This is the preview version of the Wisconsin State Legislature site.
Please see http://docs.legis.wisconsin.gov for the production version.
For further information see the state 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:
SB685,1 1Section 1. 20.285 (1) (ar) of the statutes, as created by 2021 Wisconsin Act 58,
2is amended to read:
SB685,2,53 20.285 (1) (ar) Freshwater collaborative. As a continuing appropriation, the
4amounts in the schedule to provide funding for a the freshwater collaborative under
5s. 36.25 (56)
.
SB685,2 6Section 2. 36.25 (56) of the statutes is created to read:
SB685,3,4
136.25 (56) Freshwater collaborative. (a) From the appropriation under s.
220.285 (1) (ar) and subject to par. (c), the board shall, to the extent funding is
3available under s. 20.285 (1) (ar), fund a freshwater collaborative among no more
4than 6 institutions that has the following purposes:
SB685,3,85 1. Studying the challenge of agriculture water management, including a focus
6on nutrient runoff and groundwater contamination, water withdrawal for irrigation,
7and the impact of water management practices on farm policy, including changes to
8farm efficiencies, production, and profit margins.
SB685,3,129 2. Studying the challenge of water quality and safety, including a focus on
10emerging contaminants, effective treatment techniques, nutrient contamination,
11well contamination, surface water contamination, lead contamination, legacy
12contamination, and safe drinking water compliance.
SB685,3,1413 (b) The freshwater collaborative funded under par. (a) shall do all of the
14following to accomplish the purposes specified in par. (a):
SB685,3,1515 1. Devise new watercentric training programs focused on undergraduates.
SB685,3,1816 2. Provide an opportunity for students to participate in a work-study
17internship program in a state office that coordinates state water policy. The board
18shall determine the number of credits that students earn in the program.
SB685,3,1919 3. Provide scholarships and student support to retain and attract new talent.
SB685,3,2120 4. Amplify marketing and recruiting relating to Wisconsin's role in freshwater
21science.
SB685,3,2322 5. Enhance workforce development programming, including internships,
23research experiences, training institutes, and graduate research.
SB685,3,2524 6. Recruit new faculty and staff for training programs, research, and
25innovation.
SB685,4,3
17. Act as a liaison to the Great Lakes commission's Blue Accounting initiative,
2in order to assist the state in meeting its obligations under the Great Lakes basin
3compact ratified and enacted by chapter 275, laws of 1955.
SB685,4,104 8. As soon as practicable but no later than December 31, 2022, create a
5user-friendly dashboard for the public to easily access municipal water quality
6reports, private well data, and surface water quality information that is compiled
7from information from the public service commission, the department of health
8services, the department of natural resources, institutions and campuses of the
9system, the Division of Extension of the University of Wisconsin-Madison, and other
10credible organizations.
SB685,4,2011 9. Divide the state into areas for the purpose of better understanding the
12diverse and localized water quality issues in each area. The number of areas and
13metrics used to map the areas shall be at the discretion of the freshwater
14collaborative. As soon as practicable but no later than December 31, 2022, the
15freshwater collaborative shall prepare a report on the unique water quality
16challenges in each area, the severity of those challenges, and the known level of
17specific contaminants in those areas. The report shall also describe the overall
18success of state and federal water quality programs in each area, including
19participation in each program, resources spent on each program, and available
20metrics to determine the success of each program.
SB685,5,521 (c) The board shall establish metrics for determining the success of the
22freshwater collaborative in accomplishing its purposes. No moneys may be expended
23from the appropriation under s. 20.285 (1) (ar) unless the board submits the metrics
24to the joint committee on finance and, within 14 working days after the submittal,
25the cochairpersons of the committee do not notify the board that the committee has

1scheduled a meeting to review the metrics. If, within 14 working days after the
2submittal, the cochairpersons of the committee notify the board that the committee
3has scheduled a meeting to review the metrics, no moneys may be expended from the
4appropriation under s. 20.285 (1) (ar) unless the committee approves or modifies the
5metrics.
SB685,5,86 (d) The board shall appoint a committee to advise the board on how to allocate
7the funding under par. (a) among the institutions. The committee shall consist of the
8following:
SB685,5,99 1. The president of the system or his or her designee.
SB685,5,1310 2. Two members appointed by the board who are nationally recognized
11objective experts who have shown expertise in the field of water science. The 2
12members shall be selected from a list of 5 individuals recommended by the president
13of the system or his or her designee.
SB685,5,1614 3. Two members appointed by the majority leader of the senate. One of the
15members shall represent the agricultural industry, and the other member shall
16represent a private sector nonagricultural industry.
SB685,5,1917 4. Two members appointed by the speaker of the assembly. One of the members
18shall represent the agricultural industry, and the other member shall represent a
19private sector nonagricultural industry.
SB685,5,2320 5. Two members appointed by the governor. One of the members shall
21represent a private sector nonagricultural industry, and the other member shall
22represent a municipal water utility of a 2nd class city with a population of less than
23150,000.
SB685,6,624 (e) No later than December 31 of each odd-numbered year, the board shall
25submit a report to the joint committee on finance and to the chief clerk of each house

1of the legislature for distribution under s. 13.172 (3) to the standing committees
2having jurisdiction over matters regarding the University of Wisconsin System or
3natural resources. The report shall show the amount of the funding under par. (a)
4that is distributed to each institution and show how those amounts compare to the
5amounts requested, if any, by each institution. The report shall also describe all of
6the following:
SB685,6,87 1. How the funding is expended, including the number and types of positions
8created.
SB685,6,119 2. Freshwater collaborative demographics, including the number of resident,
10nonresident, undergraduate, and graduate students who participate in the
11collaborative.
SB685,6,1412 3. The accomplishments of the freshwater collaborative, including the type and
13number of degrees conferred, research projects completed, and internships provided
14under the collaborative.
SB685,6,1515 (End)
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