560.41(2)
(2) "Permit" means any approval of an agency required as a condition of operating a business in this state.
560.42
560.42
Responsibilities related to permits. 560.42(1m)(1m)
Assistance to businesses. The office shall do all of the following:
560.42(1m)(a)
(a) Provide assistance with obtaining and maintaining permits and any licenses and approvals necessary for a business to operate in this state. To fulfill the requirements of this paragraph, the office shall do all of the following on behalf of businesses:
560.42(1m)(a)3.
3. Help businesses comply with laws and rules applicable to businesses, including providing plain-language explanations of laws and rules.
560.42(1m)(b)
(b) Serve as a liaison between businesses and agencies, authorities, municipalities, and local economic development organizations.
560.42(2)(a)(a) The office shall assist any person requesting information on which permits are required for a particular business activity or on the application process, including criteria applied in making a determination on a permit application and the time period within which a determination will be made. This assistance may include any of the following:
560.42(2)(a)1.
1. Arranging a meeting between the person and the staff of the appropriate agency to enable the person to obtain information from the agency.
560.42(2)(a)2.
2. Obtaining information and permit applications from the agency and providing the information and appropriate permit applications to the person.
560.42(2)(b)
(b) If a person receives assistance under this subsection and applies for a permit and if the person requests, the office shall monitor the status of the permit application and periodically report the status to the person.
560.42(2m)
(2m) Advocacy. The office shall provide advocacy services before agencies on behalf of permit applicants. These services shall include all of the following:
560.42(2m)(a)
(a) Monitoring the application approval process to ensure that permits are granted in the shortest amount of time possible consistent with the substantive requirements established by rule or law.
560.42(2m)(b)
(b) Advocating legislative changes to improve and expedite the issuance of permits.
560.42(2r)
(2r) Mediation and dispute resolution services. The office may provide mediation or other dispute resolution services to facilitate the resolution of a dispute between an agency and a person applying for a permit. The provision of mediation or other dispute resolution services under this subsection does not affect any right that the person may have to a contested hearing under
ch. 227.
560.42(3)(a)(a) The office may charge for services provided under this subchapter. Any amount charged for services may not exceed the actual cost of the service provided, unless a specific charge for the service, or method of calculating the charge, is provided by law. All amounts received under this paragraph shall be deposited in the appropriation account under
s. 20.143 (1) (gc).
560.42(3)(b)
(b) The office may refer to the appropriate agency, without giving further assistance, any person seeking information or assistance on a permit under
chs. 186,
215,
217,
220 to
224,
440 to
480 and
600 to
646.
560.42(3)(c)
(c) Advice, assistance, mediation or other dispute resolution services or information rendered by the office under this subchapter does not relieve any person from the obligation to secure a required permit or satisfy a regulatory requirement.
560.42(3)(d)
(d) The office shall not be liable for any consequences resulting from the failure of an agency to issue, or the failure of a person to seek, a permit.
560.42(4)(a)(a) The office shall maintain and publicize the availability of a toll-free telephone line available to in-state and out-of-state callers to the office.
560.42(4)(b)
(b) The office shall seek to explain, promote and publicize its services to the public and shall provide information on its services for inclusion in any public informational material on permits provided by agencies.
560.42(4)(c)
(c) The office shall, in its efforts under
pars. (a) and
(b), clearly represent that its services are advisory, informational and facilitative only.
560.42(5)
(5) Staffing and report. The office shall be staffed by at least 2 full-time employees of the department. The office shall annually submit to the chief clerk of each house of the legislature for distribution to the appropriate standing committees under
s. 13.172 (3) a report on the work of the office.
560.43
560.43
Responsibilities of agencies. 560.43(1)
(1)
Interagency cooperation. Each agency shall:
560.43(1)(a)
(a) Designate a staff person to coordinate agency cooperation with office staff, provide information to office staff on the permit process and direct office staff to appropriate staff within the agency.
560.43(1)(b)
(b) Cooperate with office staff and respond promptly to requests for assistance in expediting and requests for information on the permit process under
s. 560.42.
560.43(1)(c)
(c) Include material provided by the office under
s. 560.42 (4) in any public informational material on permits that it provides.
560.43(1)(d)
(d) Maintain responsibility for interpreting the requirements of and granting or denying its permits.
560.43(1)(e)
(e) In reviewing a submitted application for a permit, notify the applicant of all reasons the application is incomplete or incorrectly submitted at the first time the agency returns the application to the applicant.
560.43(1)(f)
(f) Periodically review and, if appropriate, revise its administrative rules and its permit applications to simplify and expedite the processing of permit applications.
560.43(1)(g)
(g) Provide to the office written notification of a change to a permit, along with a copy of the new or revised permit, before the effective date of the change.
560.43(2)
(2) Preapplication meetings. Each agency shall provide an opportunity for a preapplication meeting with its staff to any person interested in applying for a permit upon request by the person or the office, and shall comply with the following requirements:
560.43(2)(a)
(a) The agency shall conduct preapplication meetings in an informal manner.
560.43(2)(b)
(b) In any preapplication meeting, the agency shall identify all permits required by the agency for a business activity, describe the steps and identify the time period for each step in the permit process and identify potential problems in the process.
