AB 537

This bill requires the Department of Natural Resources to obligate no more

than $4,500,000 in unobligated moneys under the Warren Knowles-Gaylord Nelson

Stewardship 2000 Program to fund critical health and safety-related water

infrastructure projects in state parks, prioritizing projects in those state parks with

the highest demand.

Current law authorizes the state to incur public debt for certain conservation

activities under the stewardship program, which is administered by DNR. The state

may incur this debt to acquire land for the state for conservation purposes and for

property development activities and may award grants or state aid to certain local

governmental units and nonprofit conservation organizations to acquire land for

these purposes.

The stewardship program consists of five subprograms. Current law

establishes the amounts that DNR may obligate in each fiscal year through 2019-20

for expenditure under each of these subprograms. Prior to fiscal year 2011-12, if

DNR did not obligate the full amount it was authorized to obligate in a fiscal year

under a subprogram, DNR was required to adjust the annual bonding authority for

that subprogram by raising the annual bonding authority for the next fiscal year by

the amount unobligated in that given fiscal year. This changed beginning in fiscal

year 2011-12 and, generally, under current law, if DNR does not obligate an amount

authorized to be obligated for a subprogram in a fiscal year, it may not adjust the

annual bonding authority for that subprogram by raising the annual bonding

authority for the next fiscal year.

Under current law, the unobligated amounts for the land acquisition, property

development and local assistance, and recreational boating aids subprograms from

fiscal years 2011-12, 2012-13, and 2013-14 are obligated for three specific purposes:

infrastructure improvements to the Kettle Moraine Springs fish hatchery, repair or

replacement of the Little Falls Dam at Willow River State Park in St. Croix County,

and dam safety grants. This bill obligates not more than $4,500,000 of the

unobligated amount for these subprograms from fiscal year 2016-17 to fund critical

health and safety-related water infrastructure projects in state parks, prioritizing

projects in those state parks with the highest demand.