2017 - 2018 LEGISLATURE
SENATE SUBSTITUTE AMENDMENT 1,
TO SENATE BILL 648
January 16, 2018 - Offered by Senator Cowles.
SB648-SSA1,1,3 1An Act to create 16.24 and 20.505 (4) (kc) of the statutes; relating to:
2establishing a Wisconsin conservation corps program and making an
3appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This substitute amendment creates a Wisconsin conservation corps (WCC)
program to protect, enhance, and provide access to Wisconsin's natural heritage and
encourage and enable young people to learn the value of work in a natural setting
by providing employment training and career pathways. The substitute amendment
directs the Department of Administration to contract with a nonprofit corporation
that has demonstrated experience in grant program administration (manager) to
manage and administer the program. The manager then provides grants to
organizations that have experience in natural resources conservation to engage,
train, and supervise work crews to carry out each project. The substitute
amendment requires the manager, to the greatest extent practicable, to ensure that
projects are equally distributed across technical college districts and to ensure that
at least one project is located in each technical college district in each year.
The substitute amendment provides that a WCC project must be designed to
carry out a specific goal within a defined period of time, must be focused on the
conservation or enjoyment of natural resources for environmental conservation, and
must have a specific, beneficial, and physical effect. The project must also be eligible

for AmeriCorps education funding. Environmental conservation projects may
include new trail construction, trail rehabilitation, invasive species management,
bridge and boardwalk construction, reforestation, timber stand improvement,
stream bank stabilization, erosion control, rain garden installation, prairie
restoration, historical site preservation, recreation site maintenance, wild land fire
hazard reduction and fuels management, lake and stream restoration, boundary
marking, fencing, landscaping, disaster preparation or relief, or construction of real
property improvements such as gazebos or amphitheaters.
A project may be sited only on public or tribal land in this state. The substitute
amendment permits local governments, tribal governments, institutions of higher
education, nonprofit corporations, or state agencies to sponsor projects. A project
application is then submitted to the manager. The application must identify the
proposed project and the sponsor of the project and provide a detailed plan for the
work on the project.
The substitute amendment provides that each work crew member on a WCC
project must be between the ages of 16 and 25, and at least 50 percent of the work
crew members on each project must have no postsecondary education or have a
family income of not more than 200 percent of the federal poverty line on the date
of their initial engagement.
The substitute amendment provides that, if the manager determines that an
application is an appropriate WCC project and that work crew members would be
eligible under the program, the manager must submit the application to NCSB for
funding. The manager may also submit the application to other organizations to
secure funding for the project. The manager may award a grant for the project if the
sponsor provides funding for the project in an amount that is at least 50 percent of
the amount of the grant. The substitute amendment also limits the adminstrative
costs associated with the grant to 10 percent of the grant amount.
The substitute amendment requires each sponsor, upon completion of the
project, to erect a permanent plaque at each work site identifying the site as a WCC
project. The substitute amendment also requires the manager to submit an annual
report to DOA identifying the number of work crew members who enrolled at a
postsecondary institution upon completion of the project and their status on the first
anniversary of completion of the project.
Finally, the substitute amendment requires DOA to submit an annual report
to the legislature identifying the projects that were completed in each year or that
are in the process of completion as of the end of that year. The report must also
include the locations of all such projects and the aggregate education and jobs data
received from the manager's report.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
SB648-SSA1,1 1Section 1 . 16.24 of the statutes is created to read:
SB648-SSA1,3,5
116.24 Wisconsin conservation corps. (1) Establishment of program.
2There is established the Wisconsin conservation corps program. The purpose of the
3program is to protect, enhance, and provide access to Wisconsin's natural heritage
4and encourage and enable young people to learn the value of work in a natural setting
5by providing employment training and career pathways.
SB648-SSA1,3,6 6(2) Definitions. In this section:
SB648-SSA1,3,87 (a) “College campus" means any university, college, and technical college
8campus.
SB648-SSA1,3,109 (b) “Local government" has the meaning given for “local governmental unit" in
10s. 16.97 (7).
