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Bills from the 2009–10 session

Assembly Bill 580

Petitions and management plans for the designation of managed forest land; transferrals of ownership of managed forest land; establishing stumpage values, filing cutting reports, and estimating withdrawal taxes under the managed forest land program; signatures and authentication requirements for orders under the forest croplands program; granting rule-making authority; making an appropriation; and providing a penalty

Topics: Forestry, Forestry: Taxation, Natural Resources, Department of: Environmental protection, Real estate transfer fee, Revenue, Department of

Became law

The governor signed it on May 19, 2010. It's ⁠.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Nov 16, 2009

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Assembly vote, passed

    Passed Apr 13, 2010

  4. Senate vote, passed

    Passed Apr 15, 2010

  5. Governor, passed

    Signed

  6. Law, here now

    2009 Wisconsin Act 365

Latest entry in the official record, May 21, 2010: “Published 5-19-2010”

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What it does

Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.

Under current law, the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) administers the managed forest land (MFL) program and a similar program called the forest croplands program. The MFL program exempts an owner of land that is designated MFL from payment of municipal property taxes on the land in exchange for a lower payment per acre. In exchange, the owner must comply with certain forestry practices and must allow the public on the land under certain circumstances unless the landowner elects to pay an extra amount per acre to keep a limited number of acres closed. In addition, an owner of MFL must pay a withdrawal tax when the owner withdraws the land from the program before the order designating the land as MFL expires. Orders are for 25 or 50 years. This bill makes various changes to the MFL program, including the following:

1. The words "applicant" and "application" are substituted for "petitioner" and "petition" in the subchapter related to the MFL program. This change is nonsubstantive.

Read the full summary

2. The dates before which DNR must act on applications under the MFL program are changed, and the deadline for owners to file applications to renew MFL orders is changed.

3. A forestry management plan for the MFL must accompany the application, and the requirement that DNR prepare the plan upon the request of the applying landowner is eliminated. Under the bill, DNR must prepare the plan only if DNR determines that the applicant is unable to have a proposed management plan prepared by a certified independent plan writer. DNR must promulgate rules establishing the criteria for when DNR will prepare the plan.

4. The Department of Revenue, upon the request of an MFL landowner, with the assistance of DNR, must prepare an estimate of the withdrawal tax that would be due if the MFL is withdrawn.

5. The requirement that the stumpage value used to determine the amount of yield taxes and withdrawal taxes under the MFL program be established by rule is eliminated.

6. The bill clarifies that when MFL is transferred to another owner, the person purchasing or otherwise receiving the land pays the transfer fee.

7. Under the forest croplands program, facsimile signatures are allowed and documents are exempted from register of deeds authentication requirements. These provisions exist for the MFL program under current law.

8. The penalties and procedures that apply to persons who file false reports also apply for assessing the yield tax to persons who fail to file cutting reports.

9. An owner selling MFL must disclose to prospective buyers that the land is designated as such under an MFL order.

Who's behind it

4 representatives are its ⁠. 2 are Democrats and 2 are Republicans.

2 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 6 names

Authors (4)

Signed on in support (2)

What it would cost

State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.

Versions and amendments

Every text the Legislature printed for this bill, including proposed changes. Each opens on the Legislature's site.

How lawmakers voted

There were 3 votes on this bill.

Assembly Committee on Forestry vote on an amendment

Passed, 4 to 0 · Jan 12, 2010

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by committee on Forestry, Ayes 4, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Joint Committee on Finance vote on an amendment

Passed, 16 to 0 · Mar 17, 2010

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by joint committee on Finance, Ayes 16, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

Assembly vote to pass it

Passed, 98 to 0 · Apr 13, 2010

No member-by-member record exists for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Official motion: “Read a third time and passed, Ayes 98, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. May 21, 2010

    The new law was published.

  2. May 19, 2010

    The governor signed it. It became 2009 Wisconsin Act 365.

  3. May 13, 2010

    Sent to the governor.

  4. Apr 15, 2010

    The Senate passed it too.

  5. Apr 14, 2010

    Sent to the Senate Committee on Transportation, Tourism, Forestry, and Natural Resources.

  6. Apr 14, 2010

    The Senate received it.

  7. Apr 13, 2010

    The Assembly passed it, 98 to 0.

  8. Apr 13, 2010

    The Assembly adopted it.

  9. Mar 17, 2010

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  10. Mar 17, 2010

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 16 to 0.

  11. Jan 12, 2010

    Sent to the Joint Committee on Finance.

  12. Jan 12, 2010

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 4 to 0.

  13. Dec 10, 2009

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  14. Nov 30, 2009

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  15. Nov 18, 2009

    The committee held a public hearing.