560.43(2)(d)
(d) The agency shall invite participation by office staff in preapplication meetings when appropriate.
560.43(2)(e)
(e) The agency shall publicize the availability of preapplication meetings to persons contacting them about permits.
560.44
560.44
Responsibilities related to brownfields redevelopment projects. 560.44(1)(1)
Ombudsman. The office shall act as an ombudsman for brownfields redevelopment projects. As ombudsman, the office shall do all of the following:
560.44(1)(a)
(a) Promote brownfields redevelopment projects and related educational efforts.
560.44(1)(b)
(b) Coordinate interagency activities and responsibilities related to brownfields redevelopment projects.
560.44(1)(c)
(c) Coordinate, with the department of workforce development, training programs or activities for unemployed persons who reside in the vicinity of a brownfields redevelopment project.
560.44(2)
(2) Administration of brownfields programs. The office shall assist in administering the grant program under
s. 560.13 and in administering grants and loans under
s. 560.138 that are made for brownfields remediation projects.
560.45
560.45
Small business innovation research assistance grants. 560.45(2)
(2) The department may not award a total of more than $250,000 in grants in a fiscal year. In each fiscal year, the department shall allocate $100,000 for grants to businesses in the phase of development that precedes the eligibility of the businesses for grants under the federal small business innovation research program, $100,000 for grants to businesses in phase III of the federal small business innovation research program, and $50,000 for grants to businesses for the costs of preparing projects for participation in the federal small business innovation research program.
560.45(3)
(3) The department shall promulgate rules necessary to administer this section.
560.45 History
History: 2009 a. 28.
560.45 Cross-reference
Cross-reference: See also ch.
Comm 121, Wis. adm. code.
ENTREPRENEURIAL ASSISTANCE NETWORKS
Subch. IV of ch. 560 Note
NOTE: 1987 Wisconsin Act 320, which created subchapter IV, contains a prefatory note explaining the Act.
560.51
560.51
Definitions. As used in this subchapter:
560.51(2)
(2) "Entrepreneurial assistance program" means a program that directly or indirectly assists an entrepreneur who is starting a business which has significant growth potential, as evidenced by the potential ability to attract and receive venture capital financing, by doing any of the following:
560.51(2)(a)
(a) Educating the entrepreneur about starting a business.
560.51(2)(b)
(b) Evaluating the business' proposed product or service.
560.51(2)(c)
(c) Preparing a business plan acceptable to investors.
560.51(2)(f)
(f) Providing ongoing managerial assistance and monitoring compliance with the business plan after the start-up of the business.
560.51(3)
(3) "Intermediary" means either a person who provides continuing assistance or services to an entrepreneur who is starting a business with significant growth potential, as evidenced by the potential ability to attract and receive venture capital financing, or a consultant who works with such an entrepreneur on a specific task, such as market evaluation, manufacturing techniques or product design.
560.51(4)
(4) "Intermediary assistance program" means a program that directly or indirectly trains or assists an intermediary in developing or using skills necessary to serve an entrepreneur.
560.51(5)
(5) "Metropolitan area" means an urban area and surrounding territory in this state that includes at least one city or village with a population of 25,000 or more.
560.51(6)
(6) "Network" means an organized arrangement for exchanging materials, information and services among entrepreneurs, intermediaries, institutional venture capital investors, other venture capital investors and persons who assist entrepreneurs, intermediaries or venture capital investors.
560.51 History
History: 1987 a. 320.
560.53
560.53
Intermediary assistance programs. 560.53(1)(1)
Regional and statewide programs. The department shall arrange intermediary assistance programs, for regional or statewide meetings of industry, trade and professional organizations, that introduce members of the organizations to the procedures by which venture capital is invested in new businesses and the opportunities for the members to become intermediaries.
560.53(2)(a)(a) In one or more metropolitan areas, the department shall identify individuals and organizations that assist intermediaries, are interested in assisting intermediaries or are interested in becoming intermediaries or developing a local network.
560.53(2)(b)
(b) The department shall assist the individuals and organizations identified under
par. (a) in developing, to the extent feasible, self-sustaining intermediary assistance programs. An intermediary assistance program may do any of the following:
560.53(2)(b)1.
1. Provide an inventory of existing intermediaries in the metropolitan area.
560.53(2)(b)3.
3. Develop a network between the metropolitan area and other metropolitan areas.
560.53(2)(b)4.
4. Train intermediaries on subjects identified as necessary by the intermediaries participating in the intermediary assistance programs, including the preparation of business plans and the applicability of relevant securities regulations.
560.53(2)(b)5.
5. Establish mechanisms to refer entrepreneurs to appropriate intermediaries in the metropolitan area or in other metropolitan areas.
560.53(2)(b)6.
6. Evaluate the effectiveness of the intermediary assistance program, including the collection of data necessary to conduct the evaluation.
560.53 History
History: 1987 a. 320.
560.54
560.54
State agency coordination. The department shall coordinate entrepreneurial assistance programs and intermediary assistance programs offered by agencies by doing any of the following:
560.54(1)
(1) Identifying the needs of entrepreneurs and intermediaries relating to the development in the state of new businesses with high growth potential.
560.54(2)
(2) Ensuring that individuals assisting entrepreneurs and intermediaries have the training necessary to provide adequate assistance.
