AB557: Bill Text

AB557,17,19 (b) The local, nonprofit organization assists persons who have been convicted of a crime, whether employed or not, in strengthening or developing their employment skills and in making or easing their transition from incarceration to work.

AB557,17,21 (c) The local, nonprofit organization assists any of the following persons, whether employed or not, in preparing for or gaining entry into the skilled trades:

AB557,17,23 1. Persons who are eligible for benefits under the Wisconsin works program under ss. 49.141 to 49.161.

AB557,17,24 2. Persons who are military veterans.

AB557,17,25 3. Persons who have been convicted of a crime.

AB557,18,1 4. Persons who are eligible for food stamps under s. 49.124.

AB557,18,2 5. Persons who are minority group members, as defined in s. 560.036 (1) (f).

AB557,18,5 (3) To the extent practicable, the department shall ensure that the grants under this section are awarded to local, nonprofit organizations from different geographic regions of the state.

AB557,18,9 (4) To qualify for an initial grant under this section, a local, nonprofit organization must apply to the department by December 1, 2002. The application shall describe how the organization qualifies for a grant under subs. (1) and (2) and how the organization will use the grant.

AB557,18,16 (5) The department shall promulgate emergency rules under s. 227.24 to establish criteria to be used in determining which qualified local, nonprofit organizations are eligible for grants under this section. Notwithstanding s. 227.24 (1) (a) and (3), the department is not required to provide evidence that promulgating an emergency rule under this subsection is necessary for the preservation of public peace, health, safety, or welfare, and is not required to provide a finding of emergency for a rule promulgated under this subsection.

AB557,18,18 (6) The department may not expend more than $30,000 as grants under this section for any given local, nonprofit organization.

AB557,18,20 (7) By January 1, 2003, the department shall begin making the grants under this section from the appropriation under s. 20.445 (1) (d).

AB557,19,2 (8) By September 1, 2003, the department shall report on the grant program under this section, including the uses that the initial grant recipients made of the grants and a recommendation on whether the grant program should be funded in the next biennium and, if so, a recommendation of an appropriate funding level and any changes that should be made to the program. The report shall be submitted to the appropriate standing committees of the legislature under s. 13.172 (3), to the joint committee on finance, and to the governor.

AB557, s. 28 Section 28. 560.157 of the statutes is created to read:

AB557,19,10 560.157 Productivity enhancement training expense certification. (1) Definition. In this section, "productivity enhancement training expenses" means expenses incurred by a business in providing training designed to increase the productivity of the business's employees and to promote or create jobs that require high degrees of skill to perform and that pay high wages. "Productivity enhancement training expenses" includes up to $2,000 in expenses incurred for needs assessment and consultation under sub. (4) (b).

AB557,19,15 (2) Program. The department shall develop, implement, and administer a productivity enhancement training expense certification program to assist businesses in providing training to their employees that is designed to improve the employees' productivity and to promote, and provide workers for, jobs within the businesses that require high degrees of skill to perform and that pay high wages.

AB557,19,18 (3) Certification. The department shall certify the productivity enhancement training expenses of a business for the tax credit under s. 71.07 (5v), 71.28 (5v), or 71.47 (5v), if the business meets the eligibility requirements under sub. (4).

AB557,19,20 (4) Eligibility. A business is eligible to have its productivity enhancement training expenses certified if all of the following apply:

AB557,19,22 (a) The business submits to the department a productivity enhancement training plan that the department finds does all of the following:

AB557,19,25 1. Provides for training of the business's employees that will increase the employees' productivity to achieve specific goals established as a result of the assessment and consultation under par. (b).

AB557,20,4 2. Provides for training of the business's employees that will result in the employees holding jobs within the business that require higher degrees of skill and that pay higher wages than their current jobs, as determined by the assessment and consultation under par. (b).

AB557,20,8 (b) Prior to providing any productivity enhancement training, the business receives needs assessment and consultation from an entity that is experienced in providing productivity assessment or business planning and that is approved by the department.

AB557,20,11 (c) Through the needs assessment and consultation under par. (b), the business and the entity agree on a training plan that is appropriate for the purposes specified under par. (a).

AB557,20,14 (d) The business submits to the department an accounting of the productivity enhancement training expenses incurred by the business under the plan under par. (a) and the department determines that the expenses were incurred under the plan.

