Chapter 45

45.60 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ch. VA 17, Wis. adm. code.

45.61 45.61 Wisconsin veterans cemeteries.

45.61(1) (1) Construction and operation of cemeteries. Subject to authorization under ss. 13.48 (10) and 20.924 (1), the department may construct and operate veterans cemeteries in central, northwestern, and southeastern Wisconsin and may employ any personnel that are necessary for the proper management of the cemeteries. The cemetery in central Wisconsin is the Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery. The cemetery in southeastern Wisconsin is the Southern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery. The cemetery in northwestern Wisconsin is the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery. The department may acquire, by gift, purchase, or condemnation, lands necessary for the purposes of the cemeteries. Title to the properties shall be taken in the name of this state. Every deed of conveyance shall be immediately recorded in the office of the proper register of deeds and thereafter filed with the secretary of state. The department may accept for the state all gifts, grants, and bequests for the purposes of maintenance, restoration, preservation, and rehabilitation of the veterans cemeteries constructed under this subsection. All cemeteries operated by the department are exempt from the requirements of ss. 157.061 to 157.70 and 440.90 to 440.95.

45.61(2) (2) Eligibility. The following persons are eligible for burial at a cemetery constructed and operated under sub. (1):

45.61(2)(a) (a) A person who died while on active duty or who was discharged or released from active duty in the U.S. armed forces under conditions other than dishonorable and his or her dependent child and surviving spouse.

45.61(2)(c) (c)

45.61(2)(c)1. 1. The spouse or dependent child of a person who is serving on active duty at the time of the spouse’s or dependent child’s death.

45.61(2)(c)2. 2. The spouse of a person who was discharged or released from active duty in the U.S. armed forces under honorable conditions.

45.61(2)(d) (d) A person who served in a national guard or a reserve component of the U.S. armed forces, and the person’s spouse, surviving spouse, and dependent children, if the person is eligible for burial in a national cemetery under 38 USC 2402.

45.61(2)(f) (f) A person who is a member of a veterans home under s. 45.50.

45.61(2m) (2m) Unclaimed cremated remains of veterans.

45.61(2m)(a) (a)

45.61(2m)(a)1. 1. A funeral director, cemetery authority, or public officer having custody of unclaimed cremated remains shall, if the cremated remains are not claimed within 90 days after the date of cremation, contact the department, a county veterans service officer, or a local veterans service organization to determine whether the cremated remains are of a person described under sub. (2).

45.61(2m)(a)2. 2. If the department, county veterans service officer, or local veterans service organization determines that the cremated remains are of a person described under sub. (2), the funeral director, cemetery authority, or public officer may transfer the cremated remains to the department for burial under this section.

45.61(2m)(b) (b) A funeral director, cemetery authority, or public officer who transfers cremated remains to the department under par. (a) 2., and, if different from the funeral director, the owner or operator of the funeral establishment, is immune from civil liability for any injury resulting from that act unless the act constitutes gross negligence or involves reckless, wanton, or intentional misconduct.

45.61(3) (3) Fees and costs. The department may charge a fee for burials under this section and may promulgate rules for the assessment of any fee. The cost of preparing the grave and the erection of a marker for a person described under sub. (2) (a) or (d) shall be paid from the appropriation under s. 20.485 (1) (gk).

45.61(4) (4) Application.

45.61(4)(a) (a) Application for burial shall be made to the department. The surviving spouse of the person described under sub. (2) (a) or (d), if that person is interred at the Central Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery, shall have the privilege of selecting a plot next to that person if available. The department shall hold the plot for the surviving spouse for a period of one year from the date of granting the privilege, but may extend the hold, on request, for additional one-year periods.

45.61(4)(b) (b) In processing applications for burial plots, the department shall maintain a waiting list for each of the cemeteries operated under sub. (1) and shall give priority to state residents on each waiting list.

