AB693: Bill Text

LRB-4929/1

EHS:skw

2021 - 2022 LEGISLATURE

2021 Assembly BILL 693

November 12, 2021 - Introduced by Representatives Kitchens, Tusler, Dittrich, Mursau, Ramthun and Thiesfeldt, cosponsored by Senator Cowles. Referred to Committee on Forestry, Parks and Outdoor Recreation.

AB693,1,3 An Act to create 23.0917 (5g) (k) of the statutes; relating to: amounts obligated under the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship 2000 Program for water infrastructure projects in the state park system.

Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill requires the Department of Natural Resources to obligate up to $5,600,000 in unobligated moneys under the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson Stewardship 2000 Program to fund certain state park system water infrastructure projects.

Current law authorizes the state to incur public debt for certain conservation activities under the stewardship program, which is administered by DNR. The state may incur this debt to acquire land for the state for conservation purposes and for property development activities and may award grants or state aid to certain local governmental units and nonprofit conservation organizations to acquire land for these purposes.

The stewardship program consists of five subprograms. Current law establishes the amounts that DNR may obligate in each fiscal year through 2025-26 for expenditure under each of these subprograms. Prior to fiscal year 2011-12, if DNR did not obligate the full amount it was authorized to obligate in a fiscal year under a subprogram, DNR was required to adjust the annual bonding authority for that subprogram by raising the annual bonding authority for the next fiscal year by the amount unobligated in that given fiscal year. Beginning in fiscal year 2011-12, under current law, if DNR does not obligate an amount authorized to be obligated for a subprogram in a fiscal year, DNR may not adjust the annual bonding authority for that subprogram by raising the annual bonding authority for the next fiscal year.

Under current law, portions of the unobligated amounts for the land acquisition, property development and local assistance, and recreational boating aids subprograms from fiscal years 2011-12 to 2025-26 are obligated for specific purposes. For example, not more than $5,200,000 of the unobligated amount for these subprograms from fiscal year 2016-17 to 2018-19 is obligated to fund water infrastructure projects in state parks related to critical health and safety and high-priority water infrastructure projects in state parks, prioritizing projects in those state parks with the highest demand. This bill obligates up to $5,600,000 of the unobligated amount for these subprograms from fiscal year 2020-21 for high-priority and medium-priority water infrastructure projects in the state park system, in that order of priority.

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:

AB693,1 Section 1. 23.0917 (5g) (k) of the statutes is created to read:

AB693,2,8 23.0917 (5g) (k) 1. In this paragraph, “unobligated amount" means the amount by which the annual bonding authority for the subprograms under subs. (3), (4), and (4j) in fiscal year 2020-21 exceeded the amounts that the department obligated from the moneys appropriated under s. 20.866 (2) (ta) for those subprograms for that fiscal year, but not including the amount by which the annual bonding authority for the purpose under sub. (3) (br) in fiscal year 2020-21 exceeded the amount obligated for that purpose in that fiscal year.

AB693,2,12 2. Of the unobligated amount, the department shall obligate an amount necessary to fund, in the following order of priority, high-priority water infrastructure projects in the state park system and medium-priority water infrastructure projects in the state park system, but not more than $5,600,000.

AB693,2,13 (End)