Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Commerce and economic development
Commerce
Currently, the Department of Commerce (Commerce) may charge a recipient of a grant or loan from the Wisconsin development fund a 2 percent origination fee if the grant or loan amount equals or exceeds $200,000. This bill lowers the threshold amount to $100,000.
Under current law, Commerce awards grants and makes loans to qualified businesses for economic diversification and brownfield remediation, and to businesses that have been negatively affected by a casino. Commerce also awards grants for specific economic development projects in specific locations in this state. The bill authorizes Commerce to collect a 2 percent origination fee on certain of these grants and loans of $100,000 or more.
For further information see the state 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. 20.143 (1) (gm) of the statutes is amended to read:
20.143 (1) (gm) Wisconsin development fund, administration Administration of grants and loans. All moneys received from origination fees under s. ss. 560.138 (7), 560.139 (4), 560.305 (2), and 560.68 (3) and from transfer fees under s. 560.205 (3) (e) for administering the programs under ss. 560.138, 560.139, and 560.304 and under subch. V of ch. 560 and for the costs of underwriting grants and loans awarded under ss. 560.138, 560.139, and 560.304 and under subch. V of ch. 560.
****NOTE: This is reconciled s. 20.143 (1) (gm). This section has been affected by drafts with the following LRB numbers: LRB-0276/3, LRB-1578/P3, and LRB-0252/P6.
SECTION 2. 560.138 (7) of the statutes is created to read:
560.138 (7) The department may charge the recipient of a grant or loan under this section an origination fee of not more than 2 percent of the grant or loan amount if the grant or loan equals or exceeds $100,000. The department shall deposit all origination fees collected under this subsection into the appropriation account under s. 20.143 (1) (gm).
SECTION 3. 560.139 (4) of the statutes is created to read:
560.139 (4) ORIGINATION FEE. The department may charge the recipient of a grant or loan under sub. (1) (a), (2), or (3) an origination fee of not more than 2 percent of the grant or loan amount if the grant or loan equals or exceeds $100,000. The department shall deposit all origination fees collected under this subsection into the appropriation account under s. 20.143 (1) (gm).
SECTION 4. 560.68 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:
560.68 (3) The department may charge a grant or loan recipient an origination fee of not more than 2% of the grant or loan amount if the grant or loan equals or exceeds $200,000 $100,000. The department shall deposit all origination fees collected under this subsection in the appropriation account under s. 20.143 (1) (gm).
(End)
LRB-0277LRB-0277/2
RNK:bjk:jf
2009 - 2010 LEGISLATURE
DOA:......Miner, BB0021 - Dam safety grant program changes
For 2009-11 Budget -- Not Ready For Introduction
2009 BILL
AN ACT ...; relating to: the budget.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Natural Resources
Recreation
Under current law, DNR administers a financial assistance program for projects that increase the safety of dams including projects to maintain, repair, or remove a dam. Generally, DNR may provide financial assistance to municipalities and public inland lake protection and rehabilitation districts (lake districts) and to dam owners, but only if DNR has issued a directive to the municipality, lake district or owner to repair, maintain, or remove the dam. Current law authorizes DNR to contract public debt for the purpose of funding the dam safety program. Under current law, DNR has bonding authority for the dam safety program of up to $5,500,000. Debt service on this debt is paid from the general fund. DNR has additional bonding authority under the dam safety program of up to $6,600,000, the debt service on which is paid from the conservation fund. This bill increases DNR's bonding authority, the debt service on which is paid from the general fund, to $8,500,000.
Under the dam safety program, DNR may provide financial assistance to municipalities and lake districts for any type of dam safety project. It may also provide financial assistance to private owners for the removal of small dams and to any person for the removal of abandoned dams. This bill broadens eligibility for financial assistance under the dam safety program by authorizing DNR to provide financial assistance to private owners for the removal of any dam, regardless of the size of the dam.
Under current law financial assistance for each dam safety project is limited to not more than $200,000. This bill increases the cap on financial assistance to $400,000 for each dam safety project. Current law also limits financial assistance for dam safety projects to no more than 50 percent of the cost of the project except that the 50 percent limit does not apply to projects to remove abandoned dams. This bill expands the exception to the 50 percent limit so that any project to remove a dam, whether or not abandoned, is not subject to the limit.
Current law requires DNR to maintain an inventory of all dams in this state that require a dam safety project. DNR is required to include a statement on the inventory of which parts of the dam safety project are required to protect public rights in navigable waters. DNR must also establish a notice and hearing process for a dam owner to object to the inclusion of the owner's dam on the inventory. This bill eliminates these dam inventory requirements.
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. 20.866 (2) (tx) of the statutes is amended to read:
20.866 (2) (tx) Natural resources; dam safety projects. From the capital improvement fund, a sum sufficient for the department of natural resources to provide financial assistance to counties, cities, villages, towns and public inland lake protection and rehabilitation districts for dam safety projects under s. 31.385. The state may contract public debt in an amount not to exceed $5,500,000 $8,500,000 for this purpose.
SECTION 2. 31.385 (1b) (intro.) and (a) of the statutes are consolidated, renumbered 31.385 (1b) and amended to read:
31.385 (1b) In this section: (a) "Dam "dam safety project" means the maintenance, repair, modification, abandonment or removal of a dam to increase its safety or any other activity that will increase the safety of a dam.
SECTION 3. 31.385 (1b) (b) of the statutes is repealed.
SECTION 4. 31.385 (1m) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
31.385 (1m) (b) To private owners for the removal of small dams.