45.61(5) (5) Expenses. Expenses incident to the burial under this section of persons described in sub. (2) shall be paid from the estate of the decedent, except that if there is no estate or the estate is insufficient, the expense of burial, or necessary part of the burial, shall be paid from the appropriation accounts under s. 20.485 (4) (g), (m), or (q) or, for members of veterans homes, from the appropriation account under s. 20.485 (1) (gk). The amount expended for those expenses under this subsection shall not exceed the amount established for funeral and burial expenses under s. 49.785 (1) (b).

45.61 History History: 2005 a. 22; 2007 a. 20; 2013 a. 20; 2015 a. 382; 2023 a. 206.

45.61 Cross-reference Cross-reference: See also ch. VA 14, Wis. adm. code.

45.62 45.62 Burial places compiled.

45.62(1) (1) The department may compile a record of veteran’s burial places located within the state that may, so far as practicable, indicate all of the following information:

45.62(1)(a) (a) The deceased veteran’s name.

45.62(1)(b) (b) The service in which the deceased veteran was engaged.

45.62(1)(c) (c) The appropriate designation of the deceased veteran’s armed forces unit.

45.62(1)(d) (d) The deceased veteran’s rank and period of service.

45.62(1)(e) (e) The name and location of the cemetery or other place in which the deceased veteran’s body is interred.

45.62(1)(f) (f) The location of the deceased veteran’s grave in the cemetery or other place of interment.

45.62(1)(g) (g) The character of the headstone or other marker, if any, at the deceased veteran’s grave.

45.62(2) (2) The department may prepare blank forms for the transmission to the department of the information required for the record under sub. (1). The department may distribute the forms to county veterans service officers. A county veterans service officer within whose county any cemetery or other burial place is located in which deceased veteran’s bodies are interred shall submit the facts required for the record under sub. (1) to the department on the forms provided by the department, if so requested by the department.

45.62 History History: 2005 a. 22.

subch. VII of ch. 45 SUBCHAPTER VII

MEMORIALS

45.70 45.70 Veterans memorials.

45.70(1b) (1b) Establishment and modifications of memorials.

45.70(1b)(a) (a) The board may approve, recommend, and veto any proposed plans, modifications, and changes or policies with respect to established state memorials and any future veterans state memorials, and may recommend the creation and establishment of future veterans state memorials.

45.70(1b)(b) (b) The board may act under par. (a) only if the department estimates that the cost of implementing the proposal for an established or future state memorial will exceed $25,000.

45.70(2) (2) Camp Randall memorial.

45.70(2)(b) (b) No structures, other than memorials approved by the board, and no walks, roads, or subterranean footings may be placed or erected upon Camp Randall Memorial Park, Madison, Wisconsin, as described in par. (c), unless authorized by the legislature; nor shall the park be used for any purpose other than a memorial park.

45.70(2)(c) (c) Camp Randall Memorial Park, Madison, Wisconsin, is established and described as follows: beginning on the west line of Randall Avenue 96.6 feet north of the center line of Dayton Street extended; thence west at right angles to Randall Avenue 370 feet; thence south parallel to Randall Avenue 722 feet; thence west at right angles to Randall Avenue 235 feet; thence south parallel to Randall Avenue 205 feet to the north line of Monroe Street; thence north 50 degrees 14 minutes east along the north line of Monroe Street approximately 780 feet to the west line of Randall Avenue; thence north along the west line of Randall Avenue 429 feet to the place of beginning.

45.70 History History: 2005 a. 22; 2013 a. 20; 2017 a. 59.

45.71 45.71 Catalog of memorials. The department shall prepare a catalog of memorials, describing each memorial and giving its location and condition. The department shall periodically update that catalog.

45.71 History History: 2005 a. 22.

45.72 45.72 County and municipal memorials.

45.72(1) (1) In this section and s. 45.73, “local unit of government” means a city, village, town, or county.

45.72(2) (2) Any local unit of government may by gift, purchase, contract, or condemnation acquire property, real or personal, for the purpose of providing, furnishing, constructing, erecting, repairing, maintaining, or conducting a suitable memorial to the memory of former residents thereof who lost their lives in the military or naval service of the state or of the United States, or to commemorate and honor the deeds of persons, residents thereof, or of the state or United States, who served the nation in any war, or other persons who rendered great state or national service, or to the memory of any president of the United States, or for a combination of any those purposes, which are declared to be public purposes.