  16. Nov 16, 2009

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Forestry.

  17. Nov 16, 2009

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Nov 16, 2009 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Clark, Friske, Mursau and Turner;Cosponsored by Senators Holperin and Taylor

  2. Nov 16, 2009 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to committee on Forestry

  3. Nov 18, 2009 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  4. Nov 30, 2009 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  5. Dec 10, 2009 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  6. Dec 14, 2009 · Assembly

    Assembly amendment 1 offered by Representative Clark

  7. Dec 14, 2009 · Assembly

    Assembly amendment 2 offered by Representative Clark

  8. Dec 15, 2009 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  9. Jan 12, 2010 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by committee on Forestry, Ayes 4, Noes 0

  10. Jan 12, 2010 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Amendment 2 adoption recommended by committee on Forestry, Ayes 4, Noes 0

  11. Jan 12, 2010 · Assembly

    Report passage as amended recommended by committee on Forestry, Ayes 4, Noes 0

  12. Jan 12, 2010 · Assembly

    Referred to joint committee on Finance

  13. Mar 16, 2010 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  14. Mar 16, 2010 · Assembly

    Assembly amendment 3 offered by joint committee on Finance

  15. Mar 17, 2010 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Amendment 1 adoption recommended by joint committee on Finance, Ayes 16, Noes 0

  16. Mar 17, 2010 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Amendment 2 adoption recommended by joint committee on Finance, Ayes 16, Noes 0

  17. Mar 17, 2010 · Assembly

    Report Assembly Amendment 3 adoption recommended by joint committee on Finance, Ayes 14, Noes 2

  18. Mar 17, 2010 · Assembly

    Report passage as amended recommended by joint committee on Finance, Ayes 16, Noes 0

  19. Mar 17, 2010 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  20. Apr 7, 2010 · Assembly

    Placed on calendar 4-13-2010 by committee on Rules

  21. Apr 13, 2010 · Assembly

    Read a second time

  22. Apr 13, 2010 · Assembly

    Assembly amendment 1 adopted

  23. Apr 13, 2010 · Assembly

    Assembly amendment 2 adopted

  24. Apr 13, 2010 · Assembly

    Assembly amendment 3 adopted

  25. Apr 13, 2010 · Assembly

    Ordered to a third reading

  26. Apr 13, 2010 · Assembly

    Rules suspended

  27. Apr 13, 2010 · Assembly

    Read a third time and passed, Ayes 98, Noes 0

  28. Apr 13, 2010 · Assembly

    Ordered immediately messaged

  29. Apr 14, 2010 · Senate

    Received from Assembly

  30. Apr 14, 2010 · Senate

    Read first time and referred to committee on Transportation, Tourism, Forestry, and Natural Resources

  31. Apr 15, 2010 · Senate

    Rules suspended to withdraw from committee on Transportation, Tourism, Forestry, and Natural Resources and take up

  32. Apr 15, 2010 · Senate

    Read a second time

  33. Apr 15, 2010 · Senate

    Ordered to a third reading

  34. Apr 15, 2010 · Senate

    Rules suspended

  35. Apr 15, 2010 · Senate

    Read a third time and concurred in

  36. Apr 15, 2010 · Senate

    Ordered immediately messaged

  37. Apr 15, 2010 · Assembly

    Received from Senate concurred in

  38. Apr 27, 2010 · Assembly

    Report correctly enrolled

  39. May 13, 2010 · Assembly

    Presented to the Governor on 5-13-2010

  40. May 19, 2010 · Assembly

    Report approved by the Governor on 5-18-2010. 2009 Wisconsin Act 365

  41. May 21, 2010 · Assembly

    Published 5-19-2010

Terms on this page

Wisconsin Act

The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.

Official term: Act. More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis. More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor. More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor. More in the glossary

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate. More in the glossary

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote. More in the glossary

From the Wisconsin Legislature's official record, checked Sep 15, 2026. See the source

Wisconsin Act

The number a bill gets when it becomes law, like 2025 Wisconsin Act 12.

Official term: Act

More in the glossary

Legislative Reference Bureau

The Legislature's nonpartisan office that drafts bills and writes the summary at the top of each one.

Official term: LRB analysis

More in the glossary

Author

A lawmaker who formally puts a bill forward. The text itself is drafted by the Legislative Reference Bureau.

Official term: Author, coauthor

More in the glossary

Signed on in support

Lawmakers who back a bill without being one of its authors, often from the other chamber.

Official term: Cosponsor

More in the glossary

Cost estimate

A state agency's estimate of what a bill would cost or save.

Official term: Fiscal estimate

More in the glossary

Roll call

A vote where each lawmaker's yes or no is recorded by name.

Official term: Roll call vote

More in the glossary