SB648-SSA1,3,1311 (c) “Manager” means the nonprofit corporation with which the department
12executes a contract to manage the Wisconsin conservation corps program under sub.
13(3).
SB648-SSA1,3,1514 (d) “National and community service board” means the board created under s.
1515.105 (24).
SB648-SSA1,3,1916 (e) “Nonprofit corporation" means a nonstock, nonprofit corporation described
17under section 501 (c) (3) or (4) of the Internal Revenue Code that is exempt from the
18federal income tax under section 501 (a) of that code and organized under the laws
19of this state.
SB648-SSA1,3,2520 (f) “Project" means a planned undertaking of the Wisconsin conservation corps
21for a sponsor to carry out a specific goal within a defined period of time that is focused
22on the conservation or enjoyment of natural resources for environmental
23conservation, that will have a specific, beneficial, and physical effect, and that is
24eligible for AmeriCorps education funding, regardless of whether it receives such
25funding.
SB648-SSA1,4,3
1(g) “Sponsor" means a local government, tribal government, university, college,
2technical college, or nonprofit corporation or an executive branch agency, as defined
3in s. 16.70 (4), that proposes to undertake a project.
SB648-SSA1,4,44 (h) “Youth corps program" has the meaning given in s. 16.22 (1) (dm).
SB648-SSA1,4,10 5(3) Management. The department shall contract with a nonprofit corporation
6to administer and manage the Wisconsin conservation corps program. The nonprofit
7corporation shall be operating on a statewide basis on the effective date of this
8subsection .... [LRB inserts date], and have demonstrated experience in grant
9program writing and administration, natural resources conservation, and youth
10training, education, and employment.
SB648-SSA1,4,12 11(4) Contract terms. The contract under sub. (3) shall require the manager to
12do all of the following:
SB648-SSA1,4,1313 (a) Develop a project application form.
SB648-SSA1,4,1514 (b) Review project applications submitted by sponsors and negotiate
15agreements with sponsors to provide work crews to complete eligible projects.
SB648-SSA1,4,1716 (c) To the greatest extent practicable, approve applications for projects that are
17located in at least one of each of the technical college districts in each year.
SB648-SSA1,4,1918 (d) Require projects to be sited on land that is located in this state and owned
19by the federal or state government or a local government or on tribal land.
SB648-SSA1,4,2120 (e) Require projects to be for one or more of the purposes specified under sub.
21(5) or for any other similar project, as determined by the manager.
SB648-SSA1,5,222 (f) Require that each work crew member on a project be between the ages of 16
23and 25 and at least 50 percent of the work crew members on each project either have
24no postsecondary education or have a family income of not more than 200 percent of

1the poverty line, as defined in s. 49.001. (5), on the date of initial employment or
2enrollment.
SB648-SSA1,5,53 (g) Require each sponsor, upon completion of a project, to erect a permanent
4plaque at each project work site identifying the site as a Wisconsin conservation
5corps project.
SB648-SSA1,5,106 (h) If it determines that work crew members on a project would be eligible to
7participate in a youth corps program, submit an application to the national and
8community service board for a grant under s. 16.22 (2) (h), and accept any such grant
9awarded. The manager may also submit the application to any other appropriate
10organization, as determined by the manager, to secure funding for the project.
SB648-SSA1,5,1311 (i) After submitting the application for funding under par. (h), submit an
12application to the department for a grant from the appropriation account under s.
1320.505 (4) (kc).
SB648-SSA1,6,214 (j) Submit an annual report to the department, no later than January 31,
15identifying, to the greatest extent practicable, the number of work crew members in
16the previous year who enrolled at a technical college, a college campus of the
17University of Wisconsin System, or any other postsecondary educational institution
18upon completion of a project in which they were engaged and the status of each such
19work crew member as of the first anniversary after completion of each project,
20including whether the crew member has graduated from high school, has received
21a declaration of equivalency of high school graduation, or is employed and, if
22employed, in what capacity. In addition, the report shall include information
23regarding the location of each project, by technical college district, and a brief
24description of each project. The manager shall also provide to the department any

1information the department considers necessary to complete the report under sub.
