196.218 (4) ESSENTIAL SERVICES AND ADVANCED SERVICE CAPABILITIES. Before January 1, 1996, and biennially thereafter, the The commission shall promulgate rules that define a basic set of essential telecommunications services that shall be available to all customers at affordable prices and that are a necessary component of universal service. Before January 1, 1996, and biennially thereafter, the The commission shall promulgate rules that define a set of advanced service capabilities that shall be available to all areas of this state at affordable prices within a reasonable time and that are a necessary component of universal service. For rules promulgated before January 1, 1996, a reasonable time for the availability of the defined set of advance service capabilities shall be no later than January 1, 2005, and, for rules promulgated thereafter after December 31, 1995, a reasonable time for the availability of additional advanced service capabilities in the defined set shall be no later than 7 years after the effective date of the rules. These essential services and advanced service capabilities shall be based on market, social, economic development and infrastructure development principles rather than on specific technologies or providers. Essential services include single-party service with touch-tone capability, line quality capable of carrying facsimile and data transmissions, equal access, emergency services number capability, a statewide telecommunications relay service and blocking of long distance toll service.
SECTION 7. 196.218 (5m) of the statutes is amended to read:
196.218 (5m) RULE REVIEW. At least biennially, the The commission shall review and revise as appropriate rules promulgated under this section.
SECTION 8. 196.218 (5r) (a) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
196.218 (5r) (a) (intro.) Annually Biennially, the commission shall submit a universal service fund report to the joint committee on information policy and technology legislature under s. 13.172 (2). The report shall include information about all of the following:
(End)
LRB-0625LRB-0625/1
EVM:kjf:jf
2009 - 2010 LEGISLATURE
DOA:......Byrnes, BB0384 - Intercity bus assistance program
For 2009-11 Budget -- Not Ready For Introduction
2009 BILL
AN ACT ...; relating to: the budget.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Transportation
Transportation aids
This bill creates an intercity bus assistance program in DOT. Under this program, DOT may make grants to cities, villages, towns, or counties or enter into contracts with private providers of intercity bus service for the purpose of increasing the availability of intercity bus service in this state. The amount of DOT funding related to any particular bus route is limited to the lesser of 50 percent of the net operating loss of the route or the net operating loss of the route that is not covered by federal funding.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
SECTION 1. 20.395 (1) (bq) of the statutes is created to read:
20.395 (1) (bq) Intercity bus assistance program, state funds. As a continuing appropriation, the amounts in the schedule for the intercity bus assistance program under s. 85.26.
****NOTE: This SECTION involves a change in an appropriation that must be reflected in the revised schedule in s. 20.005, stats.
SECTION 2. 20.395 (1) (bv) of the statutes is amended to read:
20.395 (1) (bv) Transit and transportation employment and mobility other transportation-related aids, local funds. All moneys received from any local unit of government or other source for urban mass transit purposes under s. 85.20, for rural public transportation purposes under s. 85.23, or for transportation employment and mobility purposes under s. 85.24 that are not funded from other appropriations under this subsection, or for intercity bus assistance purposes under s. 85.26, for such purposes.
****NOTE: This SECTION involves a change in an appropriation that must be reflected in the revised schedule in s. 20.005, stats.
SECTION 3. 20.395 (1) (bx) of the statutes is amended to read:
20.395 (1) (bx) Transit and transportation employment and mobility other transportation-related aids, federal funds. All moneys received from the federal government for urban mass transit purposes under s. 85.20, for rural public transportation purposes under s. 85.23, or for transportation employment and mobility purposes under s. 85.24 that are not funded from other appropriations under this subsection, or for intercity bus assistance purposes under s. 85.26, for such purposes.
****NOTE: This SECTION involves a change in an appropriation that must be reflected in the revised schedule in s. 20.005, stats.
SECTION 4. 85.26 of the statutes is created to read:
85.26 Intercity bus assistance program. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section:
(a) "Intercity bus service" means regularly scheduled bus service for the general public that operates with limited stops over fixed routes connecting 2 or more urban areas not in close proximity, that has the capacity for transporting baggage carried by passengers, and that makes meaningful connections with scheduled intercity bus service to more distant points if service to more distant points is available.
(b) "Net operating loss" means the portion of the reasonable costs of operating an intercity bus service route that cannot reasonably be financed from revenues derived from the route.
