AB168: Bill Text

LRB-1277/5

RAC&JTK:kjf&bjk:ph

2009 - 2010 LEGISLATURE

2009 Assembly BILL 168

March 24, 2009 - Introduced by Representatives Zipperer, Vukmir, Kramer, Davis, Gundrum, Kerkman, Kestell, Kleefisch, Knodl, LeMahieu, Lothian, Montgomery, Murtha, Nass, Nygren, J. Ott, Petersen, Roth, Spanbauer, Strachota, Suder, Townsend, Van Roy, Vos and Ziegelbauer, cosponsored by Senators Leibham, Kanavas, Cowles, Darling, Hopper, Lazich and Schultz. Referred to Joint Committee on Finance.

AB168,1,6 An Act to amend 16.42 (1) (intro.) and 16.45; and to create 13.09 (7), 13.102, 13.39, 13.68 (1) (bq), 13.95 (1r), 16.42 (1m) and 16.466 of the statutes; relating to: preparation and legislative consideration of a biennial budget bill; making executive sessions of the Joint Committee on Finance relating to the biennial budget bill available in real time for viewing by the public on the legislature's Internet Web site; and reporting of certain information by lobbying principals.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill makes all of the following changes relating to consideration of biennial budget bills:

State agency budget requests

Currently, state agencies in every even-numbered year must submit certain program and financial information to the Department of Administration and the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) that is used by the governor in preparing the executive budget bill. Among the required information that state agencies must submit is proposed legislation to implement programmatic and financial plans.

This bill prohibits state agencies from submitting a proposal for an earmark or a nonfiscal policy item. Under the bill, an "earmark" includes a provision that authorizes or requires the payment of state moneys to a specific beneficiary or beneficiaries in a manner not determined by laws of general applicability for the selection of the beneficiary or beneficiaries. Similarly, a nonfiscal policy item is a provision that does not appropriate money, provide for revenue, or relate to taxation.

Biennial state agency budget modification report

Currently, the secretary of administration must prepare a biennial budget report for distribution to the legislature on the same day that the governor delivers his budget message to the legislature. The report contains a variety of information relating to the state's finances, expenditures, and revenues. This bill requires the secretary of administration to also prepare a biennial state agency budget modification report that includes the following information: a statement identifying each proposal in the executive budget bill that was requested by a state agency, but that was altered by the governor; a statement identifying each proposal in the executive budget bill that was not requested by a state agency; and a statement specifying the costs of each of these two proposals, the policy reasons for including each proposal in the executive budget bill, and the intended beneficiary or beneficiaries of each proposal.

Earmark transparency report

The bill requires LFB to prepare an earmark transparency report on each biennial budget bill and on each amendment thereto. The report must contain all of the following: a list of all earmarks and nonfiscal policy items; the cost of each earmark and nonfiscal policy item; and the beneficiary of each earmark and nonfiscal policy item. If the beneficiary is an individual, LFB must identify the assembly and senate district in which the beneficiary resides. If the beneficiary is an entity, LFB must identify the assembly and senate district in which the beneficiary is located, incorporated, or organized. With respect to an amendment to a biennial budget bill, LFB must identify the representative to the assembly or senator who proposed the earmark or nonfiscal policy item.

Joint Committee on Finance consideration of biennial budget bill

The bill provides that the Joint Committee on Finance (JCF) may not vote to recommend passage of a biennial budget bill or an amendment thereto until LFB has distributed a copy of the earmark transparency report to each member of the legislature and at least 48 hours have passed from the time when LFB has distributed the report to all of the members.

This bill requires that all executive sessions of JCF relating to the biennial budget bill be available in real time for viewing by the public on the legislature's Internet Web site. The bill further provides that all documents before JCF at each such meeting must be available on the legislature's Internet Web site for viewing by the public.

Senate and assembly consideration of biennial budget bill

The bill provides that neither house of the legislature may pass a biennial budget bill until LFB has distributed a copy of an earmark transparency report on the biennial budget bill, as amended, to each member of the legislature and at least 48 hours have passed from the time when LFB has distributed the report to all of the members. The bill further provides that, if a committee of conference is convened on a biennial budget bill, a conference report may not contain any earmark or nonfiscal policy item that was not included in the executive budget bill or an amendment thereto that was passed by either house of the legislature but may reduce any earmark that was so included.

Reporting of information by lobbying principals

Currently, with certain exceptions, a principal (person who employs a lobbyist) must register and file semiannual reports with the Government Accountability Board. This bill requires a principal to include in its report the name of each member of the legislature to whom the principal made one or more lobbying communications.