2(7) and may recommend improvements to the program.
SB648-SSA1,6,10 3(5) Scope of projects. Environmental conservation projects may include new
4trail construction, trail rehabilitation, invasive species management, bridge and
5boardwalk construction, reforestation, timber stand improvement, stream bank
6stabilization, erosion control, rain garden installation, prairie restoration, historical
7site preservation, recreation site maintenance, wild land fire hazard reduction and
8fuels management, lake and stream restoration, boundary marking, fencing,
9landscaping, disaster preparation or relief, or construction or repair of real property
10improvements such as gazebos or amphitheaters.
SB648-SSA1,6,16 11(6) Grants. The department may award a grant for a proposed project in an
12amount that is no more than $75,000, if the sponsor has provided funding for the
13project in an amount that is at least 50 percent of the amount of the grant. The
14cumulative amount of adminstrative costs charged by the department, the manager,
15and the sponsor in connection with a grant awarded under this subsection may not
16exceed 10 percent of the amount of the grant.
SB648-SSA1,6,23 17(7) Annual report. Annually, no later than March 31, the department shall
18submit a report to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to
19the legislature under s. 13.172 (2), identifying Wisconsin conservation corps projects
20that were completed in the preceding year or that are in the process of completion
21at the end of that year. The report shall also include the locations of all such projects
22and the aggregate education and jobs data compiled from the information received
23from the manager under sub. (4) (j).
SB648-SSA1,2 24Section 2 . 20.505 (4) (kc) of the statutes is created to read:
SB648-SSA1,7,4
120.505 (4) (kc) Wisconsin conservation corps; interagency transfers. All moneys
2transferred to the department of administration from other state agencies and all
3moneys transferred under 2017 Wisconsin Act .... (this act), section 3 (1 ), to be used
4for Wisconsin conservation corps program grants under s. 16.24.
SB648-SSA1,3 5Section 3 . Nonstatutory provisions.
SB648-SSA1,7,66 (1) Transfer of moneys to Wisconsin conservation corps program.
SB648-SSA1,7,87 (a) In this subsection, “executive branch agency" has the meaning given under
8section 16.70 (4) of the statutes.
SB648-SSA1,7,139 (b) Notwithstanding sections 20.115 to 20.875 and 25.40 (3) of the statutes, but
10subject to paragraphs (c) to (e), the secretary of administration may transfer a total
11of not more than $400,000 appropriated from sum certain appropriations to
12executive branch agencies under those sections of the statutes to the appropriation
13account under section 20.505 (4) (kc) of the statutes, as created by this act.
SB648-SSA1,7,1814 (c) No moneys may be transferred under paragraph (b ) from an appropriation
15derived from federal revenues. No moneys may be transferred under paragraph (b)
16if the transfer would violate the state or federal constitution, any state or federal law
17not specified in paragraph (b), or a requirement imposed by the federal government
18as a condition to receipt of aids by this state.
SB648-SSA1,7,2219 (d) The secretary of administration shall not transfer moneys under paragraph
20(b) from an appropriation account to the department of transportation under section
2120.395 (3) (bq), (cq), or (cr) of the statutes, other than moneys for department
22operations and services engaged under section 84.01 (13) of the statutes.
SB648-SSA1,8,1023 (e) Prior to making any transfer under paragraph (b ), the secretary of
24administration shall notify the cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance in
25writing of the proposed transfer. If the cochairpersons do not notify the secretary

1that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose of reviewing the
2proposed transfer within 14 working days after the date of the secretary's
3notification, the secretary may make the proposed transfer. If, within 14 working
4days after the date of the secretary's notification, the cochairpersons of the
5committee notify the secretary that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the
6purpose of reviewing the proposed transfer, the secretary shall not make the
7proposed transfer unless the committee approves the proposed transfer or modifies
8and approves the proposed transfer. If the committee modifies and approves the
9proposed transfer, the secretary may make the proposed transfer only as modified
10by the committee.
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