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Spring Round Up - Municipal Bills of Note
Where they Stand after Legislative Action Last week
SB 312 PFAS. (Senator Wimberger, Senator Cowles and Rep. Mursau) This bill creates a Municipal Grant Program and an Innocent Landowner Grant Program and includes other provisions to address perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances. The bill has been amended several times to address stakeholder and agency concerns.
⭐The Assembly passed the Senate amended version and the bill is now available to be sent to the Governor. The Governor has stated he will veto the bill. The League is still working with parties to try to provide funding to impacted communities.
AB-622 Business Improvement Districts. (Rep. Donovan and Senator Cabral-Guevara) This bill authorizes two or more municipalities to create a single multijurisdictional business improvement district and makes several other changes to the statutes governing business improvement districts (BIDs) and neighborhood improvement districts (NIDs).
⭐Passed the Assembly but still needs a Senate committee vote and Senate floor vote.
SB 624 Solid Waste Facilities. (Senator Jacque and Rep. Mursau) This bill provides an alternative method for a municipality to establish proof of financial responsibility for municipal solid waste facilities. This bill also allows DNR to pay costs associated with closure, long-term care, and corrective action costs for certain solid or hazardous waste facilities.
⭐The Assembly passed the Senate amended version and the bill is now available to be sent to the Governor.
AB 627 – Changes to the Business Development Tax Credit. (Rep. Armstrong and Senator Feyen) This bill allows the addition of retaining jobs (not just job creation) and capital investments to the eligibility for business development tax credits. The bill also provides that a person may claim tax benefits of an amount equal to up to 15 percent of the person's investment in workforce housing for eligible employees and up to 15 percent of the person's investment in establishing a childcare program for eligible employees. Modifications include a substitute amendment – See the Legislative Council Amendment Memo
⭐Passed the Assembly but would need a committee and floor vote in the Senate. The League will be working on getting this bill passed in March.
AB-671 Rehired Annuitants. (Rep. Rettinger and Senator Tomczyk) Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 provides an exception to the annuity suspension requirement for certain retired law enforcement officers and limits the annuity suspension to a period of 60 months. A WRS participating employee must be rehired in a different law enforcement agency then the one from which the person retired, must be at least 55 years old and has had at least one year lapse between retirement and rehiring.
⭐Passed the Assembly but still needs a Senate public hearing, committee vote, and floor vote.
AB-689 Pay for Performance Grants. (Rep. Dallman and Senator Tomczyk) This bill allows the Dept. of Administration to withhold between 10 and 50 percent of eligible housing and homelessness grant awards implementing a "pay for performance" grant procedure. The bill also allows DOA or local governments to designate public property (not fiargrounds or parks) for use as a structured camping facility. DOA must condition temporary residence at a structured camping facility on the completion of mental health or substance use evaluations. The bill also requires DOA to provide for public safety, potable water, and adequate sanitary facilities at each structured camping facility.
⭐Passed the Assembly but would need a committee and floor vote in the Senate.
AB-723 Bidding Thresholds. (Rep. Brooks and Senator Stroebel) This bill increases the local government competitive bidding thresholds from $25,000 to $50,000 and requires school districts to utilize competitive bidding.
⭐Passed Assembly and concurred in by the Senate. The bill is now available to be sent to the Governor.
SB 791 and SB 792 EV Charging and Infrastructure. (Senator Marklein and Rep. VanderMeer) The first bill provides an exemption from public utility regulation regarding electric vehicle charging stations, provides opportunity for installation of electric vehicle charging stations by state agencies or local governmental units, and imposes an excise tax on electric vehicle charging. The second bill provides the structure for the funding of the program. Wisconsin in one of two states that needs to modify our statutes to allow a fee per kilowatt hour in order to secure the $78 million in EV federal funding.
⭐The Assembly added an11th hour amendment to SB 791 to prohibit local governments from requiring private developers to install an EV charging station as a condition of granting a building permit, conditional use permit, or other local approval. This amendment started out much more broad and was narrowed in scope. The bill now heads back to the Senate for approval before it will be sent to the Governor. Additional modifications can not be made because the Assembly is not on the floor again. Wisconsin in one of two states that needs to modify our statutes to allow a fee per kilowatt hour in order to secure the $78 million in EV federal funding.
SB 916 Refugee Resettlement. (Rep. Hurd and Senator Tomczyk) The bill requires local governments to notify each local governmental unit, including school districts, within 100 mile radius when an employee or officer of a local government initially contacts or is contacted by the federal government or a private nonprofit voluntary agency under a federal program regarding refugee resettlement and assistance.
⭐The Assembly passed the Senate amended version and the bill is now available to be sent to the Governor.
⭐If you would like to contact your legislators on any bills mentioned in the bulletin you can find contact information for all legislators here. To find out which legislators represent your community, use the "Find Your Legislator" function on the right side of the site.
⭐If the bill is headed to the Governor's office you can send a message here.
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