Under current law, state aid is available for snowmobile trail development,
maintenance, rehabilitation, and signage. The bill expands the purposes for which
this state aid may be used to include payment of a qualified vendor to provide
real-time tracking of snowmobile trail grooming through DNR's online trail
grooming reporting system (commonly known as the Snowmobile Automated
Reporting System, or SNARS) and to develop and maintain an accurate, statewide
geographic information system map of snowmobile trails.
Withdrawal of county forest lands for sale to American Indian tribes
Under current law, a county board may designate certain land as a county forest
and enter that designation by application to DNR. The county must manage the
county forest for recreational use, timber harvesting, and other specified purposes
and DNR must make payment to the county based on the acreage of county forest the
county maintains. A county may subsequently apply to DNR to withdraw the entry
of land as a county forest and sell the land. If the sale is to be to a person other than
the state or a local unit of government, DNR must establish a minimum value for the
land to be withdrawn. Under the bill, county forest that is withdrawn to be sold to
an American Indian tribe or band is also excluded from the requirement that DNR
establish the minimum value of the land to be withdrawn.

Emergency rule making for the urban forestry grant program
Under current law, DNR administers an urban forestry grant program to
provide grants to municipalities and NCOs to undertake various tree projects in
urban areas. The bill allows DNR to promulgate emergency rules to incorporate new
priorities and categories of grants and recipients and to increase the minimum
amount of urban forestry grants, without finding that an emergency exists or
providing evidence that promulgating an emergency rule is necessary to preserve
public peace, health, safety, or welfare.
Fish, game, and wildlife
Use of ID card to establish residency for DNR approvals
Under current law, DNR issues approvals that authorize the holder of the
approval to engage in certain activities, such as hunting wild animals. In general,
residents of the state are issued a different approval, for a lower fee, than
nonresidents of the state. Current law provides that a resident is anyone who has
maintained a permanent abode in the state for at least 30 days prior to applying for
an approval, which must be established by demonstrating domiciliary intent. Under
current law, evidence of domiciliary intent includes voting, paying personal income
taxes, or obtaining a driver's license at a location in the state. The bill provides that
domiciliary intent may also be satisfied by obtaining an identification card issued by
DOT. Under current law, an identification card issued by DOT is required to contain
the same information that is required for an operator's license, including the license
holder's name, address, and photograph, but must be clearly labeled as providing
only identification of the card's holder.
Waterfowl stamp fee and uses
Under current law generally, no person may hunt waterfowl unless he or she
is issued a conservation patron license, a hunting license authorizing the hunting of
small game and a waterfowl hunting stamp, or a sports license and a waterfowl
hunting stamp. The bill raises the fee for a waterfowl hunting stamp from $6.75 to
$11.75. Current law requires DNR to spend 67 percent of the money received from
fees for waterfowl hunting stamps for developing, managing, preserving, restoring,
and maintaining wetland habitat and for producing waterfowl and ecologically
related species of wildlife. Under the bill, DNR may also provide those moneys to
NCOs and local units of government for developing and restoring wetland habitat.
Aquatic plant management
Under current law, without a valid aquatic plant management permit issued
by DNR, no person may introduce nonnative aquatic plants into waters of this state,
manually remove aquatic plants from navigable waters, or control aquatic plants in
waters of this state by the use of chemicals or by introducing biological agents, by
using a process that involves dewatering, desiccation, burning, or freezing, or by
using mechanical means. Under current law, DNR establishes fees for aquatic plant
management permits, and those fees are deposited into a general fund appropriation
used for facilities, materials, or services provided by DNR relating to its
environmental quality functions and to the management of the state's water

resources. Under the bill, those fees are deposited into a general fund appropriation
used solely for the aquatic plant management permit program.
Deer carcass disposal sites
The bill requires DNR to provide financial assistance to local governments,
individuals, businesses, and conservation organizations to purchase large metal
containers for the disposal of deer carcasses.
Public Utilities
Broadband line extension grants
The bill requires PSC to make grants to residents of properties that are not
served by a broadband service provider to assist in paying the customer costs
associated with line extension necessary to connect broadband service to the
properties. The maximum amount of a broadband line extension grant is $4,000.
The bill also requires PSC to give priority to primary residences and to establish
other criteria for awarding the grants.
Broadband planning grants
The bill requires PSC to make grants to cities, villages, towns, counties, school
districts, tribal governments, regional planning commissions, nonprofit
organizations, and local economic development councils for the following: 1)
broadband planning; 2) feasibility engineering related to broadband infrastructure
construction; 3) broadband adoption planning; and 4) digital inclusion activities.
The maximum amount of a broadband planning grant is $50,000. The bill also
requires PSC to provide training, technical assistance, and information on
broadband infrastructure construction, broadband adoption, and digital inclusion.
Creating an appropriation for the state broadband office
The bill creates an appropriation to fund the operations of the state broadband
office within PSC. Currently, the state broadband office enhances the availability,
adoption, and use of broadband across the state.
Funding for broadband expansion grant program
The bill appropriates general purpose revenue for the broadband expansion
grant program administered by PSC.
Eligibility for broadband expansion grants
The bill makes a city, village, town, or county (political subdivision) eligible to
apply for a broadband expansion grant from PSC if the political subdivision is
underserved or located in an unserved area. Under current law, underserved means
served by fewer than two broadband service providers, and an unserved area is an
area not served by an Internet service provider that meets certain standards for the
service provided and for upload and download speeds. Under current law, a political
subdivision is only eligible to apply for a broadband expansion grant if its application
is submitted in partnership with a nonprofit organization or a telecommunications
utility.
Broadband mapping
Under the bill, PSC must require Internet service providers, annually by April
1, to disclose to PSC the properties they serve, the average minimum download and

upload speeds at which they provide Internet service to those properties, and a
description of their existing service areas. The bill requires PSC to use this
information to conduct broadband mapping and facilitate the deployment of
broadband infrastructure and access to broadband service. The bill adds an
exception to the public records law by requiring PSC to withhold from public
inspection any information disclosed by Internet service providers that would aid a
competitor in competing with that provider if PSC determines that public disclosure
is not necessary to conduct broadband mapping or facilitate the deployment of
broadband infrastructure and access to broadband service.
Allowing electric providers to use easements for broadband service
The bill allows electric providers to use easements that they hold to do the
following: 1) install or maintain broadband infrastructure; and 2) lease or provide
excess capacity in broadband infrastructure to a supplier of broadband services.
Under the bill, “electric provider” includes both electric public utilities and electric
cooperatives. The bill also provides that except for an easement that expressly
prohibits, by its terms, using the easement for those purposes, the terms or
conditions of an easement held by an electric provider that inhibit it from using the
easement for those purposes do not apply.