AB557,20,21 (5) Reporting. (a) Each business that has its productivity enhancement training expenses certified under this section and that claims the tax credit under s. 71.07 (5v), 71.28 (5v), or 71.47 (5v), shall report to the department, no later March 1 of the year after the business receives the certification, on the results of its productivity enhancement training and on its success in meeting the goals established in its productivity enhancement training plan. The report shall be in the form prescribed by the department.

AB557,20,23 (b) Annually, the department shall estimate the amount of foregone state revenue because of the tax credits claimed by persons certified under this section.

AB557,21,2 (c) Annually by December 1, the department shall report to the legislature under s. 13.172 (2) on the effectiveness of the productivity enhancement training certification program and the tax credits under ss. 71.07 (5v), 71.28 (5v), and 71.47 (5v) in meeting the purposes of the program as specified in sub. (2).

AB557,21,6 (6) Application. The department shall, by rule, develop application procedures for productivity enhancement training certification. The application for certification shall show that the applicant satisfies the requirements under sub. (4) and commits to reporting under sub. (5) (a).

AB557,21,9 (7) Notification. The department shall notify the department of revenue of all businesses that are entitled to claim tax credits under ss. 71.07 (5v), 71.28 (5v), and 71.47 (5v).

AB557,21,12 (8) Transferability. The tax credits for which a business may have its productivity enhancement training expenses certified under this section are not transferable to another business or person.

AB557,21,14 (9) Sunset. No business may be certified under this section after December 31, 2010, or for tax credits for any tax year beginning after December 31, 2010.

AB557, s. 29 Section 29. 560.797 (4) (f) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB557,21,19 560.797 (4) (f) The tax benefits for which a person is certified as eligible under this subsection are not transferable to another person, business, or location, except as provided in s. 71.28 (1dx) (f) or to the extent permitted under section 383 of the internal revenue code.

AB557, s. 30 Section 30 . Nonstatutory provisions; workforce development.

AB557,22,2 (1) Apprenticeship marketing council; initial terms. Notwithstanding the length of terms specified for the members of the apprenticeship marketing council under section 15.227 (14) of the statutes, as created by this act, representing the interests of employees and the members of that council representing the interests of employers, the initial members of that council representing the interests of employees and the initial members of that council representing the interests of employers shall be appointed for the following terms:

AB557,22,4 (a) One member representing employees and one member representing employers, for terms expiring on July 1, 2003.

AB557,22,6 (b) One member representing employees and one member representing employers, for terms expiring on July 1, 2004.

AB557,22,8 (c) Two members representing employees and 2 members representing employers, for terms expiring on July 1, 2005.

AB557, s. 31 Section 31. Appropriation changes.

AB557,22,14 (1) Job retention skills development programs. There is transferred from the appropriation to the department of workforce development under section 20.445 (3) (md) of the statutes, as affected by the acts of 2001, to the appropriation to the technical college system college board under section 20.292 (1) (kd) of the statutes, as created by this act, $200,000 in fiscal year 2002-03.

AB557,22,20 (2) Preapprenticeship basic skills training grants. In the schedule under section 20.005 (3) of the statutes for the appropriation to the department of workforce development under section 20.445 (1) (a) of the statutes, as affected by the acts of 2001, the dollar amount is increased by $300,000 for fiscal year 2002-03 to increase funding for preapprenticeship basic skills training grants under section 106.01 (13) (b) of the statutes, as created by this act.

AB557,23,2 (3) Apprenticeship marketing activities. In the schedule under section 20.005 (3) of the statutes for the appropriation to the department of workforce development under section 20.445 (1) (a) of the statutes, as affected by the acts of 2001, the dollar amount is increased by $150,000 for fiscal year 2002-03 to increase funding for the apprenticeship marketing activities specified under section 106.01 (12) of the statutes, as created by this act.

AB557,23,8 (4) Apprenticeship marketing positions. In the schedule under section 20.005 (3) of the statutes for the appropriation to the department of workforce development under section 20.445 (1) (a) of the statutes, as affected by the acts of 2001, the dollar amount is increased by $125,000 for fiscal year 2002-03 to increase the authorized FTE positions for the department by 2.0 GPR positions for the marketing of apprenticeship training in this state.

AB557, s. 32 Section 32. Initial applicability.

AB557,23,12 (1) Transfer of environmental remediation tax credits. The treatment of section 71.28 (1dx) (b) 1. and 1m. and (f) of the statutes first applies to taxable years beginning on January 1, 2002.

AB557,23,13 (End)