Under current law, various state agencies administer various state and federal
employment and education programs. This bill consolidates oversight over those
programs under the governor's council on workforce excellence which is created by
the bill. The bill requires the council, consisting of the heads of the state agencies
responsible for administering employment and education programs and
representatives of the public school system, 4-year postsecondary educational
institutions, technical college districts, community-based organizations that
provide employment training, business and industry and organized labor, to:
1. Identify the workforce development needs of the state and recommend goals
for meeting those needs and steps for meeting those goals.
2. Recommend a strategic plan for coordinating the provision of services and
the allocation of funding and resources under the various state and federal
employment and education programs.
3. Monitor the provision of those services and the allocation of that funding and
those resources and evaluate the effectiveness of those programs in meeting the
state's workforce development needs.
4. Recommend the seeking of waivers of federal laws, regulations or policies
that impede the effectiveness or coordination of those employment and education
programs.
5. Recommend occupations for the youth apprenticeship program and skill
standards for the school-to-work program.
The bill further consolidates the state's employment and education programs
by:
1. Directing the council to prepare, by January 15, 1996, a plan that terminates
other state advisory bodies that are duplicative of the council or whose duties and
responsibilities can be taken over by the council and a plan that reorganizes all
substate boundaries for the local administration of employment and education
programs so that those boundaries are contiguous with the technical college district
boundaries.
2. Directing the department of industry, labor and human relations (DILHR)
to prepare, by February 15, 1996, a plan that structures the new functions and
personnel of DILHR, as affected by this bill.
3. Upgrading the office of workforce excellence in DILHR, which currently
coordinates and implements DILHR's workforce excellence initiatives, to the
division of workforce excellence and expanding the duties of that new division to
include planning, coordinating, administering and implementing the youth
apprenticeship program, under which young people receive classroom and
on-the-job training in skilled trades, and the school-to-work program, under which
young people receive training in the skills necessary to make the transition from
school to work.
4. Terminating the youth apprenticeship council and assigning the duties of
that council to the council on workforce excellence.
Currently, a school district is required to bargain collectively in good faith with
the majority representative of its employes in a collective bargaining unit concerning
the wages, hours and conditions of employment of the employes.
This bill provides that a school district is not required to bargain collectively
concerning any decision to create a performance recognition plan or concerning the
amount of any performance recognition award made under such a plan (see also
Education, primary and secondary education).
The bill also provides that a school district is prohibited from bargaining
collectively with respect to reassignment of employes, with or without regard to
seniority, resulting from the decision of the school board to contract with an
individual or group to operate a school as a charter school, as authorized by the bill,
or to convert a school to a charter school, or with respect to the impact of any such
decision on the wages, hours or conditions of employment of the employes who
perform services for the school district; and, in the Milwaukee Public Schools, the
reassignment of employes, with or without regard to seniority, resulting from the
decision of the school board to close or reopen a school, the decision of the school board
to contract for the management or operation of a school, or the decision of the school
board to contract with a nonprofit, private school or agency to provide educational
programs, or the impact of any of these decisions on the wages, hours and conditions
of employment of the employes in the school district.
Currently, subject to certain limitations, the employment relations commission
decides which employes of a school district shall be included in the same collective
bargaining unit with other employes of the school district, but the commission is
directed to avoid fragmentation of units. This bill provides that, upon request of 30%
of the professional employes of a school district who perform any services at a charter
school, the commission must conduct an election for the purpose of permitting the
employes to decide whether they wish to be represented in a separate collective
bargaining unit from any unit that includes other employes of the school district. If
a majority of the employes voting in the election decide to be represented in a
separate unit, the commission must place the employes in such a unit (see also
Education, primary and secondary education).
Environment
Water quality
Under the clean water fund program, this state provides financial assistance
to local governments for projects related to the control of water pollution, including
sewage treatment plants. Under current law, the department of natural resources
(DNR) and the department of administration (DOA) administer the clean water fund
program. This bill increases the amount of general obligation bonds that the state
may issue for the clean water fund program. The bill also establishes the present
value of the subsidies for clean water fund assistance that may be provided in the
1995-97 biennium.
Under current law, the clean water fund program may not provide below
market rate (subsidized) financing for the portion of a project that treats waste from
industrial users. This bill eliminates that restriction.
Currently, the clean water fund program provides financial hardship
assistance to certain communities to further reduce the costs of financing water
pollution control projects. Generally, clean water fund program financial assistance
is provided in the form of a below-market interest rate loan; however, hardship
assistance may be provided in the form of a grant. Under this bill, clean water fund
hardship assistance may only be provided in the form of a no-interest loan.
