AB 717

This bill expands the authority of the Board of Regents of the University of

Wisconsin (UW) System regarding agricultural land. Subject to the approval of the

Building Commission, current law allows the Board of Regents to sell or lease

specified tracts of agricultural land and improvements thereon. The Board of

Regents must use the net proceeds from selling the specified tracts for the purpose

of purchasing agricultural land outside the urban area of the city of Madison and

constructing improvements thereon. However, the Board of Regents must obtain the

approvals of the Building Commission and governor for those purchases. If the net

proceeds exceed the amount required for those purchases, current law provides that

the excess constitutes a nonlapsible fund of no more than $7,200,000 for erecting

facilities for research and instruction in animal husbandry, agricultural

engineering, and agricultural and life sciences at the UW-Madison. Current law

requires the Building Commission to authorize expenditures from the fund. Current

law also includes legislative findings regarding why it is in the public interest to

allow the Board of Regents to purchase, sell, and lease agricultural land. One of the

findings concerns the problems resulting from development of the city of Madison

around agricultural lands of the UW-Madison.

The bill allows the Board of Regents to sell or lease agricultural land without

the approval of the Building Commission. The bill eliminates the references to the

specified tracts of land and allows the Board of Regents to sell or lease agricultural

land used by the UW-Madison regardless of the land's location for the purpose of

agricultural instruction and research. The bill also allows the Board of Regents, for

the same purpose, to purchase or otherwise acquire land without the approval of the

Building Commission or governor. The bill modifies the legislative finding regarding

the problems of development to refer to the problems of development of any city,

village, town, or county around agricultural land of the UW-Madison.

The bill also allows the Board of Regents, without Building Commission

approval, to exchange part or all of any parcel of agricultural land used by the

UW-Madison for any other land of approximately equal value if the exchange is for

the purpose described above. Also, the lands exchanged must be of a like kind. In

addition, before making an exchange, the bill requires the Board of Regents to

determine that the exchange contributes to the consolidation or completion of a block

of land, enhances the conservation of agricultural lands, or is otherwise in the public

interest.

The bill eliminates the requirements under current law regarding the net

proceeds of the Board of Regent's sale of agricultural lands. Instead, the bill requires

that the net proceeds of sales, leases, exchanges, purchases, or other acquisitions of

agricultural land must deposited into a nonlapsible fund, which must be used to

purchase additional land as allowed under the bill or to erect facilities for research

and instruction in animal husbandry, agricultural engineering, and agricultural and