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Bills from the 2021–22 session

Assembly Bill 54

Farmland preservation implementation grants, agreements, and tax credits and making an appropriation. (FE)

Stopped before the full Assembly voted

The recommended passing it, but the full Assembly never voted on it. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.

  1. Introduced, passed

    Feb 10, 2021

  2. Committee, passed

    Approved

  3. Assembly vote, stopped here

    Stopped here. The full Assembly never voted on it.

  4. Senate vote, not reached

  5. Governor, not reached

  6. Law, not reached

Latest entry in the official record, Mar 15, 2022: “Failed to pass pursuant to ⁠”

Read the bill

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What it would have done

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

This bill makes the following changes involving farmland preservation implementation grants and agreements and farmland preservation tax credits:

1. Decreases the minimum required length of a farmland preservation agreement between the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection and a farmland owner to 10 years from 15 years. Under current law, a farmland owner who enters into a farmland preservation agreement with DATCP may be eligible to receive farmland preservation tax credits for his or her qualifying acres of farmland.

Read the full summary

2. Requires DATCP to include in a report submitted to the Board of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection, the Joint Committee on Finance, the standing committees of the legislature with jurisdiction over agriculture, the Department of Revenue, and the Department of Administration a review of the tax credit amounts for qualifying acres for the farmland preservation tax credit and recommendations for the tax credit levels for qualifying acres of farmland. Current law requires DATCP to submit a report about farmland and the farmland preservation program once every two years to the board, DOR, and DOA.

3. Under the farmland preservation tax credit, increases from $7.50 to $10 the amount that may be claimed, per qualifying acre, for qualifying acres that are located in a farmland preservation zoning district but are not subject to a farmland preservation agreement.

4. Under the farmland preservation tax credit, increases from $5 to $10 the amount that may be claimed, per qualifying acre, for qualifying acres that are subject to a farmland preservation agreement but are not located in a farmland preservation zoning district.

5. Under the farmland preservation tax credit, increases from $10 to $12.50 the amount that may be claimed, per qualifying acre, for qualifying acres that are located in a farmland preservation zoning district and are subject to a farmland preservation agreement.

6. Adds a new category of farmland that qualifies for the farmland preservation tax credit. A credit of $10 per acre may be claimed for farmland that is located in a farmland preservation area, but only to the extent that the acres are covered by an agricultural conservation easement.

7. Authorizes DATCP to award grants to cities, villages, towns, counties, regional planning commissions, and tribal governments for various purposes related to implementing a county's certified farmland preservation plan. Under the bill, DATCP must enter into a contract with a grant recipient before distributing grant funds, and the contract must identify costs eligible for reimbursement through the grant for the following activities: 1) certifying a farmland preservation zoning ordinance for the first time; 2) enrolling land in farmland preservation agreements;

3) designating an agricultural enterprise area or facilitating agricultural preservation and development; 4) monitoring compliance with land and water conservation standards; and 5) farmland preservation program outreach.

The bill also indexes the farmland preservation tax credit dollar amounts described above for inflation.

Who's behind it

21 lawmakers are its ⁠. 13 are Democrats and 8 are Republicans.

11 more lawmakers ⁠.

See all 32 names

Authors (21)

Signed on in support (11)

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 was one vote on this bill.

Assembly Committee on Agriculture vote to recommend it

Passed, 12 to 0 · Feb 1, 2022

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

Official motion: “Report passage recommended by Committee on Agriculture, Ayes 12, Noes 0”. Official record · This vote on its own page

What happened

  1. Mar 15, 2022

    The session ended, and the bill died with it.

  2. Feb 3, 2022

    1 more representative signed on in support.

  3. Feb 1, 2022

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Rules.

  4. Feb 1, 2022

    The committee voted to recommend passing it, 12 to 0.

  5. Apr 7, 2021 to Apr 14, 2021

    4 more representatives signed on in support.

  6. Mar 10, 2021

    The committee held a public hearing.

  7. Mar 9, 2021

    2 more representatives signed on in support.

  8. Mar 5, 2021

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  9. Mar 1, 2021

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  10. Feb 11, 2021

    A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.

  11. Feb 10, 2021

    Sent to the Assembly Committee on Agriculture.

  12. Feb 10, 2021

    Introduced in the Assembly.

See the official record, word for word
  1. Feb 10, 2021 · Assembly

    Introduced by Representatives Oldenburg, Novak, Spreitzer, Anderson, Baldeh, Bowen, Cabrera, Considine, Drake, Emerson, Hebl, B. Meyers, Moses, Mursau, Rozar, Shankland, Skowronski, Subeck, Tranel, VanderMeer and Vruwink; cosponsored by Senators Testin, L. Taylor, Pfaff, Ringhand and Smith

  2. Feb 10, 2021 · Assembly

    Read first time and referred to Committee on Agriculture

  3. Feb 11, 2021 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  4. Mar 1, 2021 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  5. Mar 5, 2021 · Assembly

    Fiscal estimate received

  6. Mar 9, 2021 · Assembly

    Representatives Kitchens and Plumer added as coauthors

  7. Mar 10, 2021 · Assembly

    Public hearing held

  8. Apr 7, 2021 · Assembly

    Representative Allen added as a coauthor

  9. Apr 8, 2021 · Assembly

    Executive action taken

  10. Apr 9, 2021 · Assembly

    Representative Hesselbein added as a coauthor

  11. Apr 13, 2021 · Assembly

    Representative Neubauer added as a coauthor

  12. Apr 14, 2021 · Assembly

    Representative Tittl added as a coauthor

  13. Oct 14, 2021 · Assembly

    Assembly Amendment 1 offered by Representative Oldenburg

  14. Feb 1, 2022 · Assembly

    Report passage recommended by Committee on Agriculture, Ayes 12, Noes 0

  15. Feb 1, 2022 · Assembly

    Referred to committee on Rules

  16. Feb 3, 2022 · Assembly

    Representative Penterman added as a coauthor

  17. Mar 15, 2022 · Assembly

    Failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1

Terms on this page

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

More in the glossary

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1. 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

Committee

A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.

Senate Joint Resolution 1

The session's calendar. Any bill not passed by its last voting day dies.

Official term: Failed to pass pursuant to SJR 1

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

Author

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

Official term: Author, coauthor

Signed on in support

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

Official term: Cosponsor

Cost estimate

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

Official term: Fiscal estimate

Roll call

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

Official term: Roll call vote