AB1114: Bill Text

2023 Assembly BILL 1114

February 23, 2024 - Introduced by Representatives Subeck, McGuire, Bare, Considine, Emerson, Joers, Moore Omokunde, Neubauer, Ohnstad, Palmeri, Ratcliff, Shankland, Shelton, Sinicki, Stubbs, Vining and Jacobson, cosponsored by Senators Larson, Carpenter, Agard, Spreitzer and Smith. Referred to Committee on Government Accountability and Oversight.

AB1114,1,6 An Act to renumber 16.754 (1) (a) and 16.754 (2); to amend 16.72 (2) (c), 16.754 (title), 16.754 (2) (title) and 16.754 (3) (intro.); and to create 16.754 (1) (am), 16.754 (2) (a), 16.754 (2m) and 66.0145 of the statutes; relating to: state procurement of products and services from businesses located in this state and setting a goal for local governments to purchase a certain percentage of products and services from businesses located in this state.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill requires the Department of Administration and any agency making purchases to attempt to ensure that at least 20 percent of the total amount expended for procurement in each fiscal year is for products and services from Wisconsin-based businesses and that, in any fiscal year, the percentage of the total amount expended for products and services from Wisconsin-based businesses is not lower than it was in the previous fiscal year. To measure compliance with this requirement, the bill requires DOA to collect data from a person who bids for a contract regarding the person's principal place of business and make the information publicly available on its Internet site.

The bill also sets a goal that at least 20 percent of the aggregate value of the annual purchases of products and services by a local governmental unit (which includes cities, villages, towns, counties, and special purpose districts, which include schools and technical college districts) will be from Wisconsin-based businesses. A further goal is that, in any year, the percentage of the aggregate value of routine purchases of products and services from Wisconsin-based businesses will not be lower than it was in the previous year. The bill also requires a local governmental unit to annually evaluate its performance in reaching these goals and make the evaluation available to the public, but the local governmental unit's governing body may vote to opt out of these 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:

AB1114,1 Section 1. 16.72 (2) (c) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB1114,2,5 16.72 (2) (c) To the extent possible, the department shall write specifications so as to permit the purchase of materials manufactured in the United States, as defined in s. 16.754 (1) (b), or the purchase of local products or services, as defined in s. 66.0145 (1) (b).

AB1114,2 Section 2. 16.754 (title) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB1114,2,8 16.754 (title) Preference for local products and services and American-made materials.

AB1114,3 Section 3. 16.754 (1) (a) of the statutes is renumbered 16.754 (1) (ar).

AB1114,4 Section 4. 16.754 (1) (am) of the statutes is created to read:

AB1114,2,12 16.754 (1) (am) “Local product or service" has the meaning given in s. 66.0145 (1) (b).

AB1114,5 Section 5. 16.754 (2) (title) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB1114,2,14 16.754 (2) (title) Purchase preference preferences.

AB1114,6 Section 6. 16.754 (2) of the statutes is renumbered 16.754 (2) (b).

AB1114,7 Section 7. 16.754 (2) (a) of the statutes is created to read:

AB1114,3,5 16.754 (2) (a) The department, a designated purchasing agent under s. 16.71 (1), and each agency making purchases under s. 16.74 shall attempt to ensure that at least 20 percent of the total amount expended under this subchapter in each fiscal year is for local products or services and that the percentage of the total amount expended in any fiscal year for local products or services is not lower than the percentage of the total amount expended in the previous fiscal year for local products or services.

AB1114,8 Section 8. 16.754 (2m) of the statutes is created to read:

AB1114,3,13 16.754 (2m) Data. For purposes of measuring compliance with sub. (2) (a), the department shall collect from a person who responds to a proposal or submits a bid for a contract information regarding the person's principal place of business. The department shall make available to the public on its Internet site the data it collects under this subsection as well as an annual evaluation of how well the department, its designated purchasing agents under s. 16.71 (1), and any agency making purchases under s. 16.74 are meeting the goals under sub. (2) (a).

AB1114,9 Section 9. 16.754 (3) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:

AB1114,3,23 16.754 (3) Exemptions. (intro.) Subsection (2) (b) does not apply if the materials are purchased for the purpose of commercial resale or for the purpose of use in the production of goods for commercial sale. Subsection (2) does not apply to the purchase of stationery and printing materials. Subsection (2) (b) does not apply if the department determines, under s. 16.75 (1) (a) 2., that the foreign nation or subdivision thereof in which the vendor is domiciled does not give preference to vendors domiciled in that nation or subdivision in making governmental purchases. Subsection (2) (b) does not apply if the department or other person having contracting authority in respect to the purchase determines that:

AB1114,10 Section 10. 66.0145 of the statutes is created to read:

AB1114,4,2 66.0145 Purchases of Wisconsin goods and services. (1) Definitions. In this section:

AB1114,4,3 (a) “Local governmental unit" has the meaning given in s. 66.0135 (1) (c).

AB1114,4,5 (b) “Local product or service" means a product or service that is purchased from a person whose principal place of business is located in this state.

AB1114,4,12 (2) Purchasing goals. (a) It shall be a goal of a local governmental unit that, in each fiscal year, at least 20 percent of the aggregate value of purchases of products and services by that local governmental unit will be local products or services, and it shall be a further goal of the local governmental unit that the percentage of the aggregate value of routine purchases of products and services in any fiscal year that are local products and services will not be lower than the aggregate value of such routine purchases in the previous fiscal year.

AB1114,4,18 (b) A local governmental unit shall evaluate its performance in reaching the goals specified in par. (a) and shall annually make this evaluation available to the public, except that these requirements do not apply to any local governmental unit whose governing body enacts an ordinance, adopts a resolution, or takes another official action stating that it chooses not to conduct an evaluation of its performance in reaching the goals.

AB1114,11 Section 11. Initial applicability.

AB1114,4,21 (1) The treatment of s. 66.0145 and the creation of s. 16.754 (2) (a) first apply to purchases made in the fiscal year that begins after this subsection takes effect.

AB1114,4,23 (2) The treatment of s. 16.754 (2m) first applies to responses made and bids submitted in the fiscal year that begins after this subsection takes effect.

AB1114,4,24 (End)