45.72(3) (3) The local unit of government shall determine the character of the memorial, and without limitation because of enumeration, the memorial may comprise a public building, hospital, sanatorium, home for the aged or indigent, park, recreation facility, community forest, or other suitable object having a public purpose.

45.72(4) (4) Any local unit of government may appropriate money and may levy a tax to acquire, pay for, construct, erect, furnish, equip, operate, repair, maintain, or reconstruct a suitable memorial for the purpose or purposes provided in this section.

45.72(5) (5) Any local unit of government may authorize the use of any public property respectively of such city, village, town, or county as a site for a memorial, and any county may authorize its public property to be so used by any city, village, or town in the county.

45.72(6) (6) Any local unit of government may by ordinance or contract provide for the management, control, or operation of any memorial. The local unit of government may enter into a written lease, for a term not exceeding 25 years, with any duly chartered and incorporated veterans organization established in the local unit of government. The lease shall include the provisions for the amount of rental and such conditions of public use as the local unit determines.

45.72(7) (7) Any local unit of government may contract with or make an appropriation, or both, to any other local unit of government or to any nonprofit corporation without capital stock organized expressly for any of the purposes of this section or to any duly chartered and incorporated veterans organization established in the local unit of government, and for the purpose of raising funds for memorial purposes or contributions. The local unit of government may levy taxes upon the taxable property located in the local unit of government, or borrow money and issue bonds in the manner and under the regulations provided by ch. 67. The facilities of the memorial shall be available to the residents of the local unit of government making the appropriation to the extent that the governing body of the local unit of government may require.

45.72 History History: 2005 a. 22.

45.73 45.73 Sites for veterans memorial halls.

45.73(1) (1) Any local unit of government may donate to any organization specified in s. 70.11 (9) land upon which is to be erected a memorial hall to contain the memorial tablet specified in s. 70.11 (9).

45.73(2) (2) The action of any local unit of government in granting veterans organizations or any other civic, patriotic, educational, or historical society rooms and space within public buildings for the establishment of memorial halls and museums, and occupancy thereof by its members, is authorized and confirmed. The local unit of government may permit the use and occupancy of the rooms and space for such terms and subject to such conditions and provisions as the local unit of government may impose. Any contract, lien, or agreement between the local unit of government and any organization now in force shall continue in force according to the terms of the contract, lien, or agreement.

45.73 History History: 2005 a. 22.

45.74 45.74 Memorial corporations organized under 1919 act.

45.74(1) (1) Any commission or board of trustees that governs a corporation organized to construct a memorial under s. 45.057 (5), statutes of 1919 to 1943 (created by chapter 598, laws of 1919, and repealed by chapter 301, laws of 1945), shall have the following powers in addition to those it now has:

45.74(1)(a) (a) All powers vested in the members of the corporation by the articles of incorporation or bylaws, including the power to amend the articles of incorporation.

45.74(1)(b) (b) The powers set forth in s. 181.0302 and all other applicable provisions of ch. 181.

45.74(1)(c) (c) The power to convey any property under its control to any municipality and lease it back under terms agreed upon by the commission or board of trustees and the municipality.

45.74(1)(d) (d) The power to dissolve the corporation and dispose of the real and personal property of the corporation in a manner that it deems will best serve the purposes for which it was organized and the interests of the community.

45.74(2) (2) The commission or board of trustees shall have a membership composed of 5 residents of the city, village, or town in which the memorial is located, one appointed by the common council, village board, or town board of the city, village, or town, and 4 by the circuit judge of the county in which the memorial is located. The commission or board may appoint 4 additional members who are residents of this state. The terms of all members shall be 5 years. In order that terms of members may expire at different times, not more than 2 members shall be appointed in any one year in addition to appointments made to fill vacancies occurring by resignation or death. Members shall hold office until their successors are appointed and qualify.

45.74(3) (3) Notwithstanding the repeal of s. 45.057, 1943 stats., by chapter 301, laws of 1945, the continuing existence of all commissions, boards, and corporations organized under s. 45.057 (5), statutes of 1919 to 1943, is affirmed, and the continuing operation of such commissions, boards, and corporations is ratified as to the past and authorized in the future.

