AB93: Bill Text

LRB-0871/1

RNK:jld:rs

2007 - 2008 LEGISLATURE

2007 Assembly BILL 93

February 22, 2007 - Introduced by Representatives Albers, M. Williams, Musser, Gunderson, Hahn, Roth, LeMahieu, Owens, Mursau and Petrowski, cosponsored by Senator Schultz. Referred to Committee on Property Rights.

AB93,1,3 An Act to create 23.09 (20m) (c) and 23.09 (20m) (d) of the statutes; relating to: reporting and review requirements for certain grant proposals for the acquisition of development rights in land.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

Current law authorizes the state to incur public debt for certain conservation activities under the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship 2000 Program (stewardship program), which is administered by the Department of Natural Resources (DNR). The state may incur this debt to acquire land for the state for conservation purposes and may award grants or state aid to certain local governmental units and nonprofit conservation organizations to acquire lands for these purposes. Under the stewardship program, DNR is also authorized to award grants to governmental units and nonprofit conservation organizations to acquire development rights in land for nature-based recreation. The grants are limited to no more than 50 percent of the acquisition costs of the development rights.

This bill provides that, before DNR may award a grant under the program to provide grants for the acquisition of development rights, it must notify the Joint Committee on Finance (JCF). If the cochairpersons of JCF do not notify DNR within a specified date that JCF has scheduled a meeting to review the proposal, DNR may award the grant. If the cochairpersons notify DNR within that specified date that JCF has scheduled a meeting to review the proposal, then DNR may award the grant only upon approval of JCF. The bill also requires DNR to furnish an annual report to the Department of Administration containing specific information about each grant awarded under the acquisition of development rights grant program during the preceding year.

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:

AB93, s. 1 Section 1. 23.09 (20m) (c) of the statutes is created to read:

AB93,2,11 23.09 (20m) (c) The department may not obligate any moneys from the appropriation under s. 20.866 (2) (ta) to award grants under this subsection unless it first notifies the joint committee on finance in writing of the grant proposal. If the cochairpersons of the committee do not notify the department within 14 working days after the date of the department's notification that the committee has scheduled a meeting to review the proposal, the department may obligate the moneys. If, within 14 working days after the date of the notification by the department, the cochairpersons of the committee notify the department that the committee has scheduled a meeting to review the proposal, the department may obligate the moneys only upon approval of the committee.

AB93, s. 2 Section 2. 23.09 (20m) (d) of the statutes is created to read:

AB93,2,19 23.09 (20m) (d) Not later than January 1 of each year, the department of natural resources shall provide to the department of administration a report of the grants awarded under this subsection during the preceding year. The report shall include the amount of each grant awarded by the department of natural resources under this subsection, the amount that each grant recipient paid for the acquisition of development rights, and a description of the land in which the grant recipient acquired development rights.

AB93,2,20 (End)