(c) "Political subdivision" means a city, village, town, or county.
(2) ADMINISTRATION. (a) The department shall develop and administer an intercity bus assistance program to increase the availability of intercity bus service in this state. Under this program, the department may do any of the following:
1. Contract with private providers of intercity bus service to support intercity bus service routes of the provider.
2. Make grants to political subdivisions to support intercity bus service routes having an origin or destination in the political subdivision.
(b) All expenditures under the program shall be made from the appropriations under s. 20.395 (1) (bq), (bv), and (bx). The department may not enter into any contract under par. (a) 1., or award any grant under par. (a) 2., that provides funds to support any intercity bus service route in an amount exceeding the lesser of the following:
1. Fifty percent of the net operating loss of the intercity bus service route.
2. The portion of the net operating loss of the intercity bus service route for which federal funds are not available.
(c) 1. The department shall prescribe the form, nature, and extent of the information which shall be contained in an application for a grant under par. (a) 2.
2. The department shall establish criteria for evaluating applications for grants under par. (a) 2.
(End)
LRB-0627LRB-0627/3
ARG:bjk:ph
2009 - 2010 LEGISLATURE
DOA:......Byrnes, BB0209 - Southeast Wisconsin transit capital assistance program
For 2009-11 Budget -- Not Ready For Introduction
2009 BILL
AN ACT ...; relating to: the budget.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Transportation
Transportation aids
This bill creates a southeast Wisconsin Transit Capital Assistance Program (program) under which DOT may award grants for transit capital improvements to qualifying transit authorities located in southeast Wisconsin. As a precondition for eligibility for a grant under the program, a grant recipient must receive funds from a dedicated local revenue source for capital and operating costs associated with providing transit services.
Under the program, DOT may award grants, subject to certain restrictions, not exceeding $50,000,000, 25 percent of the total project cost, or 50 percent of the portion of the total project cost not funded with federal aid, whichever is least. Among the restrictions, DOT may not award a grant for a project that has not received any required federal approval to proceed and may not award a grant if the level of transit service in the applicable service area is less than the level in 2001.
In administering the program, DOT must establish criteria and standards for grant eligibility for transit capital improvement projects and for evaluating and ranking applications and awarding grants. DOT may administer the program without promulgating rules. DOT may not accept grant applications under the program after December 31, 2015.
Under the bill, the state may contract up to $100,000,000 in public debt, in the form of general obligation bonds, to provide grants for transit capital improvements under the program. However, the state may not incur debt under this authorization after December 31, 2020.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
SECTION 1. 13.101 (6) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
13.101 (6) (a) As an emergency measure necessitated by decreased state revenues and to prevent the necessity for a state tax on general property, the committee may reduce any appropriation made to any board, commission, department, or the University of Wisconsin System, or to any other state agency or activity, by such amount as it deems feasible, not exceeding 25% of the appropriations, except appropriations made by ss. 20.255 (2) (ac), (bc), (bh), (cg), and (cr) (vr), 20.395 (1), (2) (cq), (eq) to (ex) and (gq) to (gx), (3), (4) (aq) to (ax), and (6) (af), (aq), (ar), and (au), and (av), 20.435 (6) (7) (a) and (7) (da), and 20.437 (2) (a) and (dz) or for forestry purposes under s. 20.370 (1), or any other moneys distributed to any county, city, village, town, or school district. Appropriations of receipts and of a sum sufficient shall for the purposes of this section be regarded as equivalent to the amounts expended under such appropriations in the prior fiscal year which ended June 30. All functions of said state agencies shall be continued in an efficient manner, but because of the uncertainties of the existing situation no public funds should be expended or obligations incurred unless there shall be adequate revenues to meet the expenditures therefor. For such reason the committee may make reductions of such appropriations as in its judgment will secure sound financial operations of the administration for said state agencies and at the same time interfere least with their services and activities.
****NOTE: This is reconciled s. 13.101 (6) (a). This SECTION has been affected by drafts with the following LRB numbers: LRB-0247/1, LRB-0627/2, and LRB-1400/2. This draft adds the treatments of s. 13.101 (6) (a) that formerly appeared in LRB-0247 and LRB-1400.
