Date of enactment: March 21, 2024
2023 Senate Bill 810 Date of publication*: March 22, 2024
2023 WISCONSIN ACT 169
AN ACT to create 238.143 of the statutes; relating to: grants awarded by the Wisconsin Economic Development
Corporation for the purpose of attracting opportunities and events to Wisconsin.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in
senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
SECTION 1. 238.143 of the statutes is created to read:
238.143 Opportunity attraction and promotion.
(1) DEFINITION. In this section, “eligible applicant”
means any of the following in this state:
(a) A city, village, town, or county.
(b) An American Indian tribe or band in this state.
(c) An area visitor and convention bureau.
(d) A business improvement district.
(e) A private entity.
(2) ESTABLISHMENT OF PROGRAM. The corporation
shall establish and administer the economic development
program under this section for the purpose of attracting
opportunities and events to this state.
(3) GRANTS. (a) The corporation shall award grants
to eligible applicants for major opportunities and events
projects as provided under par. (b). The corporation shall
prescribe the form of application and the information
required to be submitted with an application, which shall
include an estimate of projected direct and indirect eco-
nomic benefits of the proposed opportunity or event to
the state and a related cost−benefit analysis concerning
the opportunity or event.
(b) An eligible applicant shall expend all grant mon-
eys on a project as specified in the application to attract
to this state or host in this state, or both, a major opportu-
nity or event that is open to the public, whether or not free
of charge. Specifically, grant moneys may be used to
undertake a project to do one or more of the following:
1. Bid against other states or jurisdictions outside this
state to attract an opportunity or event that will draw
national exposure and drive economic development and
visitors to this state.
2. Host an opportunity or event that will attract
national exposure and drive economic development and
visitors to this state that the eligible applicant has secured
through a competitive bid against other states or jurisdic-
tions outside this state.
(c) Grants awarded under this subsection are not sub-
ject to s. 238.03 (3) (a).
(4) MATCHING REQUIREMENT. The corporation may
not award a grant under sub. (3) unless the eligible appli-
cant has secured from nonstate sources an amount equal
to the amount of the proposed grant.
(5) CONSULTATION WITH DEPARTMENT OF TOURISM.
The corporation may consult with the department of
tourism to implement the corporation’s duties under this
section.
(6) ANNUAL REPORT. No later than October 1 of each
year, the corporation shall submit a report to the joint
committee on finance for the previous fiscal year that
includes a detailed description of each grant awarded
* Section 991.11, WISCONSIN STATUTES: Effective date of acts. “Every act and every portion of an act enacted by the legislature over the governor’s
partial veto which does not expressly prescribe the time when it takes effect shall take effect on the day after its date of publication.” − 2 −2023 Wisconsin Act 169 2023 Senate Bill 810
under sub. (3), including the eligible applicant’s analysis
concerning the opportunity or event.