This bill requires DHS to award grants to organizations or coalitions of
organizations, including cities, villages, towns, counties, and federally recognized
American Indian tribes or bands for suicide prevention programming. A grant
recipient must contribute matching funds or in-kind services having a value equal
to at least 20 percent of the grant amount.

Grants to prevent suicide by firearm
This bill requires DHS to award grants to organizations or coalitions of
organizations, including cities, villages, towns, counties, and federally recognized
American Indian tribes or bands, for 1) training staff at a firearm retailer or firearm
range on how to recognize a person who may be considering suicide; 2) providing
suicide prevention materials for distribution at a firearm retailer or firearm range;
or 3) providing voluntary, temporary firearm storage. A grant recipient must
contribute matching funds or in-kind services having a value equal to at least 20
percent of the grant amount.
Farmer tuition assistance grants
This bill appropriates $500,000 from the general fund for the creation and
funding of a tuition assistance grant program under which the Technical College
System Board shall award grants to current or prospective farmers in the state for
the purpose of paying no more than 50 percent of tuition costs for enrolling in
Wisconsin technical college courses on farm management or farm finance. A current
or prospective farmer may receive no more than $1,000 in these grants per year for
no more than three years.
Lead service line replacement
This bill appropriates $100,000,000 from the general fund to the environmental
improvement program for projects involving forgivable loans to private users of
public water systems to cover not more than 50 percent of the cost to replace lead
service lines.
Under current law, DOA and DNR administer the safe drinking water loan
program (SDWLP), which provides financial assistance from the environmental
improvement program to local governmental units and to the private owners of
community water systems that serve local governmental units for projects for the
planning, designing, construction, or modification of public water systems. DNR
establishes a funding list for SDWLP projects and DOA allocates funding for those
projects.
Wisconsin Historical Society
This bill increases funding by $2,000,000 for general program operations of the
Wisconsin Historical Society.
Wisconsin Black Historical Society and Museum
This bill increases funding by $300,000 for the Wisconsin Black Historical
Society and Museum.
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:
AB444,1 1Section 1 . 13.48 (26m) of the statutes is created to read:
AB444,10,6
113.48 (26m) Lead service line replacement. The legislature finds and
2determines that the prevalence of lead service lines in connections to public water
3systems poses a public health hazard and that processes for reducing lead entering
4drinking water from such pipes requires additional treatment of wastewater. It is
5therefore in the public interest, and it is the public policy of this state, to assist
6private users of public water systems in replacing lead service lines.
AB444,2 7Section 2 . 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert
8the following amounts for the purposes indicated: - See PDF for table PDF - See PDF for table PDF - See PDF for table PDF
AB444,3 1Section 3 . 20.155 (3) (a) of the statutes is created to read:
AB444,12,32 20.155 (3) (a) Broadband expansion grants; general purpose revenue. The
3amounts in the schedule for broadband expansion grants under s. 196.504 (2).
AB444,4 4Section 4 . 20.165 (2) (d) of the statutes is created to read:
AB444,13,35 20.165 (2) (d) Private on-site wastewater treatment system grants and septage
6study.
As a continuing appropriation, the amounts in the schedule for financial

1assistance under the private on-site wastewater treatment system replacement and
2rehabilitation program under s. 145.245 and for the septage characterization study
3under 2021 Wisconsin Act .... (this act), section 9138 (1).
AB444,5 4Section 5 . 20.192 (1) (c) of the statutes is created to read:
AB444,13,75 20.192 (1) (c) Paper mill purchase loans. As a continuing appropriation, the
6amounts in the schedule for the loans under 2021 Wisconsin Act .... (this act), section
79149 (1) and (2).
AB444,6 8Section 6 . 20.192 (1) (d) of the statutes is created to read:
AB444,13,119 20.192 (1) (d) River North housing development grant. As a continuing
10appropriation, the amounts in the schedule for a grant to the River North housing
11development project in the city of Manitowoc.
AB444,7 12Section 7 . 20.192 (1) (d) of the statutes, as created by 2021 Wisconsin Act ....
13(this act), is repealed.