The bill also changes the eligibility criteria for clean water fund hardship
assistance. Currently, eligibility for clean water fund hardship assistance is based
on the level of wastewater treatment charges in a community compared to adjusted
gross income and property values in the community, per capita adjusted gross income
in the community compared to per capita adjusted gross income in this state and the
average equalized value of a parcel of improved residential property in the
community compared to the average equalized value of a parcel of improved
residential property in this state. Under the bill, a municipality is eligible for clean
water fund hardship assistance if both of the following apply:
1. The median household income in the municipality is 80% or less of the
median household income in this state.
2. The estimated total annual charges per residential user in the municipality
that relate to wastewater treatment would exceed 2.5% of the median household
income in the municipality in the absence of hardship assistance.
The current eligibility criteria for hardship assistance continue to apply to
municipalities that received hardship assistance for project planning and design
during fiscal years 1991 to 1995 or whose construction projects appeared on the 1993,
1994 or 1995 hardship funding list.
Current law earmarks 18% of the total amount of subsidy available under the
clean water fund program in a state fiscal biennium for hardship assistance, 74% of
the total subsidy for ordinary clean water fund program projects and 8% for
additional costs associated with approved clean water fund program projects. This
bill eliminates the earmarking of clean water fund subsidy, but provides that during
the 1995-97 biennium the total value of subsidies used to provide hardship
assistance may not exceed $9,600,000.
In addition, the bill makes a number of changes in the process for obtaining
financial assistance under the clean water fund program and transfers some clean
water fund program administrative responsibilities from DNR to DOA. Under
current law, the clean water fund program has an annual funding cycle. Under this
bill, funding decisions are made on a continuing basis. Under current law, if there
is insufficient funding for all eligible projects during a fiscal year, funding is
distributed using a priority ranking established by DNR. Under this bill, funding
is distributed in the order in which projects are ready to be constructed. If no funding
is available for a project when it is ready to be constructed, DOA places the project
on a list to be funded when funding is available.
Current law requires DNR and DOA jointly to prepare 3 versions of a biennial
finance plan for the clean water fund program. Under this bill, DNR and DOA
prepare amendments to the biennial finance plan to reflect the biennial budget bill
and the biennial budget act, rather than new versions of the plan. The bill also
eliminates requirements that the biennial finance plan include certain information.
The bill requires the biennial finance plan to include audited financial statements
of the clean water fund program.
Under current law, DNR is required to complete plans to implement the
nonpoint source water pollution abatement program (which provides financial
assistance for measures to reduce water pollution from diffuse sources) in priority
watersheds (those watersheds in which the need for nonpoint source pollution
abatement is most critical) by December 31, 2000. This bill changes the date by
which the plans must be completed to December 31, 2015.
This bill reduces the amount of general obligation bonding that may be incurred
for the nonpoint source program by $4,000,000. The bill increases the amount of
general obligation bonding that may be incurred for environmental cleanups in or
adjacent to the Great Lakes by $4,000,000.
Current law prohibits the building commission from incurring over
$15,500,000 in general obligation bonding for the nonpoint source program without
the approval of the secretary of administration and the joint committee on finance.
This bill eliminates that prohibition.
Under current law, DNR provides lake management planning grants to provide
information on the quality of water in lakes and to aid in the selection of projects to
improve water quality. This bill adds nonprofit conservation organizations as
eligible recipients of lake management planning grants.
Under current law, DNR provides lake management grants to improve or
protect the quality of water in lakes. This bill eliminates the current $100,000
maximum amount for a lake management grant.
Air quality
Under current law, the operators of certain stationary sources of air pollution
are required to obtain air pollution control permits from DNR. This bill expands
some of the provisions relating to air pollution control permits that currently apply
only to existing sources (those on which construction began on or before November
15, 1992, and that have not been modified since that date) so that the provisions also
apply to new and modified sources (those on which construction or modification
began after November 15, 1992). One of these provisions authorizes DNR, under
specified circumstances, to issue an operation permit for a source of air pollution that
will not be able to comply with the terms of the permit at the time that the permit
is issued.
The bill also authorizes DNR to deny an application for renewal of an operation
permit for a stationary source that is in violation of its current operation permit.
In addition, the bill authorizes a person who owns a new or modified source for
which the person received an air pollution permit under former law, before
November 15, 1992, to continue to operate the new or modified source under that
permit but requires the person to apply for an operation permit under current law
no later than March 1, 1996.
DNR awards grants to the owners of gasoline stations to pay for a portion of the
costs of installing equipment to recover vapors that are released when gasoline is
pumped into a motor vehicle. The grants are available only for stations located in
an area of this state where federal standards for ozone pollution are exceeded. Under
current law, DNR may not make vapor recovery grants after June 30, 1995, or the
day after publication of the 1995-97 budget act, whichever is later. This bill allows
DNR to make vapor recovery grants until December 31, 1995. This bill also expands
the vapor recovery grant program so that gasoline dispensing facilities that are not
retail gasoline stations but that are located in ozone nonattainment areas and are
required to install vapor recovery systems are eligible for grants.
