Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

Wisconsin Assembly Bill AB159 Compare Versions

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

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1	1	2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
2	2	LRB-2291/2
3	3	KRP:skw
4	4	2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 159
5	5	April 2, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives NOVAK, KITCHENS, ANDERSON,
6	6	ARMSTRONG, BARE, BEHNKE, BILLINGS, GREEN, GUNDRUM, HONG, B.
7	7	JACOBSON, J. JACOBSON, JOHNSON, KREIBICH, MIRESSE, MURSAU, O'CONNOR,
8	8	PALMERI, STEFFEN, TRANEL and TUSLER, cosponsored by Senators QUINN,
9	9	TESTIN, PFAFF and SPREITZER. Referred to Committee on Rural Development.
10	10	AN ACT to create 238.137 of the statutes; relating to: creating a rural creative
11	11	economy development grant program.
12	12	Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
13	13	This bill creates a grant program administered by the Wisconsin Economic
14	14	Development Corporation. The bill requires WEDC to award rural creative
15	15	economy development grants on a competitive basis to cities, villages, towns,
16	16	counties, American Indian tribes and bands in this state, economic development
17	17	organizations in this state, and nonprofit organizations in this state. A grant
18	18	recipient must use grant moneys for any of the following purposes:
19	19	1. To develop or implement a plan to increase tourism, enhance visitor
20	20	experiences, or bolster community development in rural areas in this state through
21	21	the development or promotion of creative enterprises, including by supporting or
22	22	expanding public arts performances and exhibitions, renovating or improving
23	23	public spaces and vacant or underutilized buildings, supporting community-based
24	24	arts education, supporting business accelerator programs, and providing technical
25	25	assistance for creative businesses.
26	26	2. To market, brand, and promote local creative enterprises, public arts
27	27	performances and exhibitions, or public spaces in rural areas in this state.
28	28	Under the bill, such a grant may not exceed $50,000 and must be expended
29	29	solely for the benefit of rural areas. Additionally, the bill prohibits WEDC from
30	30	awarding a grant unless the grant recipient matches the amount of the grant with
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33	33	ASSEMBLY BILL 159
34	34	- 2 - LRB-2291/2
35	35	KRP:skw
36	36	SECTION 1
37	37	moneys raised from nonstate sources and limits the amount of in-kind match to no
38	38	more than 25 percent of the match amount. The bill requires WEDC to submit a
39	39	report on the effectiveness of the grants to the Joint Committee on Finance no later
40	40	than May 1, 2027.
41	41	For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
42	42	an appendix to this bill.
43	43	The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
44	44	enact as follows:
45	45	SECTION 1. 238.137 of the statutes is created to read:
46	46	238.137 Rural creative economy development grant program. (1) In
47	47	this section:
48	48	(a) XCreative enterpriseY means an organization, individual, or company
49	49	whose products and services have their origin in artistic, cultural, creative, or
50	50	aesthetic content.
51	51	(b) XEligible applicantY means a city, village, town, county, American Indian
52	52	tribe or band in this state, economic development organization in this state, or
53	53	organization in this state described in section 501 (c) (3) or (6) of the Internal
54	54	Revenue Code that is exempt from federal income tax under section 501 (a) of the
55	55	Internal Revenue Code.
56	56	(c) XRural areaY means any of the following:
57	57	1. A city, town, or village in this state that has a population of less than
58	58	10,000.
59	59	2. An area in this state that is not an urbanized area, as defined by the federal
60	60	bureau of the census.
61	61	3. A county in this state that has a population of less than 55,000.
62	62	(2) (a) The corporation shall award rural creative economy development
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81	81	ASSEMBLY BILL 159
82	82	- 3 - LRB-2291/2
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84	84	SECTION 1
85	85	grants on a competitive basis to eligible applicants for the purposes described under
86	86	par. (b). The corporation shall prescribe the form of application and the information
87	87	required to be submitted with an application, which shall include specific goals and
88	88	clear outcomes regarding public accessibility, participation, and engagement.
89	89	(b) An eligible applicant that is awarded a grant under this subsection shall
90	90	expend all grant moneys as specified in the application for any of the following
91	91	purposes:
92	92	1. To develop or implement a plan to increase tourism, enhance visitor
93	93	experiences, or bolster community development in rural areas in this state through
94	94	the development or promotion of creative enterprises, including by doing any of the
95	95	following:
96	96	a. Supporting or expanding public arts, including performances and
97	97	exhibitions. Expenditures under this subd. 1. a. may include production costs,
98	98	artist stipends, and supplies.
99	99	b. Renovating or improving public spaces, signage, and facades, including the
100	100	repair or renovation of vacant or underutilized buildings. Expenditures under this
101	101	subd. 1. b. may include construction costs, artist stipends, and supplies.
102	102	c. Supporting community-based arts education.
103	103	d. Supporting business accelerator programs and providing technical
104	104	assistance for creative businesses.
105	105	2. To market, brand, and promote local creative enterprises, public arts
106	106	performances and exhibitions, or public spaces in rural areas in this state.
107	107	(c) A grant awarded under this subsection may not exceed $50,000 and shall
108	108	be expended solely for the benefit of rural areas in this state.
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133	133	ASSEMBLY BILL 159
134	134	- 4 - LRB-2291/2
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136	136	SECTION 1
137	137	(3) The corporation may not award a grant under sub. (2) unless the eligible
138	138	applicant has secured from nonstate sources an amount equal to the amount of the
139	139	proposed grant. No more than 25 percent of the match amount may be in-kind.
140	140	SECTION 2. Nonstatutory provision.
141	141	(1) EFFECTIVENESS REPORT. The Wisconsin Economic Development
142	142	Corporation shall submit a report on the effectiveness of the rural creative economy
143	143	development grants awarded under s. 238.137 to the joint committee on finance no
144	144	later than May 1, 2027.
145	145	(END)
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