AB444,8 14Section 8 . 20.255 (3) (fs) of the statutes is created to read:
AB444,13,1615 20.255 (3) (fs) The Literacy Lab. The amounts in the schedule for payments
16to The Literacy Lab under s. 115.28 (66).
AB444,9 17Section 9 . 20.285 (1) (bm) of the statutes is created to read:
AB444,13,1918 20.285 (1) (bm) Partnership program for the Lake Superior Research Institute.
19The amounts in the schedule for the partnership program under s. 36.25 (40).
AB444,10 20Section 10 . 20.292 (1) (fm) of the statutes is created to read:
AB444,13,2221 20.292 (1) (fm) Farmer tuition assistance grants. Biennially, the amounts in
22the schedule for farmer tuition assistance grants under s. 38.274.
AB444,11 23Section 11 . 20.320 (2) (a) of the statutes is created to read:
AB444,14,3
120.320 (2) (a) Lead service line replacement. As a continuing appropriation, the
2amounts in the schedule for lead service line replacement loans under s. 281.61 (8)
3(b).
AB444,12 4Section 12 . 20.370 (6) (ed) of the statutes is created to read:
AB444,14,75 20.370 (6) (ed) Environmental aids PFAS municipal grant program. As a
6continuing appropriation, the amounts in the schedule for the municipal grant
7program under s. 292.66.
AB444,13 8Section 13 . 20.380 (1) (c) of the statutes is created to read:
AB444,14,119 20.380 (1) (c) Destination marketing grants. As a continuing appropriation, the
10amounts in the schedule for destination marketing grants under 2021 Wisconsin Act
11.... (this act), section 9143 (1 ).
AB444,14 12Section 14 . 20.380 (1) (c) of the statutes, as created by 2021 Wisconsin Act ....
13(this act), is repealed.
AB444,15 14Section 15 . 20.395 (2) (fc) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB444,14,1815 20.395 (2) (fc) Local roads improvement discretionary supplement. From the
16general fund, as a continuing appropriation, the amounts in the schedule for the local
17roads improvement discretionary supplemental supplement grant program under s.
1886.31 (3s) 85.0215.
AB444,16 19Section 16 . 20.435 (1) (cr) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB444,14,2320 20.435 (1) (cr) Minority health grants. The amounts in the schedule for the
21minority health program under s. 250.20 (3) and (4), for the Black women's health
22grants under s. 250.20 (7), and for the infant and maternal mortality grants under
23s. 250.20 (8)
.
AB444,17 24Section 17 . 20.435 (1) (fh) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB444,15,2
120.435 (1) (fh) Community health services. The amounts in the schedule for
2grants under s. 250.15 and grants for community health workers under s. 250.16.
AB444,18 3Section 18. 20.435 (4) (jw) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB444,15,114 20.435 (4) (jw) BadgerCare Plus and hospital assessment. All moneys received
5from payment of enrollment fees under the program under s. 49.45 (23), all
moneys
6transferred under s. 50.38 (9), all moneys transferred from the appropriation account
7under par. (jz), and 10 percent of all moneys received from penalty assessments
8under s. 49.471 (9) (c), for administration of the program under s. 49.45 (23), to
9provide a portion of the state share of administrative costs for the BadgerCare Plus
10Medical Assistance program under s. 49.471, and for administration of the hospital
11assessment under s. 50.38.
AB444,19 12Section 19 . 20.435 (5) (ef) of the statutes is created to read:
AB444,15,1513 20.435 (5) (ef) Suicide prevention programming grants. Biennially, the
14amounts in the schedule for suicide prevention programming grants under s. 51.72
15and for grants related to preventing suicide by firearm under s. 51.73.
AB444,20 16Section 20 . 20.455 (5) (ec) of the statutes is created to read:
AB444,15,1817 20.455 (5) (ec) Victim services grants. The amounts in the schedule to provide
18grants for victim services under s. 165.932 and to administer the grant program.
AB444,21 19Section 21 . 20.505 (1) (am) of the statutes is created to read:
AB444,15,2120 20.505 (1) (am) Miscellaneous projects. The amounts in the schedule for the
21grants awarded under 2021 Wisconsin Act .... (this act), section 9101 (1).
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