Information about land purchased with stewardship funding and approval by the Joint Committee on Finance of certain activities and projects that receive stewardship funding

Current law grants the state the authority to bond to acquire land for the state under the stewardship program. Under the stewardship program, DNR may also award grants to certain local governmental units and nonprofit conservation organizations for conservation purposes.

Before the enactment of 2009 Wisconsin Act 28 , the 2009-11 biennial budget act (budget act), DNR was required to make available a directory of all land that was purchased with funding from both stewardship programs (stewardship land) and that was open to public. DNR was also required to provide a list of all stewardship land acquired before October 27, 2007, for which public access had been prohibited or restricted and the reason for the restriction or prohibition. The deadline for making available the directory and list was October 28, 2011. The budget act repealed these requirements.

This bill restores the requirements to make available the directory and list. The bill changes the deadline so that these requirements must be completed within three years after this bill becomes law.

Under current law, DNR may not obligate money under the stewardship programs for certain projects or activities before DNR gives written notice of the proposed project or activity to the Joint Committee on Finance (JCF). With some exceptions, this procedure applies only when the amount of debt to be incurred for the project or activity exceeds $750,000. Upon receipt of the notice, if JCF does not notify DNR within 14 days after the date of DNR's notification that JCF has scheduled a meeting to review the proposed project or activity, DNR can obligate the money. Current law contains a provision requiring that at such a review meeting the proposed project or activity will be approved unless a majority of the JCF members who attend the meeting vote to modify or deny the proposal. This bill removes this provision.