SECTION 2. 20.395 (6) (av) of the statutes is created to read:
20.395 (6) (av) Principal repayment and interest, southeast Wisconsin transit improvements, state funds. A sum sufficient to reimburse s. 20.866 (1) (u) for the payment of principal and interest costs incurred in financing transit capital improvements under s. 85.11, as provided under s. 20.866 (2) (uq), and to make payments under an agreement or ancillary arrangement entered into under s. 18.06 (8) (a).
****NOTE: This SECTION involves a change in an appropriation that must be reflected in the revised schedule in s. 20.005, stats.
****NOTE: This draft reconciles s. 20.866 (1) (u) by deleting the provision of the draft and adding it to LRB-1295.
SECTION 3. 20.866 (2) (uq) of the statutes is created to read:
20.866 (2) (uq) Transportation; southeast Wisconsin transit improvements. From the capital improvement fund, a sum sufficient for the department of transportation to provide grants for transit capital improvements under s. 85.11. The state may contract public debt in an amount not to exceed $100,000,000 for this purpose. Debt incurred under this paragraph shall be incurred prior to January 1, 2021.
SECTION 4. 85.11 of the statutes is created to read:
85.11 Southeast Wisconsin transit capital assistance program. (1) DEFINITIONS. In this section:
(a) "Major transit capital improvement project" has the meaning given in s. 85.062 (1).
(b) "Municipality" means a city, village, or town.
(c) "Southeast Wisconsin" means the geographical area comprising the counties of Kenosha, Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine, Walworth, Washington, and Waukesha.
(d) "Transit authority" means a transit authority created under s. 66.1039 that is located in southeast Wisconsin.
****NOTE: Section 66.1039 is created in 2009 LRB-1139. As discussed, if LRB-1139 is not included in the compiled budget bill, this provision will need to be revised.
(2) PROGRAM AND FUNDING. The department shall develop and administer a southeast Wisconsin transit capital assistance program. From the appropriation under s. 20.866 (2) (uq), the department may award grants to transit authorities for transit capital improvements as provided under subs. (4) to (6).
(3) APPLICATIONS. (a) Each grant applicant shall specify any project for which grant funds are requested. An applicant may not include a project in a grant application if any of the following apply:
1. The project is a major transit capital improvement project and the project has not been enumerated under s. 85.062 (3).
2. The project requires authorization and ratification under s. 85.205 and the project has not received this authorization and ratification.
(b) The department may not accept grant applications under this section after December 31, 2015.
(4) ELIGIBILITY. A transit authority is eligible for a grant under this section if all of the following apply:
(a) The transit authority is eligible under federal law to be a public sponsor for a project that receives federal funding.
(b) The transit authority receives funds from a dedicated local revenue source for capital and operating costs associated with providing transit services.
(5) GRANT AWARDS. (a) Subject to par. (b), the department may award grants to applicants eligible under sub. (4). Any grant awarded under this section may not exceed $50,000,000, 25 percent of the total project cost, or 50 percent of the portion of the total project cost not funded with federal aid, whichever is least.
(b) The department may award a grant under par. (a) only if all of the following apply:
1. Any project for which the grant is to be awarded has received any approval to proceed required by the appropriate federal agency. Approval to proceed under this subdivision is required by December 31, 2012, for any project utilizing federal interstate cost estimate substitute project funding and for any project resulting from the Milwaukee Downtown Transit Connector Study of the Wisconsin Center District.
2. The number of revenue hours of transit service provided in the area serviced by the grant applicant at the time of the grant application is not less than that provided in 2001, if transit services were provided in 2001 by the grant applicant or by any other local unit of government.
(6) ADMINISTRATION. In administering this section, the department shall do all of the following:
(a) Prescribe the form of grant applications and the nature and extent of information to be provided with these applications, and establish an annual application cycle for receiving and evaluating applications under the program.
(b) Establish criteria and standards for grant eligibility for transit capital improvement projects under the program.
(c) Establish criteria and standards for evaluating and ranking applications and for awarding grants under the program.
SECTION 5. 227.01 (13) (yL) of the statutes is created to read:
227.01 (13) (yL) Relates to administration of the southeast Wisconsin transit capital assistance program under s. 85.11.
(End)
LRB-0641LRB-0641/1
TJD:kjf:jf
2009 - 2010 LEGISLATURE
DOA:......Willing, BB0190 - Medical assistance transportation
For 2009-11 Budget -- Not Ready For Introduction
2009 BILL
AN ACT ...; relating to: the budget.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Health and human services
