DWD Department of Workforce Development
ETF Department of Employee Trust Funds
GPR General purpose revenue
HEAB Higher Educational Aids Board
JCF Joint Committee on Finance
OCI Office of the Commissioner of Insurance
PSC Public Service Commission
SPD State Public Defender
SHS State Historical Society
TCS Technical College System
UW University of Wisconsin
WEDC Wisconsin Economic Development Corporation
WHEDA Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority
WHEFA Wisconsin Health and Educational Facilities Authority
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AGRICULTURE
Grants for biodigester operator certification and regional planning
This bill requires DATCP to provide grants to individuals seeking biodigester operator certification. Biodigesters are used to break down organic material into gas, liquids, and solids.
The bill also requires DATCP to provide planning grants for establishing regional biodigesters in the state.
Dairy agriculture resilience investment now grant pilot program
The bill requires DATCP to create a dairy agriculture resilience investment now grant pilot program, under which DATCP must provide grants to dairy producers with fewer than 1,000 head of milking cows to undertake projects designed to improve the dairy producers’ operational efficiency and resilience.
Transition to grass pilot program
The bill creates a transition to grass pilot program in DATCP to provide support and grants to farmers who are implementing livestock grass-based managed grazing systems and farmers and agribusinesses in the grass-fed livestock business. Under the bill, DATCP may award up to $40,000 to each grantee and must disperse 75 percent of the award in the first year following DATCP’s decision to grant the award and 12.5 percent of the award in each of the second and third years following DATCP’s decision to grant the award.
Farmland preservation implementation grants
The bill authorizes DATCP to award grants to counties to implement a certified county farmland preservation plan.
Sandhill crane damage reimbursement program
The bill requires DATCP to administer a program to provide reimbursements to eligible applicant farmers for the purchase of seed treatment that is registered for use on corn seed to discourage sandhill cranes from consuming the seed. Under the program, applicants may be reimbursed for up to 50 percent of the actual cost of the purchase of seed treatment, not to exceed $6,250 per farm, per year.
Value-added agricultural practices
The bill allows DATCP to provide education and technical assistance related to producing value-added agricultural products. Under the bill, DATCP may provide education and assistance related to organic farming practices; collaborate with organic producers, industry participants, and local organizations that coordinate organic farming; and stimulate interest and investment in organic production. The bill also allows DATCP to provide grants to organic producers, industry participants, and local organizations, which may be used to provide education and technical assistance related to organic farming, to help create organic farming plans, and to assist farmers in transitioning to organic farming. The bill also authorizes DATCP to provide grants to entities to provide education and training to farmers about best practices related to grazing. DATCP is also authorized under the bill to help farmers market value-added agricultural products.
Meat processing tuition and curriculum development grants
The bill requires DATCP to provide grants to universities, colleges, and technical colleges to reimburse tuition costs of students enrolled in a meat processing program and for curriculum development of those meat processing programs. Each tuition reimbursement covers up to 80 percent of the tuition cost for enrolling in a meat processing program, limited to a maximum reimbursement of $7,500.
Food security and Wisconsin products grant program
The bill allows DATCP to provide grants to food banks, food pantries, and other nonprofit organizations to purchase Wisconsin food products.
Grants for food waste reduction pilot projects
The bill requires DATCP to provide grants for food waste reduction pilot projects that have an objective of preventing food waste, redirecting surplus food to hunger relief organizations, and composting food waste. Under the bill, DATCP must give preference to grant proposals that serve census tracts for which the median household income is below the statewide median household income and in which no grocery store is located.
Farm to fork grant program
The bill creates a farm to fork program, similar to the existing farm to school program, to connect entities, other than school districts, that have cafeterias to nearby farms to provide locally produced foods in meals and snacks, to help the public develop healthy eating habits, to provide nutritional and agricultural education, and to improve farmers’ incomes and direct access to markets. Under the bill, DATCP may provide grants to entities for these purposes.
Spending cap for the Wisconsin agricultural exports program
Under current law, the Center for International Agribusiness Marketing, operated by DATCP, promotes the export of Wisconsin agricultural and agribusiness products in foreign markets. Current law provides that the center may not expend more than $1,000,000 in any fiscal year.
The bill eliminates the $1,000,000-per-year spending cap for the center.
Changes to the agricultural conservation easement purchase program
In the 2009-11 biennial budget act, the agricultural conservation easement purchase program was created for the purchase of agricultural conservation easements, from willing landowners, by DATCP in conjunction with political subdivisions and nonprofit conservation organizations. An agricultural conservation easement (easement) is an interest in land that preserves the land for agricultural use while the ownership of the land itself remains with the landowner. Under the program as it was created in the act, DATCP was required to solicit applications to the program at least once annually and was provided $12,000,000 in general fund supported borrowing for the purchase of the easements. Since the program was first created, the requirement that DATCP solicit applications to the program at least once annually was repealed, DATCP’s authority for $12,000,000 in general fund supported borrowing for the purchase of the easements was repealed, and a new provision required DNR to provide to DATCP funds from the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson stewardship program for the purchase of the easements.