Solid and hazardous waste; environmental cleanup
This bill eliminates the radioactive waste review board, the radioactive waste
policy council and the radioactive waste technical council. The bill transfers the
responsibilities of the radioactive waste review board, which concern proposals
related to the long-term disposal of highly radioactive waste, to the public service
commission, except that the bill eliminates a requirement to provide educational
programs concerning highly radioactive waste.
Under the current hazardous substance spills law, administered by DNR, a
person who possesses or controls a hazardous substance or who causes the discharge
of a hazardous substance is required to inform DNR of the discharge and to take the
actions necessary to restore the environment to the extent practicable. DNR may
issue an order requiring a person to fulfill the duty to restore the environment. If a
person required to remedy the environmental damage caused by a hazardous
substance discharge is not fulfilling that duty or if the identity of the person is
unknown, DNR may dispose of the substance or take other emergency action that
DNR considers appropriate.
Currently, under the petroleum storage remedial action program (commonly
called PECFA), the department of industry, labor and human relations (DILHR) pays
a portion of the costs incurred by the owners or operators of certain petroleum storage
tanks to remedy environmental damage caused by discharges from those storage
tanks. A claimant is not eligible for a PECFA award unless DNR determines that
the activities performed to restore the environment satisfy the requirements of the
hazardous substance spills law. DNR also reviews site investigations and clean-up
plans under the PECFA program.
Under this bill, beginning on July 1, 1996, the department of commerce
(formerly the department of development) is required to administer a program under
which owners and operators of certain storage tanks and certain other persons
(called responsible persons) investigate discharges from those tanks and take the
actions necessary to restore the environment to the extent practicable. The storage
tanks covered by the program (called regulated storage tanks) are petroleum product
storage tanks that are covered by PECFA plus underground storage tanks that
contain hazardous substances and that are required under federal law to be
regulated by the federal environmental protection agency or by a state. Under the
bill, the department of commerce may issue an order requiring a responsible person
to remedy the environmental damage caused by a discharge from a regulated storage
tank. The bill requires DNR to inform the department of commerce whenever a
person reports a discharge from a regulated storage tank. The bill also places some
restrictions on DNR's authority under the hazardous substance spills law to order
cleanups of discharges from regulated storage tanks and to conduct those cleanups.
Also under the bill, the department of commerce administers the PECFA
program starting on July 1, 1996. The bill gives to the department of commerce the
PECFA responsibilities currently performed by DILHR and by DNR.
This bill requires DNR to promulgate a rule that establishes an alternative to
immediate reporting under the hazardous substances spills law, or an exemption
from reporting, for discharges of less than a specified amount of a hazardous
substance for which a minimum reporting amount has been established under the
federal comprehensive environmental response, compensation and liability act
(superfund act) or under the federal emergency planning and community
right-to-know act. In the rule, DNR may not specify an amount of one of these
hazardous substances that is less than the minimum reporting amount specified
under federal law. The bill authorizes DNR to promulgate a rule that establishes an
alternative to immediate reporting, or an exemption from reporting, for discharges
of less than a specified amount of a hazardous substance for which a federal
minimum reporting amount has not been established.
Under the bill, before DNR promulgates its rule concerning a hazardous
substance for which a federal minimum reporting amount has been established, a
person is not required to report to DNR a discharge of that hazardous substance if
the amount of the discharge is less than the federal minimum reporting amount.
Under current law, the recycling market development board provides financial
and other assistance to improve the marketing of, and to develop markets for, certain
materials recovered from solid waste. The board consists of the secretaries of natural
resources and development and 9 members appointed by the governor. Under
current law, the board is attached to DOA. Under this bill, the board is attached to
the department of development (DOD), effective on July 1, 1996. The bill also
reduces the size of the recycling market development board by 4 appointees. The bill
terminates the membership of the 9 current members appointed by the governor,
allowing the governor to appoint 5 new members. The bill also eliminates the
position of executive director of the board.
Under current law, the board provides assistance for materials that are
recovered by recycling programs operated by local governmental units and that are
required to be recycled under this state's recycling law. This bill requires the board
to annually establish a list of materials recovered from solid waste that are eligible
for assistance from the board. The list must include the materials that are required
to be recycled under this state's recycling law.
Under this state's recycling law, persons are generally prohibited from
disposing of specified discarded materials in landfills and from incinerating specified
discarded materials. These prohibitions do not apply to discarded materials from an
area that has an effective recycling program. If the area is in another state, the state
must also have an approved landfill siting program.
