Assembly Bill 46
Requiring notice to political subdivisions and landowners regarding proposed large solar energy facilities, requirements for applying for certificates for large solar electric generating facilities, joint development agreements related to large solar electric generating facilities, and granting rule-making authority. (FE)
Stopped in committee
It never got a , so it never came up for a vote. To try again, a lawmaker would have to start a new bill.
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Introduced, passed
Feb 20, 2023
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Committee, stopped here
Stopped here. No public hearing was held.
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Assembly vote, not reached
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Senate vote, not reached
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Governor, not reached
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Law, not reached
Latest entry in the official record, Apr 15, 2024: “Failed to pass pursuant to ”
It never got a hearing in the Assembly Committee on Energy and Utilities. See every bill that never got a hearing this session.
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Terms on this page
Committee
A small group of lawmakers that looks at a bill first. Most bills never leave committee.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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
What it would have done
Summary by the , the Legislature's nonpartisan drafting office. It's their wording, not ours.
This bill requires a person, including a representative of a developer or other company, who seeks to purchase or lease land for the purpose of developing certain large solar electric generating facilities to provide notice to any political subdivision in which the land is located of the person's interest in purchasing or leasing land for this purpose at least 30 days before the person contacts the landowner about the purchase or lease. The bill defines a political subdivision as a city, village, town, or county. The person must also provide written notice to the landowner and any other landowners located within one mile of that land.
Under current law, a person seeking to construct a large electric generating facility, specifically a facility designed with an electric generating capacity of at least 100 megawatts, must obtain a certificate of public convenience and necessity (CPCN) from the Public Service Commission. The bill provides that at least 45 days before a person files a CPCN application with PSC for certain large solar electric generating facilities, the person must submit a written notice indicating the person's interest in entering into a joint development agreement (JDA) with each political subdivision in which the proposed facility would be located. In addition, during the 45 days immediately after providing that written notice the person must make a good faith effort to negotiate a joint development agreement with each political subdivision in which the proposed facility would be located.
Read the full summary Show less
Under the bill, each political subdivision considering a JDA must make a record of its decision-making process, including a record of any public hearing, copies of documents submitted at any public hearing, and copies of any other documents provided to the political subdivision in connection with the proposed JDA. The bill specifies that a political subdivision's authority to enter a JDA is subject to current law restrictions that prohibit a city, village, town, or county from placing any restriction, either directly or in effect, on the installation or use of a solar energy system unless the restriction: 1) serves to preserve or protect the public health or safety; 2) does not significantly increase the cost of the system or significantly decrease its efficiency; or 3) allows for an alternative system of comparable cost and efficiency. The bill requires that the parties to a JDA must ensure that the agreement is consistent with rules promulgated by PSC that establish subject matter that a JDA must address, and further requires that the political subdivision must base its decision regarding the provisions of a JDA on written findings of fact that are supported by the evidence in the record.
Who's behind it
7 representatives are its . All 7 are Republicans.
4 more lawmakers .
See all 11 names Hide the names
Authors (7)
- Elijah Behnke · Republican, Assembly
- Ty Bodden · Republican, Assembly
- Dave Murphy · Republican, Assembly
- Jeff Mursau · Republican, Assembly
- Jerry O'Connor · Republican, Assembly
- Jon Plumer · Republican, Assembly
- Michael Schraa · Republican, Assembly
Signed on in support (4)
- Joan Ballweg · Republican, Senate
- Mary Felzkowski · Republican, Senate
- Howard Marklein · Republican, Senate
- Ellen Schutt · Republican, Assembly
What it would cost
State agencies filed a . Each opens as a PDF from the Legislature.
What happened
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Apr 15, 2024
The session ended, and the bill died with it.
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Feb 9, 2024
1 more representative signed on in support.
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Mar 2, 2023
A state agency sent in its estimate of the cost.
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Feb 20, 2023
Sent to the Assembly Committee on Energy and Utilities.
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Feb 20, 2023
Introduced in the Assembly.
See the official record, word for word Hide the official record
- Feb 20, 2023 · Assembly
Introduced by Representatives Plumer, Mursau, Behnke, Bodden, Murphy, O'Connor and Schraa; cosponsored by Senators Ballweg, Felzkowski and Marklein
- Feb 20, 2023 · Assembly
Read first time and referred to Committee on Energy and Utilities
- Mar 2, 2023 · Assembly
Fiscal estimate received
- Feb 9, 2024 · Assembly
Representative Schutt added as a coauthor
- Apr 15, 2024 · 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.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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
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.
Public hearing
A meeting where anyone can speak to a committee about a bill, or send written comments.
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
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