c. Rail passenger station improvements related to an existing rail passenger
service.

Current law provides $79,000,000 in general obligation bonding authority for
the program but does not provide for other sources of program funding. However, not
more than $10,000,000 of the bonding proceeds may be used for the purposes
described in items b and c, above; no proceeds may be used without JCF approval;
and no proceeds may be used for the purposes described in items a and b, above,
unless DOT provides to JCF certain information.

This bill increases the general obligation bonding authority for the program
from $79,000,000 to $124,000,000 but does not modify any of these other program
funding limitations.

Under current law, the state may contract up to $250,300,000 in public debt for
DOT to acquire railroad property and to provide grants and loans for railroad
property acquisition and improvement. This bill increases the authorized general
obligation bonding limit for these purposes to $280,300,000.

Under current law, the secretary of administration must annually transfer
from the general fund to the transportation fund 0.25 percent of estimated general
fund tax revenues for the fiscal year or $35,127,000, whichever amount is greater.
This bill repeals this requirement.

Under current law, DMA is required to contract for the creation, operation, and
maintenance of an emergency services network capable of meeting certain standards
known collectively as Next Generation 911. DMA is also required to develop and
operate a statewide public safety interoperable communication system, commonly
referred to as WISCOM. To assist DMA in developing the ability of public safety
agencies to communicate with each other, there is an interoperability council with
a 911 subcommittee attached to DMA. This bill transfers the requirements relating
to Next Generation 911 and WISCOM from DMA to DOT and attaches the
interoperability council and 911 subcommittee to DOT. The bill also requires DOT
to issue a request for proposals for a statewide public safety interoperable
communications system to be deployed on existing tower sites and authorizes DOT
to spend up to $500,000 for professional consulting services related to the request for
proposals.

Under current law, the state may contract up to $120,000,000 in public debt for
DOT to provide grants for harbor improvements. This bill increases the authorized
general obligation bonding limit to $159,000,000 for this purpose.

Under current law, DOT administers the harbor assistance program under
which eligible applicants may be awarded a grant to partially reimburse the
applicant for expenses incurred in making certain harbor improvements. Under this
bill, during the 2019-21 fiscal biennium, DOT must prioritize making grant awards

under the harbor assistance program to municipalities in which a shipbuilder in the
state is conducting operations.

2017 Wisconsin Act 295 created a requirement that DVA administer a pilot
program that expires on June 30, 2019, to provide outreach, mental health services,
and support to certain individuals who are serving or who have served in the armed
forces, who reside in Wisconsin, and who may have a mental health condition or
substance use disorder. This bill continues the program on an ongoing basis.

This bill changes the appropriations for the veterans home exchange program
and the veterans cemetery operations from sum certain annual appropriations to
continuing appropriations. An annual sum certain appropriation is expendable only
for the fiscal year for which the appropriation is made and only up to the dollar
amount shown in the schedule for that fiscal year. A continuing appropriation is
expendable until fully depleted, and the moneys held therein do not lapse. Therefore,
the effect of this change is to allow the moneys in the appropriations to continue to
be spent until depleted.

This bill changes the appropriation for the general fund supplement to the
veterans trust fund from a sum certain annual appropriation to a sum sufficient
appropriation. An annual sum certain appropriation is expendable only for the fiscal
year for which the appropriation is made and only up to the dollar amount shown in
the schedule for that fiscal year; whereas, a sum sufficient appropriation is
expendable up to the amount that is necessary to accomplish the purpose specified.
The effect of this change is to allow the secretary of administration to determine the
amounts of money that may be expended for veterans programs by transferring
moneys from the general fund to the veterans trust fund.

This bill eliminates the veterans housing loan program. Under current law,
DVA has authority to issue and service loans to veterans for certain housing related
purposes.

This bill renumbers the appropriation for the Central Wisconsin Veterans
Memorial Cemetery to be appropriately grouped with the other appropriations for
the bureau of cemeteries.

This bill repeals one of the appropriations that funds a program that provides
grants to counties and tribes for the improvement of veterans services.