45.74 History History: 2005 a. 22.

45.75 45.75 Memorials in populous counties.

45.75(1) (1) Any county having a population of 750,000 or more may establish and maintain a memorial or memorials in the county under s. 45.72 by agreement between the county board of the county and any nonprofit private corporation without capital stock organized under the laws of this state, except as provided in this section, expressly for any of the purposes of s. 45.72.

45.75(2) (2) The board of directors of the corporation shall be designated as the “memorial board,” and its members shall be called “trustees.” The membership of the memorial board may include special members, who need not be members of the corporation.

45.75(3) (3) The memorial board shall consist of 15 members, of whom 8 may be special members to be elected as provided in this section, and the remaining members shall be elected from the membership of the corporation.

45.75(4) (4) Special members of the memorial board shall be elected by the county board of such county and consist of the following:

45.75(4)(a) (a) Four members from the county board.

45.75(4)(b) (b) Four members elected from among the residents of the county.

45.75(5) (5) Terms of members of the memorial board shall be as follows:

45.75(5)(a) (a) For special members:

45.75(5)(a)1. 1. Members elected from the county board shall be elected at the first meeting of the county board following each county board general election and their terms shall commence on that date. They shall hold office during their terms on the county board and until their successors are elected and qualified.

45.75(5)(a)2. 2. Members elected from among the residents shall hold office for 4 years and until their successors are elected, except that the first 4 such members shall be chosen for 1, 2, 3, and 4 years, respectively.

45.75(5)(a)3. 3. Any vacancy in the special membership shall be filled by the county board for the unexpired term, and until a successor is elected and qualified.

45.75(5)(b) (b) For elected members from the corporate membership: the terms of the trustees shall be for such numbers of years that those of an equal number, as nearly as may be, shall expire in 2, 3, and 4 years, and successive terms of 4 years each thereafter and until their successors are elected and qualified.

45.75(6) (6) The articles of incorporation of the corporation shall provide originally or by amendment, in addition to other necessary provisions, and as permitted by this section, for the classification of the members of the corporation, for the election of trustees proportionately from and by those classifications, for the terms of the members of the corporation and for the officers, their duties, and the terms thereof to be elected from the membership.

45.75(7) (7) The war memorial may be constructed upon any land ceded before July 15, 1953, by this state to any municipality in this state notwithstanding any restrictions, limitations, or conditions as to the nature of the use of any of the land contained in the legislative act, granting the land to the municipality, and notwithstanding the restrictions, limitations, or conditions incorporated in any subsequent conveyance of the lands by the municipality.

45.75(8) (8) The war memorial may be constructed in any public park and the use of those park lands as a location for a war memorial shall not be considered inconsistent with the use of the same for park purposes. No war memorial shall be constructed in a public park until the park commission, general manager appointed under s. 27.03 (2), or park board having jurisdiction of the park shall approve the construction. The county board of any county may authorize the construction of a war memorial at different intervals of time if the proposed memorial consists of more than one building or structure and any county board subsequently elected shall carry into effect any contract authorized by s. 45.72 entered into on behalf of the county for the construction or maintenance of the war memorial. The construction, maintenance, and operation of a war memorial in a county park shall be subject to the jurisdiction of the county board and no part of those costs shall be charged against the funds of the park commission, park system, or park board of the county.

45.75 History History: 2005 a. 22; 2017 a. 207 s. 5.

subch. VIII of ch. 45 SUBCHAPTER VIII

LOCAL RESPONSIBILITIES

45.80 45.80 County veterans service officer.

45.80(1) (1) Election or appointment.

45.80(1)(a) (a) Except as provided under par. (b), the county board shall elect a county veterans service officer who shall be a Wisconsin resident who served on active duty under honorable conditions in the U.S. armed forces or in forces incorporated as part of the U.S. armed forces and who meets at least one of the conditions listed in s. 45.01 (12) (a) to (d) and at least one of the conditions listed in s. 45.02 (2).