AB639: Bill Text

2021 - 2022 LEGISLATURE

2021 Assembly BILL 639

October 21, 2021 - Introduced by Representatives Skowronski, Sinicki, Spiros, Tusler, Hesselbein, Emerson, Petryk, Cabral-Guevara, Kerkman, Spreitzer, Bowen, Dittrich, Mursau, Wichgers, Shankland, Vruwink, Neubauer, Conley, Subeck, Horlacher, Ortiz-Velez, Riemer, Kurtz, Armstrong, B. Meyers, Snodgrass, Allen, Hebl, Andraca, Hong, Ohnstad, Thiesfeldt, Drake, Shelton, James, Considine, S. Rodriguez, Vining, Stubbs, Haywood, Anderson, Baldeh, Penterman, Macco, Edming, Tittl, Milroy, Summerfield, Billings, Brostoff, Cabrera, Doyle, Goyke, Hintz, McGuire, Moore Omokunde, L. Myers, Pope, Schraa, Wittke and Plumer, cosponsored by Senators Roth, Carpenter, Kooyenga, Bewley, Agard, Feyen, L. Taylor, Smith, Ringhand, Wirch, Larson, Pfaff, Johnson and Felzkowski. Referred to Committee on Colleges and Universities.

AB639,1,3 An Act to create 20.855 (4) (bg) of the statutes; relating to: the University of Wisconsin Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project and making an appropriation.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Under this bill, the University of Wisconsin Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project (MIA Recovery Project) may request the Joint Committee on Finance to provide $180,000 in each fiscal year of the 2021-23 fiscal biennium for missions to recover and identify Wisconsin veterans who are missing in action. The request must include a research prospectus and spending plan for the mission for which the funding is requested and must be concurrently provided to the standing committees of each house of the legislature dealing with veterans matters (veterans committees), as well as the governor, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the Department of Military Affairs. The veterans committees may submit to JCF a written recommendation regarding the request. JCF considers the request under a 14-day passive review process and, upon JCF's express or implied approval of the request, JCF must provide the requested amount of funding directed to the MIA Recovery Project Fund. If JCF provides funding, by June 30, 2023, the MIA Recovery Project must submit to JCF, each veterans committee, the governor, DVA, and DMA a report on the mission's findings and accounting of expenditures, including specified information. The bill also creates a miscellaneous appropriation of general purpose revenue through which JCF provides the funding.

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:

AB639,1 Section 1 . 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated: - See PDF for table

AB639,2 Section 2 . 20.855 (4) (bg) of the statutes is created to read:

AB639,2,6 20.855 (4) (bg) Missing-in-Action Recovery Project. As a continuing appropriation, the amounts in the schedule for the joint committee on finance to provide the funding under 2021 Wisconsin Act .... (this act), section 3 (1 ).

AB639,3 Section 3 . Nonstatutory provisions.

AB639,2,9 (1) Funding for the University of Wisconsin Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project.

AB639,2,11 (a) In this subsection, “MIA Recovery Project” means the University of Wisconsin Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project.

AB639,3,6 (b) The MIA Recovery Project, acting through a designated representative, may submit to the joint committee on finance a request for funding in fiscal year 2021-22 in the amount of $180,000 and for funding in fiscal year 2022-23 in the amount of $180,000 for the MIA Recovery Project to perform a mission for the recovery and identification of Wisconsin veterans who are missing in action. Any request submitted under this paragraph shall include a research prospectus and spending plan for the mission for which the funding is requested, with a copy of the request, the prospectus, and the spending plan concurrently provided to the standing committees of each house of the legislature dealing with veterans matters, the governor, the department of veterans affairs, and the department of military affairs.

AB639,3,10 (c) After receiving the request, prospectus, and spending plan specified in par. (b), the standing committees of each house of the legislature dealing with veterans matters may, within 7 working days of receiving the request, submit to the joint committee on finance a written recommendation regarding the request.

AB639,3,18 (d) If, within 14 working days after receiving the request under par. (b), the cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance do not notify the MIA Recovery Project representative that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the request, the request is considered approved. If, within 14 working days after the date of the request, the cochairpersons of the committee notify the MIA Recovery Project representative that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the request, the request is approved only upon express approval of the committee.

AB639,3,22 (e) Upon approval of the request under par. (d ), the joint committee on finance shall provide funding in the requested amount, from the appropriation account under s. 20.855 (4) (bg), directed to the University of Wisconsin Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project Fund.

AB639,4,4 (f) If the joint committee on finance approves a request under par. (d ), the MIA Recovery Project, acting through its representative, shall submit, by June 30, 2023, for which funds provided under par. (e ) were expended, to the joint committee on finance, the standing committees of each house of the legislature dealing with veterans matters, the governor, the department of veterans affairs, and the department of military affairs, a report on the mission's findings and an accounting of expenditures, including all of the following:

AB639,4,6 1. A detailed budget breakdown showing how all funding provided under par. (e) was spent.

AB639,4,7 2. A statement of the number of cases identified.

AB639,4,10 3. A description of all cases during the time frame funds were received, including current progress and future planned actions such as letters to the family or missions abroad.

AB639,4,12 4. A calculation of the cost to continue with additional missions, identifying the data and methodology used to make the calculation.

AB639,4,14 5. Identification of the amount and source of all funds raised for the cases that were in addition to the funding provided under par. (e ).

AB639,4,21 6. A detailed description of the involvement of the federal department of defense in the mission, along with information identifying all other missions or cases on which the MIA Recovery Project has worked with the federal department of defense in the past and all missions or cases on which the MIA Recovery Project expects to work with the federal department of defense in fiscal years 2023-24 and 2024-25, including what arrangements the MIA Recovery Project has made with the federal department of defense to continue with future missions.

AB639,5,2 7. A detailed description of the role of University of Wisconsin System students in the mission or in connection with the mission, including how students were utilized to accomplish the objectives of the mission, whether involved students were paid or received academic credit or neither, and whether the MIA Recovery Project provided any classroom instruction or coursework to involved students.

AB639,5,3 (End)