The bill undoes those changes, reinstating DATCP’s requirement to solicit applications to the program at least once annually, providing DATCP authority for $15,000,000 in general fund supported borrowing for the purchase of easements, and removing the requirement that DNR provide DATCP funds from the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson stewardship program for the purchase of the easements.
Commercial nitrogen optimization program
Under current law, DATCP must award grants under a commercial nitrogen optimization pilot program to agricultural producers and to UW System institutions that implement a project that optimizes the application of commercial nitrogen for at least two growing seasons. DATCP must award the grants from an annual segregated appropriation account that is funded by the environmental fund. A grant to a farmer and the eligible UW System institution collaborating with the farmer may not exceed, in total, $50,000. DATCP must attempt to provide grants under the program to farmers in different parts of the state and for projects in areas that have different soil types or geologic characteristics.
The bill removes the word “pilot” from the statutory language describing the program and funds the program from a new biennial segregated appropriation account that is funded by the environmental fund.
Truth-in-labeling requirements for milk, dairy, and wild rice
Under the bill, no person may label a food product as, or sell or offer for sale a food product that is labeled as, any type of milk unless the food product is cow’s milk, hooved or camelid mammals’ milk, or a type of dairy milk that meets certain specifications under federal law.
In addition, no person may label a food product as, or sell or offer for sale a food product that is labeled as, a type of dairy product or a dairy ingredient unless the food product is a dairy product or dairy ingredient that is or is derived from cow’s milk, hooved or camelid mammal’s milk, or a dairy product that meets certain specifications under federal law.
Finally, the bill prohibits any person from labeling wild rice as “traditionally harvested” unless the wild rice is harvested using traditional wild rice harvesting methods of American Indian tribes or bands. The bill requires DATCP to promulgate a rule defining traditional wild rice harvesting methods of American Indian tribes or bands. Under the bill, DATCP must obtain the advice and recommendations of the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, Inc., before promulgating a rule defining a traditional method of wild rice harvesting.
Appropriation limit for the producer-led watershed protection grant program
DATCP administers the producer-led watershed protection grant program, which provides grants to groups of farmers in the same watershed to implement nonpoint source pollution abatement activities. Under current law, DATCP may not allocate more than $1,000,000 per fiscal year for this program. The bill increases that maximum amount to $1,250,000.
Agricultural enterprise area maximum acreage
Under current law, DATCP may designate agricultural enterprise areas, with a combined area of not more than 2,000,000 acres, targeted for agricultural preservation and development. The bill increases the maximum acreage for designated agricultural enterprise areas to 3,000,000.
Veterinary examining board appropriation uses
Current law provides an appropriation to DATCP, from all moneys received by the veterinary examining board when issuing or renewing credentials, for the purpose of supporting the activities of the board. The bill changes this appropriation so that it may also be used to provide dog license tags and forms; perform other activities related to the regulation of dogs; administer the rabies control program its media campaign; and carry out activities relating to humane officers. Humane officers are trained and certified officers appointed by political subdivisions to enforce certain regulations relating to animals.
Bonding for soil and water resource management
The bill increases the general obligation bonding authority for the Soil and Water Resource Management Program by $10,000,000. The program, which is administered by DATCP, awards grants to counties to help fund their land and water conservation activities.
COMMERCE AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
Business organizations and financial institutions
Catastrophe savings accounts
Under the bill, a person may establish an account at a financial institution and designate the account as a catastrophe savings account. The account may be used to hold savings for expenses related to a catastrophic event, which is defined as a tornado, hurricane, or severe storm resulting in flooding, damaging hail, extreme wind, or extremely cold temperatures. If the account owner maintains a property insurance policy covering catastrophic events, deposits in the account are limited, based on the amount of the policy deductible, to either $2,000 or the lesser of $15,000 or twice the amount of the policy deductible. Deposits in a catastrophe savings account may be withdrawn only to pay the following relating to property damage caused by a catastrophic event: 1) repair costs or other losses to the extent the costs or losses are not covered by a property insurance policy or are self-insured losses, and 2) any portion of a policy’s deductible. A person may not be an account owner of more than one catastrophe savings account. For state income tax purposes, the owner may subtract from taxable income the amount of the deposits made to and any increase in the value of a catastrophe savings account.
DFI information on worker misclassification
The bill requires DFI to provide informational materials and resources on worker misclassification to each person who files with DFI documents forming a business corporation, nonstock corporation, limited liability company, limited liability partnership, or limited partnership. See Employment.
