By
Senators
Schultz, Brown and Kedzie; cosponsored by Representatives McCormick, Musser, Freese, Gronemus and Albers.
To committee on Agriculture, Financial Institutions and Insurance.
Senate Bill 456
Relating to: attaching the Office of the Commissioner of Railroads to the Department of Transportation, decisions related to railroad crossing protection improvements, and making an appropriation.
By
Senators
S. Fitzgerald, A. Lasee, Kanavas and Reynolds; cosponsored by Representatives Foti, Kerkman, Nass, Ladwig, Musser, Owens, Pettis and Hahn.
To committee on Transportation and Information Infrastructure.
Senate Bill 457
Relating to: deferred prosecution agreements for persons charged with issuing a worthless check or other order for payment and allowing a district attorney to collect money owed to others.
By
Senators
Robson, Risser and M. Meyer; cosponsored by Representatives Schooff, Kaufert, Boyle, Miller, Musser, Lothian, Berceau, Plouff, J. Lehman, Gundrum, Ziegelbauer and Molepske.
To committee on Judiciary, Corrections and Privacy.
__________________
The committee on Judiciary, Corrections and Privacy reports and recommends:
Assembly Bill 14
Relating to: notification to law enforcement of a sexual offender's residence.
Concurrence.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Zien, S. Fitzgerald, Stepp, Carpenter and Coggs.
Noes, 0 - None.
Relating to: classification of jail prisoners for determining prisoner housing assignments, the type of prisoner supervision, and the delivery of services and programs to prisoners.
Concurrence.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Zien, S. Fitzgerald, Stepp, Carpenter and Coggs.
Noes, 0 - None.
Assembly Bill 327
Relating to: prohibiting certain computer postings that invite harassment or obscene, lewd, or profane communication and providing a penalty.
Concurrence.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Zien, S. Fitzgerald, Stepp, Carpenter and Coggs.
Noes, 0 - None.
Assembly Bill 352
Relating to: circumstances under which a prisoner may be permitted to leave a jail.
Concurrence.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Zien, S. Fitzgerald, Stepp, Carpenter and Coggs.
Noes, 0 - None.
Assembly Bill 468
Relating to: exclusion of witnesses from legal proceedings.
Concurrence.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Zien, S. Fitzgerald, Stepp, Carpenter and Coggs.
Noes, 0 - None.
Assembly Bill 570
Relating to: removal of a shopping cart and providing a penalty.
Concurrence.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Zien, S. Fitzgerald, Stepp, Carpenter and Coggs.
Noes, 0 - None.
Assembly Bill 715
Relating to: ordinances in certain counties regarding drug paraphernalia and the possession of marijuana.
Concurrence.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Zien, S. Fitzgerald, Stepp, Carpenter and Coggs.
Noes, 0 - None.
Assembly Bill 738
Relating to: stalking.
Concurrence.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Zien, S. Fitzgerald, Stepp, Carpenter and Coggs.
Noes, 0 - None.
Senate Bill 126
Relating to: product liability of manufacturers, distributors, and sellers.
Adoption of Senate Substitute Amendment 1.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Zien, S. Fitzgerald, Stepp, Carpenter and Coggs.
Noes, 0 - None.
Passage as amended.
Ayes, 3 - Senators
Zien, S. Fitzgerald and Stepp.
Noes, 2 - Senators
Carpenter and Coggs.
Senate Bill 312
Relating to: threats to social service workers, juvenile intake workers, or school employees and providing a penalty.
Passage.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Zien, S. Fitzgerald, Stepp, Carpenter and Coggs.
Noes, 0 - None.
Senate Bill 403
Relating to: seizure of a computer used to commit a crime and providing a penalty.
Passage.
Ayes, 5 - Senators
Zien, S. Fitzgerald, Stepp, Carpenter and Coggs.
Noes, 0 - None.
Senate Bill 433
Relating to: the time period for service of a responsive pleading.
Passage.
Ayes, 3 - Senators
Zien, S. Fitzgerald and Stepp.
Noes, 2 - Senators
Carpenter and Coggs.
David Zien
Chairperson
__________________
State of Wisconsin
Office of the Governor
February 4, 2004
The Honorable, The Senate:
I am vetoing Senate Bill 252 in its entirety. The bill subjects proposed land acquisition, property development, and grants to local units of government and nonprofit organizations under the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship 2000 Program to passive review by the Joint Committee on Finance if the transaction's cost exceeds $250,000. This proposal is similar to a previous passive review process for Stewardship transactions that I vetoed in the 2003-05 state budget bill.
After decades of bipartisan support for land conservation that began with Governors Gaylord Nelson and Warren Knowles, the Joint Committee on Finance, in recent years, used their passive review process to politicize Stewardship transactions. Projects were needlessly delayed, sometimes for nearly a year, before the committee would schedule a review. These delays jeopardized many transactions, increased land transaction costs, threatened matching funds raised by private citizens, conservation organizations and local and federal governments, and finally resulted in high quality projects being rejected by partisan votes. Stewardship land conservation is critical to protecting Wisconsin's quality of life and our vital tourist industry.
I support public input and thorough review of proposed land acquisitions and other activities under the Stewardship 2000 program, Under current law, the seven member, citizen Natural Resources Board, provides policy review and opportunities for public comment on Stewardship 2000 Program activity. State conservation areas are created after public input and open hearings and a public vote by the Natural Resources Board. Individual land purchases over $150,000 are reviewed and voted upon by the Natural Resources Board in open meetings. This appropriate review process takes the politics out of land conservation and lets the citizen Natural Resources Board make these decisions based upon the merits of the transaction, not partisan politics. I object to the unnecessary duplication of review included in SB 252 and the reinsertion of politics into land conservation.
S611
Lastly, the bill will lead to negative impacts on time sensitive land conservation projects and will jeopardize critical matching funds provided by private conservation organizations, local governments, and the federal government.
Sincerely,