In order to be an effective recycling program, a recycling program must require
persons in the area to separate the specified materials from their solid waste or send
their solid waste to a facility that separates the materials from solid waste, but DNR
may grant a one-year variance from that requirement with respect to a specified
material in the event of an emergency or if the cost of selling the material exceeds
specified amounts.
Current law also authorizes DNR to grant an exception from the disposal and
incineration prohibitions for a specified material to a local governmental unit that
operates a recycling program in the event of an emergency. An exception may be for
up to one year.
This bill requires DNR to review markets for the discarded materials to which
the landfill and incineration prohibitions apply, beneficial uses for those materials
and technologies for managing those materials in solid waste. If DNR finds that a
prohibition with respect to a specific material is not feasible or practical and that the
prohibition is not needed to achieve the goals of this state's solid waste management
policy, DNR may do one of the following:
1. Promulgate a rule specifying conditions under which the material may be
disposed of in a landfill or incinerated.
2. Exempt specified persons from the landfill or incineration prohibition with
respect to the material.
3. Authorize, for up to one year, the material to be disposed of in a landfill or
incinerated.
The bill also authorizes DNR to grant a variance so that an effective recycling
program need not require persons to separate a specified material from solid waste
if DNR takes one of the actions in items 1 to 3, above, with respect to the material.
The authority granted to DNR concerning exemptions from the landfill and
incineration prohibitions and variances for effective recycling programs replaces the
authority granted DNR under current law to grant exemptions and variances in
emergencies.
Under current law, DNR determines whether recycling programs are effective
and whether to approve other states' landfill siting programs. Under current law,
DNR may approve an out-of-state recycling program only by formal rule-making
procedures.
A federal district court has held that the procedural requirements (for escaping
the disposal and incineration prohibitions) imposed on out-of-state municipalities,
beyond those requirements placed on municipalities located within this state,
discriminates against out-of-state interests in violation of the commerce clause of
the U.S. Constitution. National Solid Wastes Management Assoc. v. Meyer, No.
94-C-0603-S (W.D. Wis. Dec. 15, 1994), petition for cert. filed.
Under this bill, an out-of-state municipality is not required to obtain DNR
approval of its state's landfill siting program before disposing of or incinerating
specified recyclable materials in this state. Under the bill, DNR is not required to
undertake formal rule-making procedures to determine that an out-of-state
municipality has an effective recycling program.
Current law generally prohibits the burning of yard waste without energy
recovery in a solid waste facility in this state. Current law authorizes DNR to grant
waivers to the prohibition on burning yard waste to allow the burning of brush or
other clean woody vegetative material no greater than 6 inches in diameter at wood
burning facilities licensed by DNR.
This bill provides that the prohibition on burning yard waste without energy
recovery does not apply to the burning of brush or other clean woody vegetative
material no greater than 6 inches in diameter at a wood burning facility that is
licensed or permitted by DNR.
Under current law, the council on recycling advises various state agencies, the
packaging industry, state and local authorities and others to promote the efficient
and prompt implementation of state programs related to solid waste reduction,
recovery and recycling. This bill abolishes the council on recycling and transfers the
functions of the council on recycling to the recycling market development board.
This bill authorizes DNR to seek funds from any source for the costs of
remedying environmental contamination if the activities being funded are part of a
cooperative effort by DNR and the person providing the funds to remedy the
environmental contamination.
Currently, with certain exceptions, no elective state official, candidate for state
office, legislative employe or official of a state agency who participates in the
rule-making process may solicit anything of pecuniary value from a lobbyist or
principal. This bill provides that this prohibition does not apply to the solicitation
by an agency official of DNR of funds to pay the costs of remedying environmental
contamination.
Under current law, the low-level radioactive waste council ceases to exist after
July 1, 1996. This bill extends the existence of the low-level radioactive waste council
to June 30, 2002.
Other environment
Under current law, the attorney general must designate an assistant attorney
general as the public intervenor. The public intervenor is generally authorized to
formally initiate actions and intervene in all proceedings before any state agency or
any court where the intervention is needed for the protection of public rights in water
and other natural resources. In addition, under current law, the attorney general
must appoint a public intervenor advisory committee. This bill eliminates the public
intervenor position and eliminates the requirement that the attorney general
appoint a public intervenor advisory committee.
Under the current hazardous pollution prevention assessment grant program,
DOD, in consultation with the hazardous pollution prevention program in the
University of Wisconsin-Extension (UW-Extension), awards grants to applicants
for the purpose of having an assessment conducted to determine the full costs of
using and producing hazardous substances, toxic pollutants and hazardous waste;
to identify processes that use or produce such substances, pollutants or waste; and
to identify options for the prevention of hazardous pollution. Also under current law,
the hazardous pollution prevention board, which is attached to DOD, has a number
of responsibilities related to hazardous pollution prevention.
