AB492: Bill Text

MGG:wlj:mrc

1999 - 2000 LEGISLATURE

1999 Assembly BILL 492

September 28, 1999 - Introduced by Joint Legislative Council. Referred to Committee on Natural Resources.

AB492,1,4 An Act to renumber and amend 25.29 (3); and to create 25.29 (3) (b) of the statutes; relating to: limiting administrative expenses paid from the fish and wildlife account of the conservation fund and creating new conservation warden positions.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill is explained in the Notes provided by the joint legislative council.

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:

Prefatory note: This bill was prepared for the joint legislative council's special committee on conservation laws enforcement.

Currently, the fish and wildlife account of the conservation fund is an administrative creation which has been used to comply with federal requirements that relate to obtaining federal matching funding for revenues from fishing and hunting licenses.

This bill requires that the funds accruing to the conservation fund from fees paid for fish and game licenses, stamps, permits and other approvals be credited to the fund's fish and wildlife account. The bill further places a limit of 10% on the portion of the fish and wildlife account that may be expended in any fiscal year for administrative expenses. The department will still retain its authority to specify purposes for which the fund may be expended, however, not more than 10% of those expenditures may be for administrative costs, including any charges for the administration of the department and its subunits.

AB492, s. 1 Section 1. 25.29 (3) of the statutes is renumbered 25.29 (3) (a) and 25.29 (3) (a) (intro.), as renumbered, is amended to read:

AB492,2,7 25.29 (3) (a) (intro.) Funds accruing to the conservation fund from license and other approval fees paid by hunters and from sport and recreation fishing license fees shall collected under ch. 29 shall be credited to the fish and wildlife account of the conservation fund and may not be diverted for any other purpose than those provided by the department, except:

Note: This provision formally designates the account that receives funds from hunting and fishing licenses, stamps, permits and other approvals as the fish and wildlife account.

AB492, s. 2 Section 2. 25.29 (3) (b) of the statutes is created to read:

AB492,2,11 25.29 (3) (b) The total amount that the department may expend for any fiscal year from the fish and wildlife account of the conservation fund for administrative costs may not exceed 10% of the expenditures from that account for that fiscal year.

Note: This provision limits the administrative expense expenditures of the fish and wildlife account of the conservation fund to 10% of the funds in that account.

AB492, s. 3 Section 3. Nonstatutory provisions; additional wardens. The number of authorized FTE positions for the department of natural resources are increased by 4.0 SEG warden positions to be funded from the appropriation under section 20.370 (3) (mu) of the statutes, for the purpose of performing conservation warden duties.

Note: This provision authorizes four additional full-time conservation warden positions funded from the fish and wildlife account of the conservation fund.

AB492,2,16 (End)