SECTION 5. 31.385 (2) (a) 2. of the statutes is amended to read:
31.385 (2) (a) 2. A project to remove an abandoned a dam shall not be subject to the 50% cost limit under subd. 1.
SECTION 6. 31.385 (2) (a) 3. of the statutes is amended to read:
31.385 (2) (a) 3. Financial assistance is limited to no more than $200,000 $400,000 for each dam safety project.
SECTION 7. 31.385 (2) (ag) of the statutes is amended to read:
31.385 (2) (ag) Of the amounts appropriated under s. 20.866 (2) (tL) and (tx), at least $250,000 shall be used for projects to remove small dams. A project to remove a small dam may include restoring the stream or river that was dammed.
SECTION 8. 31.385 (2) (ar) of the statutes is amended to read:
31.385 (2) (ar) Of the amounts appropriated under s. 20.866 (2) (tL) and (tx), at least $100,000 shall be used for the removal of abandoned dams. The amounts required to be used under this paragraph are in addition to the amounts required to be used for the removal of dams under par. (ag).
SECTION 9. 31.385 (4) of the statutes is repealed.
SECTION 10. 31.385 (5) of the statutes is amended to read:
31.385 (5) Notwithstanding the limitations under sub. (2) (a) and the funding allocation requirements under sub. (2) (ag) and (ar), the department shall provide financial assistance to the village of Cazenovia in the amount necessary for a dam safety project to repair a dam that is located in the portion of the village that is in Richland County. The amount of the financial assistance may not exceed $250,000. The village need not contribute to the repair costs, and sub. (2) (c) does not apply to this dam safety project. The repair of this dam need not be included as a dam safety project under the inventory maintained by the department under sub. (4) for the village to receive financial assistance under this section.
(End)
LRB-0278LRB-0278/2
RNK:jld:rs
2009 - 2010 LEGISLATURE
DOA:......Miner, BB0019 - Aquatic invasive species regulation
For 2009-11 Budget -- Not Ready For Introduction
2009 BILL
AN ACT ...; relating to: the budget.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Natural Resources
Navigable waters
Under current law, DNR administers a program to award grants to public and private entities for up to 50 percent of the costs of projects to control invasive species (invasive species grant program). DNR also administers a lake monitoring contracts program under which it awards contracts to public groups or persons for the creation and support of a statewide lake monitoring network. The contracts may include payment for the costs of water quality sample collection and reporting.
Under current law, DNR is required to promulgate rules for the administration of the lake monitoring contracts program. The rules must specify the eligible activities and qualifications for participation in the statewide lake monitoring network. This bill provides that the eligible activities must include providing technical assistance to public or private entities that apply for, or have received, a grant under the invasive species grant program. The bill also provides that a specified amount of funding that is appropriated under current law for the invasive species grant program may be used to fund the lake monitoring contracts program.
For further information see the state 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. 20.370 (6) (as) of the statutes is amended to read:
20.370 (6) (as) Environmental aids-- invasive aquatic species and lake monitoring. Biennially, from the conservation fund, the amounts in the schedule for grants under s. 23.22 (2) (c) to control invasive species that are aquatic species and for lake monitoring contracts under s. 281.68 (1t).
****NOTE: This SECTION involves a change in an appropriation that must be reflected in the revised schedule in s. 20.005, stats.
SECTION 2. 281.68 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:
281.68 (title) Lake management planning grants and lake monitoring contracts.
SECTION 3. 281.68 (2) (b) of the statutes is amended to read:
281.68 (2) (b) The total amount of lake monitoring contracts for each fiscal year may not exceed 10 percent of the total amount appropriated under s. 20.370 (6) (ar) and (as).
SECTION 4. 281.68 (3) (bg) of the statutes is amended to read:
281.68 (3) (bg) The department shall promulgate rules for the administration of the lake monitoring contracts program, which shall specify the eligible activities and qualifications for participation in the statewide lake monitoring network. Eligible activities shall include providing technical assistance to public or private entities that apply for, or have received, a grant under s. 23.22 (2) (c).
(End)
LRB-0279LRB-0279/1
RCT:bjk:ph
2009 - 2010 LEGISLATURE
DOA:......Miner, BB0018 - Issuing fee for well notifications
For 2009-11 Budget -- Not Ready For Introduction
2009 BILL
AN ACT ...; relating to: the budget.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Environment
Water quality
Current law requires a person who plans to construct a well other than a high capacity well to notify DNR of the location of the well before construction begins. The law also requires the person to pay a notification fee of $50. This bill authorizes DNR to appoint agents to collect and process well notifications. The bill requires a person making a well notification to pay a processing fee of 50 cents, whether the person makes the notification to DNR or to an agent, and authorizes an agent who collects and processes a well notification to retain the processing fee.
For further information see the state 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. 281.34 (3) of the statutes is renumbered 281.34 (3) (a).
SECTION 2. 281.34 (3) (b) and (c) of the statutes are created to read:
281.34 (3) (b) The department may appoint any person who is not an employee of the department as the department's agent to accept and process notifications and collect the fees under par. (a).
(c) Any person, including the department, who accepts and processes a well notification under par. (a) shall collect in addition to the fee under par. (a) a processing fee of 50 cents. An agent appointed under par. (b) may retain the processing fee to compensate the agent for the agent's services in accepting and processing the notification.
(End)
LRB-0280LRB-0280/3
RCT:wlj:md
2009 - 2010 LEGISLATURE
DOA:......Miner, BB0022 - Notice of discharge project funding under nonpoint program
For 2009-11 Budget -- Not Ready For Introduction
2009 BILL