Commerce
Prohibiting discrimination in broadband
The bill prohibits a broadband service provider from denying a group of potential residential customers access to its broadband service because of the group’s race or income. Under the bill, DATCP has authority to enforce the prohibition and to promulgate related rules. The bill also authorizes any person affected by a broadband service provider who violates the prohibition to bring a private action.
Broadband subscriber rights
The bill establishes various requirements for broadband service providers, including the following: 1) broadband service providers must provide service satisfying minimum standards established by PSC, and subscribers may terminate contracts if the broadband service provider fails to satisfy those standards; 2) broadband service providers must disclose the factors that may cause the actual broadband speed experience of a subscriber to vary, and provide service as described in advertisements or representations made to subscribers; 3) broadband service providers must repair broadband service within 72 hours after a subscriber reports a broadband service interruption that is not the result of a major system-wide or large area emergency; 4) broadband service providers must give subscribers credit for interruptions of broadband service that last more than four hours in a day; and 5) broadband service providers must give subscribers at least 30 days’ advance written notice before instituting a rate increase, at least seven days’ advance written notice of any scheduled routine maintenance that causes a service slowdown, interruption, or outage, at least 10 days’ advance written notice of a change in a factor that may cause the originally disclosed broadband speed experience to vary, and at least 10 days’ advance written notice of disconnecting service, unless the disconnection is requested by the subscriber.
Internet service provider registration
The bill requires each Internet service provider in this state to register with PSC.
Severe thunderstorm price gouging
Under current law, no manufacturer, producer, supplier, wholesaler, distributor, or retailer may sell or offer to sell consumer goods or services at unreasonably excessive prices if the governor by executive order has certified that the state or a part of the state is in a period of abnormal economic disruption due to an emergency. An “emergency” in this context includes a destructive act of nature, a hostile action, terrorism, or a disruption of energy supplies that poses a risk to the public’s economic well-being, public health, or welfare. A “consumer good or service” under the law means those goods or services that are used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes.
The bill prohibits residential building contractors, tree trimmers, and restoration and mitigation services providers that are operating within a geographic region impacted by, and repairing damage caused by, a severe thunderstorm from doing either of the following: 1) charging an unreasonably excessive price for labor in comparison to the market price charged for comparable services in the geographic region impacted by the weather event and 2) charging an insurance company a rate for a consumer good or service that exceeds what the residential building contractor, tree trimmer, or restoration and mitigation services provider would otherwise charge a member of the general public for the consumer good or service. “Severe thunderstorm” is defined in the bill to mean a weather event in which any of the following occurs: 1) hail that is one inch or greater in diameter, 2) wind gusts in excess of 50 knots, or 3) a tornado.
The bill requires DATCP to promulgate rules to establish formulas or other standards to be used in determining whether a price for labor is unreasonably excessive. Under the bill, DATCP or, after consulting with DATCP, DOJ may commence an action against a person that has violated the prohibition in the bill to recover a civil forfeiture of not more than $1,000 per violation, to temporarily or permanently restrain or enjoin the person from violating the prohibition in the bill, or both.
Sales by a municipality or county of wine in a public park
The bill allows a municipality or county to sell wine in its public parks without an alcohol beverage license.
Under current law, with limited exceptions, no person may sell alcohol beverages to a consumer unless the seller possesses a license or permit authorizing the sale. Under one exception, no license or permit is required for the sale, by officers or employees of a county or municipality, of fermented malt beverages (beer) in a public park operated by the county or municipality.
The bill applies this exception to wine along with beer.
Economic development
Changes to the state main street program
Under current law, WEDC is required to establish and administer a state main street program to coordinate state and local participation in programs offered by the national main street center to assist municipalities in planning, managing, and implementing programs for revitalization of commercial areas having historic significance.
Under current law, a recipient of assistance under the state main street program must be a city, village, or town. Under the bill, eligible recipients include tribal governments, chambers of commerce, and nonprofit organizations.
The bill eliminates the requirements that WEDC contract with the national main street center for services related to revitalizing commercial areas having historic significance and develop a plan describing the objectives of the state main street program and the methods by which WEDC will carry out certain responsibilities specified by law.
The bill also eliminates the requirements that, in developing criteria for use in selecting participants in the state main street program, WEDC include the following:
1. Local organizational and financial commitment to employ a program manager for not less than five years.
2. Local assistance in paying for the services of a design consultant.
3. Local commitment to assist in training persons to direct activities related to business areas in municipalities that do not participate in the state main street program.
Under the bill, in selecting participants in the state main street program, WEDC must evaluate and consider the potential in the business area selected by the applicant to retain small businesses, attract new businesses, generate new economic activity and grow the local tax base, and create new employment opportunities. The bill also retains the current law requirement that WEDC consider private and public sector interest in and commitment to revitalization of the business area selected by the applicant and potential private sector investment in the business area selected by the applicant.
