Wisconsin 2023-2024 Regular Session

Wisconsin Senate Bill SB59 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

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3	3	2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
4	4	2023 SENATE BILL 59
5	5	February 14, 2023 - Introduced by Senators COWLES, BALLWEG, CABRAL-GUEVARA,
6	6	FEYEN, JACQUE, MARKLEIN, PFAFF, QUINN, SPREITZER and TESTIN, cosponsored
7	7	by Representatives KITCHENS, NOVAK, TRANEL, SHANKLAND, KRUG, J.
8	8	ANDERSON, ANDRACA, ARMSTRONG, BALDEH, BEHNKE, CONSIDINE, DITTRICH,
9	9	DONOVAN, EMERSON, GREEN, JOERS, S. JOHNSON, KNODL, MURSAU, O'CONNOR,
10	10	OLDENBURG, PETRYK, PLUMER, ROZAR, SINICKI, SNODGRASS, SNYDER, SPIROS and
11	11	VANDERMEER. Referred to Committee on Agriculture and Tourism.
12	12	AN ACT to amend 93.59 (2) (a), 93.59 (2) (d), 93.59 (3), 281.68 (1t) (intro.), 281.68
13	13	(3) (a) 1. and 281.69 (3) (a); and to create 281.68 (1) (ar), 281.69 (1b) (br), 281.70
14	14	(1) (am) and 281.70 (4) (a) 4. of the statutes; relating to: eligibility for
15	15	producer-led watershed, lake, and river protection grants.
16	16	Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
17	17	This bill expands eligibility for producer-led watershed protection grants, lake
18	18	protection grants, and river protection grants.
19	19	Under current law, the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer
20	20	Protection administers a program to provide watershed protection grants to
21	21	producer-led groups made up of farmers located in one watershed. The bill allows
22	22	grants under the program to be awarded to producer-led groups that are made up
23	23	of farmers located in adjacent watersheds.
24	24	Under current law, the Department of Natural Resources provides lake
25	25	protection grants and lake management grants for monitoring and improving water
26	26	quality in lakes and lake classification grants for classifying lakes. Currently,
27	27	eligible recipients for these grants include nonprofit conservation organizations,
28	28	counties and municipalities, qualified lake associations, town sanitary districts,
29	29	qualified school districts, public inland lake protection and rehabilitation districts,
30	30	and other local governmental units that are established for the purpose of lake
31	31	management. DNR also provides river protection grants for monitoring and
32	32	improving water quality in rivers. Currently, eligible recipients for these grants
33	33	include local governmental units, qualified river management organizations, and
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39	39	SENATE BILL 59
40	40	nonprofit conservation organizations. The bill provides that producer-led groups
41	41	are eligible to receive lake protection, management, and classification grants and
42	42	river protection grants provided by DNR. The bill defines “producer-led group” to
43	43	mean any group that meets the criteria for a producer-led watershed protection
44	44	grant issued by DATCP.
45	45	For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
46	46	printed as an appendix to this bill.
47	47	The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
48	48	enact as follows:
49	49	SECTION 1. 93.59 (2) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
50	50	93.59 (2) (a) The producer-led group includes at least 5 agricultural producers
51	51	each of whom operates an eligible farm, as defined in s. 91.86 (1), in one watershed
52	52	or in adjacent watersheds. The group may include additional agricultural producers
53	53	who are not required to be operators of eligible farms. In this paragraph, “watershed”
54	54	means a watershed delineated by the U.S. geological survey using a nationwide
55	55	system based on surface hydrologic features at the 12-digit basin scale (the
56	56	hydrologic unit code 12).
57	57	SECTION 2. 93.59 (2) (d) of the statutes is amended to read:
58	58	93.59 (2) (d) The group assists agricultural producers in the watershed or
59	59	watersheds under par. (a) to voluntarily conduct nonpoint source water pollution
60	60	abatement activities.
61	61	SECTION 3. 93.59 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:
62	62	93.59 (3) A producer-led group that receives, or on whose behalf a legal entity
63	63	receives, a grant under this section shall annually file a report with the department
64	64	describing the activities conducted with the grant and the impact of those activities
65	65	on water quality in the watershed or watersheds under sub. (2) (a).
66	66	SECTION 4. 281.68 (1) (ar) of the statutes is created to read:
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87	87	SECTION 4
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89	89	281.68 (1) (ar) “Producer-led group” means any group that meets the criteria
90	90	under s. 93.59 (2).
91	91	SECTION 5. 281.68 (1t) (intro.) of the statutes is amended to read:
92	92	281.68 (1t) LAKE MONITORING AND PROTECTION CONTRACTS. (intro.) The
93	93	department may award contracts to public groups or persons for the creation and
94	94	support of a statewide lake monitoring network. The contracts may include
95	95	payments for the costs of all of the following:
96	96	SECTION 6. 281.68 (3) (a) 1. of the statutes is amended to read:
97	97	281.68 (3) (a) 1. Eligible recipients to consist of nonprofit conservation
98	98	organizations, as defined in s. 23.0955 (1), producer-led groups conducting
99	99	producer-led group projects, counties, cities, towns, villages, qualified lake
100	100	associations, town sanitary districts, qualified school districts, public inland lake
101	101	protection and rehabilitation districts, and other local governmental units, as
102	102	defined in s. 66.0131 (1) (a), that are established for the purpose of lake management.
103	103	SECTION 7. 281.69 (1b) (br) of the statutes is created to read:
104	104	281.69 (1b) (br) “Producer-led group” means any group that meets the criteria
105	105	under s. 93.59 (2).
106	106	SECTION 8. 281.69 (3) (a) of the statutes is amended to read:
107	107	281.69 (3) (a) A designation of eligible recipients, which shall include nonprofit
108	108	conservation organizations, producer-led groups conducting producer-led group
109	109	projects, counties, cities, towns, villages, qualified lake associations, town sanitary
110	110	districts, public inland lake protection and rehabilitation districts, and other local
111	111	governmental units, as defined in s. 66.0131 (1) (a), that are established for the
112	112	purpose of lake management.
113	113	SECTION 9. 281.70 (1) (am) of the statutes is created to read:
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140	140	SECTION 9 SENATE BILL 59
141	141	281.70 (1) (am) “Producer-led group” means any group that meets the criteria
142	142	under s. 93.59 (2).
143	143	SECTION 10. 281.70 (4) (a) 4. of the statutes is created to read:
144	144	281.70 (4) (a) 4. Producer-led groups conducting producer-led group projects.
145	145	(END)
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