2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
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2025 SENATE BILL 254
May 9, 2025 - Introduced by Senators WIMBERGER, BRADLEY, CARPENTER, HABUSH
SINYKIN, L. JOHNSON, PFAFF, WIRCH and RATCLIFF, cosponsored by
Representatives KURTZ, DONOVAN, SINICKI, ANDERSON, BROWN, DESMIDT,
DITTRICH, DOYLE, FRANKLIN, GOEBEN, GUNDRUM, B. JACOBSON, KNODL,
KREIBICH, MCCARVILLE, MELOTIK, MOORE OMOKUNDE, MURSAU, NOVAK,
O'CONNOR, PENTERMAN, PIWOWARCZYK, PRADO, SNODGRASS, SNYDER,
STEFFEN, TENORIO, TUCKER and WICHGERS. Referred to Committee on
Natural Resources, Veteran and Military Affairs.
***AUTHORS SUBJECT TO CHANGE***
AN ACT to create 20.485 (2) (a) and 45.75 (9) of the statutes; relating to:
funding for the War Memorial Center and making an appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, by agreement between the county board and any nonprofit
private corporation, a county having a population of 750,000 or more may establish
and maintain a memorial to commemorate the lives and deeds of persons who
served the state or nation in war or other national service. Milwaukee County is
the only county in the state with a population of 750,000 or more, and the county
established and maintains a memorial called the War Memorial Center. This bill
creates a continuing appropriation account for the Department of Veterans Affairs
from which the War Memorial Center[s memorial board may request DVA to
provide funds to it for support of the memorial. In making a request for the funds,
the memorial board is required to describe its intended use of the funds, and to aver
that it has secured equal matching funds that it will contribute to its intended
project supporting the War Memorial Center. In addition, in each fiscal year in
which the War Memorial Center[s memorial board receives funds from DVA as
described under the bill, the War Memorial Center[s memorial board is required to
submit a report to the Joint Committee on Finance that describes how the funds
were used and that indicates how much money remains in the appropriation
account.
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SECTION 1.
For further information see the state and local fiscal estimate, which will be
printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
SECTION 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place,
insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated:
2025-26 2026-27
20.485 Veterans affairs, department of
(2) LOANS AND AIDS TO VETERANS
(a) War memorials in populous
counties GPR C 9,000,000 -0-
SECTION 2. 20.485 (2) (a) of the statutes is created to read:
20.485 (2) (a) War memorials in populous counties. As a continuing
appropriation, the amounts in the schedule to support war memorials in populous
counties as provided under s. 45.75 (9).
SECTION 3. 45.75 (9) of the statutes is created to read:
45.75 (9) (a) The memorial board may request from the department funds
from the appropriation account under s. 20.485 (2) (a) for one or more purposes
specified under par. (b). In a request for funds under this paragraph, the memorial
board must include all of the following:
1. A description of the purpose for which the memorial board is requesting the
funds and the memorial board[s intended use of the requested funds.
2. A written averment from the memorial board that it has, or has a written
financial commitment to receive, a full match of the amount of funds it is requesting
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SECTION 3
from the department, which matching funds the memorial board will ensure are
used to meet at least half of the memorial board[s total anticipated cost for the
purpose for which the memorial board is requesting funds.
(b) Funds requested under par. (a) may be used by a war memorial
established under sub. (1) for any of the following purposes:
1. Expenses relating to the operation of the war memorial, including
memorials, capital projects, exhibits, programs, salaries, and insurance.
2. Maintenance, repairs, development, construction, or improvements of the
war memorial[s facilities, properties, or grounds or other property owned, operated,
or maintained by the war memorial.
(c) Within 60 days of a memorial board[s request for funds under par. (a), the
department shall review the request and determine whether to fully or partially
approve the request, request more information from the memorial board, or deny
the request if the request does not meet the requirements under par. (a). Upon the
department[s full or partial approval of a request made under this paragraph, the
department shall within 30 days provide to the war memorial the approved funds.
Upon the department[s full or partial denial of a request made under this
paragraph, the memorial board may within 90 days request that the department
revisit and review its denial decision.
(d) By the end of each fiscal year in which a memorial board receives funds
from the department as the result of a request made under par. (a), the memorial
board shall submit a report to the joint committee on finance and to the chief clerk
of each house of the legislature for distribution under s. 13.172 (3) to the standing
committees having jurisdiction over veterans matters. The report shall describe
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SECTION 3
how the memorial board used or plans to use the received funds and shall indicate
how much money remains in the appropriation account under s. 20.485 (2) (a).
SECTION 4. Effective date.
(1) This act takes effect the day after publication, or on the 2nd day after
publication of the 2025 biennial budget act, whichever is later.
(END)
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