Bills · 2019-2020 Regular Session

AB 344

Became law Official bill text Atom feed

Relating to: telephone company tax exemption for property used to provide broadband service. (FE)

Data processing Legislature — Tax exemptions joint survey committee on Property tax — Exemption Telephone

Introduced, completed
Passes Assembly, completed
Passes Senate, completed
Governor signs, completed
Law, completed

Unfamiliar terms? Glossary

What this bill does

Plain-language analysis by the nonpartisan Legislative Reference Bureau

This bill exempts property used to provide broadband service to a rural or

underserved area from the telephone company tax that is paid by telephone

companies in lieu of the general property tax. To qualify for the exemption, property

installed prior to January 1, 2020, must be used to provide Internet access service

to a rural area at a download speed of at least 25 megabits per second and an upload

speed of at least 3 megabits per second. Property installed after December 31, 2019,

must be used to provide Internet access service to a rural or underserved area at

those same speeds or, if higher, speeds designated by the Federal Communications

Commission. Under the bill, an “underserved area” is any area in the state served

by fewer than two wired service providers, and a “rural area” is any area in the state

that is located outside a federal metropolitan statistical area or is located in a city,

village, or town with a population of not more than 14,000.

For property installed

prior to January 1, 2020, the determination of whether an area is a rural area is

based on the 2010 federal decennial census.

Because this bill relates to an exemption from state or local taxes, it may be

referred to the Joint Survey Committee on Tax Exemptions for a report to be printed

as an appendix to the bill.

What it would cost

Fiscal estimates filed by state agencies, as official PDFs

Sponsors

Introduced by: Ballweg (R) , Dittrich (R) , Edming (R) , Horlacher (R) , James (R) , Katsma (R) , Kitchens (R) , Krug (R) , Kulp (R) , Kurtz (R) , Murphy (R) , Mursau (R) , Novak (R) , Oldenburg (R) , Petryk (R) , Plumer (R) , Pronschinske (R) , Quinn (R) , Snyder (R) , Sortwell (R) , Spiros (R) , Stafsholt (R) , Summerfield (R) , Swearingen (R) , Tauchen (R) , Tranel (R) , Tusler (R) , VanderMeer (R) , Zimmerman (R)

6 cosponsors

Bernier (R) , Cowles (R) , Feyen (R) , Marklein (R) , Petrowski (R) , Testin (R)

Votes

Assembly: Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on Rural Development, Ayes 11, Noes 0

Passed 11–0 Oct 29, 2019 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Assembly: Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Rural Development, Ayes 11, Noes 0

Passed 11–0 Oct 29, 2019 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Assembly: Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 8, Noes 4

Passed 8–4 Nov 6, 2019 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Assembly: Report passage as amended recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 8, Noes 4

Passed 8–4 Nov 6, 2019 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Assembly: Assembly Amendment 1 to Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 laid on table, Ayes 62, Noes 36

Passed 62–36 Feb 11, 2020 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Senate: Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 5, Noes 0

Passed 5–0 Feb 14, 2020 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Senate: Senate Amendment 1 rejected, Ayes 19, Noes 14

Passed 19–14 Feb 19, 2020 official source full page

No individual roll call was recorded for this vote. Committee votes and some older sessions record totals only.

Senate: CONCURRENCE

Passed 33–0 Feb 19, 2020 official source full page

Aye · 33

Full history

Jul 24, 2019 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Quinn, Ballweg, Edming, Kitchens, Krug, Kulp, Kurtz, Mursau, Oldenburg, Petryk, Plumer, Pronschinske, Snyder, Spiros, Stafsholt, Summerfield, Swearingen, Tauchen, Tranel, Tusler, VanderMeer, Zimmerman, Dittrich, Horlacher, James, Katsma, Murphy, Novak and Sortwell; cosponsored by Senators Marklein, Testin, Bernier, Feyen and Petrowski
Jul 24, 2019 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Rural Development
Aug 8, 2019 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
Aug 9, 2019 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
Aug 27, 2019 · Assembly
Senator Cowles added as a cosponsor
Sep 3, 2019 · Assembly
Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative Quinn
Sep 19, 2019 · Assembly
Executive action taken
Oct 29, 2019 · Assembly
Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Committee on Rural Development, Ayes 11, Noes 0
Oct 29, 2019 · Assembly
Report passage as amended recommended by Committee on Rural Development, Ayes 11, Noes 0
Oct 29, 2019 · Assembly
Referred to joint committee on Finance
Oct 31, 2019 · Assembly
Executive action taken
Nov 6, 2019 · Assembly
Report Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adoption recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 8, Noes 4
Nov 6, 2019 · Assembly
Report passage as amended recommended by Joint Committee on Finance, Ayes 8, Noes 4
Nov 6, 2019 · Assembly
Referred to committee on Rules
Nov 7, 2019 · Assembly
Placed on calendar 11-12-2019 by Committee on Rules
Nov 12, 2019 · Assembly
Assembly Amendment 1 to Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representatives Spreitzer, Doyle, Hintz, Hesselbein, Considine, Gruszynski, Hebl, B. Meyers, Milroy, Pope, Shankland, Stuck and Vruwink
Feb 5, 2020 · Assembly
Assembly Amendment 2 to Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 offered by Representative Quinn
Feb 11, 2020 · Assembly
Read a second time
Feb 11, 2020 · Assembly
Assembly Amendment 1 to Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 laid on table, Ayes 62, Noes 36
Feb 11, 2020 · Assembly
Assembly Amendment 2 to Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adopted
Feb 11, 2020 · Assembly
Assembly Substitute Amendment 1 adopted
Feb 11, 2020 · Assembly
Ordered to a third reading
Feb 11, 2020 · Assembly
Rules suspended
Feb 11, 2020 · Assembly
Read a third time and passed
Feb 11, 2020 · Assembly
Ordered immediately messaged
Feb 12, 2020 · Senate
Received from Assembly
Feb 13, 2020 · Senate
Read first time and referred to committee on Senate Organization
Feb 13, 2020 · Senate
Available for scheduling
Feb 14, 2020 · Senate
Public hearing requirement waived by committee on Senate Organization, pursuant to Senate Rule 18 (1m), Ayes 5, Noes 0
Feb 14, 2020 · Senate
Placed on calendar 2-19-2020 pursuant to Senate Rule 18(1)
Feb 19, 2020 · Senate
Senate Amendment 1 offered by Senators Smith, Johnson, L. Taylor, Hansen, Wirch, Shilling, Miller, Ringhand, Risser, Erpenbach, Carpenter, Larson and Schachtner
Feb 19, 2020 · Senate
Read a second time
Feb 19, 2020 · Senate
Senate Amendment 1 rejected, Ayes 19, Noes 14
Feb 19, 2020 · Senate
Ordered to a third reading
Feb 19, 2020 · Senate
Rules suspended
Feb 19, 2020 · Senate
Read a third time and concurred in, Ayes 33, Noes 0
Feb 19, 2020 · Senate
Ordered immediately messaged
Feb 20, 2020 · Assembly
Received from Senate concurred in
Feb 25, 2020 · Assembly
Report correctly enrolled on 2-25-2020
Feb 28, 2020 · Assembly
Presented to the Governor on 2-28-2020 by directive of the Speaker
Mar 4, 2020 · Assembly
Report approved by the Governor on 3-3-2020. 2019 Wisconsin Act 128
Mar 4, 2020 · Assembly
Published 3-4-2020