2023 WISCONSIN ACT 250
(Vetoed in Part)
An Act to create 20.192 (1) (c) and 238.145 of the statutes; relating to: University of Wisconsin System branch campus redevelopment grants and making an appropriation.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
250,1Section 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated: 250,2Section 2. 20.192 (1) (c) of the statutes is created to read: 20.192 (1) (c) Branch campus redevelopment grants. As a continuing appropriation, the amounts in the schedule for grants to political subdivisions under s. 238.145.
250,3Section 3. 238.145 of the statutes is created to read: 238.145 Branch campus redevelopment grants. (1) Definitions. In this section:
(a) “Branch campus” means any of the former college campuses that were partnered with a university in the University of Wisconsin System restructuring plan approved by the Higher Learning Commission on or about June 28, 2018.
(b) “Planning costs” include, among other expenses, expenses incurred in connection with hiring consultants, site planning, viability studies, and environmental compliance or remediation activities.
(c) “Political subdivision” means a city, village, town, or county.
(2) Grants. (a) From the appropriation under s. 20.192 (1) (c), and subject to pars. (b) to (f), the corporation shall award grants to political subdivisions for costs, including planning costs and demolition costs, associated with the redevelopment of buildings or other sites owned by the political subdivision on a branch campus or former branch campus that are or will no longer be used for academic purposes . (b) A grant may be awarded under this subsection only to fund activities that contribute to the overall economic improvement and enhancement of the community. These activities may include, among others, activities that facilitate job creation, workforce development, small business support, housing, or public infrastructure improvement.
(c) The corporation may not award a grant under this subsection unless the political subdivision applying for the grant satisfies all of the following:
1. The political subdivision submits to the corporation community letters of support for the grant.
2. The political subdivision provides matching funding from local sources in an amount of at least 20 percent of the amount of the grant awarded . (d) No grant awarded under this subsection may exceed $2,000,000.
(e) The corporation shall award a grant under this subsection to Richland County before awarding a grant under this subsection to any other political subdivision . After the grant to Richland County is awarded, the corporation shall award grants to Fond du Lac County, Washington County, and Marinette County before awarding a grant under this subsection to any other political subdivision . This paragraph applies to a county only if the county satisfies all requirements under this subsection for the award of a grant. (f) Upon receiving a political subdivision’s application for a grant under this subsection, the corporation shall request under s. 13.101 (3) that the joint committee on finance supplement the appropriation under s. 20.192 (1) (c) by the grant amount if the corporation determines that the requirements under this subsection for awarding the grant are satisfied. The corporation shall submit a separate request to the joint committee on finance for each grant to be awarded. The joint committee on finance may supplement the appropriation under s. 20.192 (1) (c) without finding that an emergency exists under s. 13.101 (3) (a) 1. (3) Reports. No later than 90 days after completion of a project for which a grant is awarded under sub. (2), the political subdivision receiving the grant shall submit to the corporation and to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under s. 13.172 (3) a report containing all of the following information:
(a) The name of the grant recipient and the amount of the grant awarded.
(b) A detailed description of how the grant funds were spent.
250,4Section 4. Fiscal changes. (1) In the schedule under s. 20.005 (3) for the appropriation to the joint committee on finance under s. 20.865 (4) (a), the dollar amount for fiscal year 2023-24 is increased by $20,000,000 to provide funding for grants under s. 238.145.