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:

AB168, s. 1 Section 1. 13.09 (7) of the statutes is created to read:

AB168,3,8 13.09 (7) All executive sessions of the committee relating to executive budget bills introduced under s. 16.47 (1) shall be available in real time for viewing by the public on the legislature's Internet Web site. All documents before the committee at each such meeting shall also be available on the legislature's Internet Web site for viewing by the public, including specifically all recorded roll call votes on each motion before the committee, the name of the sponsor of the motion, and the official committee proceedings.

AB168, s. 2 Section 2. 13.102 of the statutes is created to read:

AB168,3,16 13.102 Joint committee on finance; consideration of biennial budget bill. (1) The joint committee on finance may not vote to recommend passage of a biennial budget bill or an amendment thereto until the legislative fiscal bureau has distributed a copy of an earmark transparency report on the biennial budget bill, as amended, prepared under s. 13.95 (1r) (b), to each member of the legislature and at least 48 hours have passed from the time when the legislative fiscal bureau has distributed the report to all of the members.

AB168,4,4 (2) If a member of the joint committee on finance makes a motion during committee deliberations on a biennial budget bill to remove an earmark, as defined in s. 13.95 (1r) (a) 1., or a nonfiscal policy item, as defined in s. 13.95 (1r) (a) 2., from a biennial budget bill, the motion shall prevail on either a majority or a tie vote.

AB168, s. 3 Section 3. 13.39 of the statutes is created to read:

AB168,4,11 13.39 Legislative consideration of biennial budget bill. (1) Neither house of the legislature may pass a biennial budget bill until the legislative fiscal bureau has distributed a copy of an earmark transparency report on the biennial budget bill, as amended, prepared under s. 13.95 (1r) (b), to each member of the legislature and at least 48 hours have passed from the time when the legislative fiscal bureau has distributed the report to all of the members.

AB168,4,19 (2) If a committee of conference is convened on a biennial budget bill, a conference report may not contain any earmark, as defined in s. 13.95 (1r) (a) 1., or nonfiscal policy item, as defined in s. 13.95 (1r) (a) 2., that was not included in the executive budget bill or an amendment thereto that was passed by either house of the legislature. The committee of conference, however, may reduce the amount of any earmark that requires a payment to a specific beneficiary or beneficiaries or may reduce the cost to the state of any earmark that is a tax deduction, credit, exclusion, or exemption.

AB168, s. 4 Section 4. 13.68 (1) (bq) of the statutes is created to read:

AB168,4,22 13.68 (1) (bq) The name of each member of the legislature to whom the principal made one or more lobbying communications.

AB168, s. 5 Section 5. 13.95 (1r) of the statutes is created to read:

AB168,4,24 13.95 (1r) Earmark Transparency report. (a) In this subsection:

AB168,5,2 1. "Earmark" means a provision in a bill or amendment that does any of the following:

AB168,5,5 a. Authorizes or requires the payment of state moneys to a specific beneficiary or beneficiaries in a manner not determined by laws of general applicability for the selection of the beneficiary or beneficiaries.

AB168,5,8 b. Creates or modifies a tax deduction, credit, exclusion, or exemption that applies to a specific beneficiary or beneficiaries in a manner not determined by laws of general applicability for the selection of the beneficiary or beneficiaries.

AB168,5,10 2. "Nonfiscal policy item" means a provision in a bill or amendment that does not appropriate money, provide for revenue, or relate to taxation.

AB168,5,13 (b) The legislative fiscal bureau shall prepare an earmark transparency report on each biennial budget bill and on each amendment thereto. The report shall contain all of the following:

AB168,5,14 1. A list of all earmarks and nonfiscal policy items.

AB168,5,15 2. The cost of each earmark and nonfiscal policy item.

AB168,5,23 3. The beneficiary of each earmark and nonfiscal policy item. If the beneficiary is an individual, the legislative fiscal bureau shall identify the assembly and senate district in which the beneficiary resides. If the beneficiary is an entity, the legislative fiscal bureau shall identify the assembly and senate district in which the beneficiary is located, incorporated, or organized. If the legislative fiscal bureau cannot determine the identity of a beneficiary, the legislative fiscal bureau shall note that fact in the report. If the earmark is a tax deduction, credit, exclusion, or exemption, all of the following shall apply:

AB168,5,25 a. All businesses and associations that are members of the same controlled group of corporations shall be treated as a single beneficiary.

AB168,6,3 b. All shareholders of a corporation, partners of a partnership, members of an association or organization, or beneficiaries of a trust or estate, respectively, shall be treated as a single beneficiary.

AB168,6,4 c. All employees of a single employer shall be treated as a single beneficiary.

AB168,6,6 d. All health or other benefit plans of an employer that are qualified under the federal Internal Revenue Code shall be treated as a single beneficiary.