AB 1031

This bill makes changes related to the duties and powers of the State Historical

Society and requires additional information to be included in a report by a local

historical society or other affiliate in its annual report to SHS.

Under current law, with exceptions, SHS may charge state residents a fee and

must charge nonresidents a fee for admission to its historic sites or buildings, special

events, and special exhibits. Under one exception, SHS may not “charge a fee for

admission to the museum until construction of the museum is completed.” Fees

collected from admissions must be used to support public programming. Current law

also imposes on SHS “responsibility for security at the museum.”

The bill specifies that SHS may not charge a fee for admission to the Wisconsin

Historical Museum located at 30 N. Carroll Street in Madison until construction of

a new museum is completed. The bill also allows fees collected from admissions to

be used to support operations of the new museum, in addition to supporting public

programming. The bill further clarifies that the Wisconsin Historical Museum

located at 30 N. Carroll Street in Madison is the museum for which SHS is

responsible for security.

Under current law, SHS may make “charges” established by its Board of

Curators to partially defray the costs of the services that SHS offers to schools and

teachers in this state. The bill clarifies that SHS may charge “fees” to partially defray

those costs.

Under current law, local historical societies and other historical organizations

may be incorporated as affiliates of SHS for certain purposes, including gathering

and preserving materials and artifacts relating to local history. SHS must work with

affiliates in the encouragement, stimulation, and development of worthwhile

historical projects and undertakings at the local level. An affiliate, if approved by

the Board of Curators of SHS, may file with the Department of Financial Institutions

articles of incorporation as a nonstock corporation without paying a filing fee to DFI.

A nonstock corporation must file with DFI an annual report that includes 1) the

name of the corporation; 2) the mailing address of its registered office and the name

of its registered agent; 3) the mailing address of its current principal office; 4) the

name and business address of each director and principal officer; 5) a brief

description of the nature of its business; and 6) whether the corporation has

members. A “member” is defined as a person who has membership rights in a

nonstock corporation in accordance with the provisions of its articles of incorporation

or bylaws.

Current law requires an affiliate of SHS to annually report to SHS the

information specified in items 1 to 5, above. The bill requires the annual report to

SHS to also include item 6, above.

Finally, the bill specifies that SHS's directive to preserve the memory of early

pioneers and narratives of their exploits, perils, and adventures also applies to early