13 Educational Communications Board

14 Elections Board

15 Employe Trust Funds

16 Employment Relations Commission

17 Employment Relations Department

18 Ethics Board

19 Financial Institutions

20 Gaming Board

21 Governor

22 Health and Educational Facilities Authority

23 Health and Family Services

24 Historical Society

25 Housing and Economic Development Authority

---

26 Industry, Labor and Job Development

27 Insurance

28 Investment Board

29 Joint Committee on Finance

30 Judicial Commission

31 Justice

32 Legislature

33 Lieutenant Governor

34 Lower Wisconsin State Riverway Board

35 Medical College of Wisconsin

36 Military Affairs

37 Natural Resources

38 Personnel Commission

39 Public Defender Board

40 Public Instruction

41 Public Service Commission

42 Regulation and Licensing

43 Revenue

44 Secretary of State

45 State Fair Park Board

46 Supreme Court

47 Technical College System

48 Tourism

49 Transportation

50 Treasurer

51 University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Authority

52 University of Wisconsin Hospitals and Clinics Board

53 University of Wisconsin System

54 Veterans Affairs

55 World Dairy Center Authority

56 Other

— — — — — —  — — — — — —  — — — — — 

Currently, under the agricultural chemical cleanup program, this state
reimburses certain persons for a portion of the costs incurred in cleaning up
discharges of agricultural chemicals. The reimbursement is generally equal to 75%
of the costs that exceed $7,500 for a person required to have a license related to
fertilizer or pesticides, or that exceed $3,000 for any other person, but that do not
exceed $100,000. If the cleanup requires groundwater remediation, the person also
receives 80% of the costs that exceed $100,000 but that do not exceed $300,000.

This bill increases the amount of reimbursement provided under this program.
Under the bill, the reimbursement is generally equal to: 1) 80% of the costs that
exceed $7,500 for a person who is required to have a license related to fertilizer or
pesticides, a person with more than 25 employes or a person with annual sales of

---

more than $2,500,000; or 2) 80% of the costs that exceed $3,000 for any other person,
but that do not exceed $400,000.

The bill divides various existing fees related to pesticides, fertilizer and soil and
plant additives into fees and surcharges. The surcharges are used to fund the
agricultural chemical cleanup program. The bill suspends the surcharges for 2
years. The bill also modifies some of the fees.

This bill authorizes the department of agriculture, trade and consumer
protection (DATCP) to seek the reform of federal milk marketing orders and other
dairy pricing policies for the benefit of Wisconsin dairy farmers and to assist
organizations for the same purpose.

Current law authorizes DATCP to make grants to encourage the use of
sustainable agriculture if the legislative standing committees on agriculture
approve DATCP's proposal for a funding source for those grants. This bill eliminates
the requirement that the committees approve DATCP's proposal for a funding source
and authorizes sustainable agriculture grants to be funded from the general fund.

Under current law, the public service commission (PSC) and DATCP
administer a program to assist farmers with problems caused by stray voltage. The
stray voltage program is funded by fees charged to farmers and an assessment on
electric utilities that is collected by the PSC. This bill, in addition, requires DATCP
to impose a fee on rural electric cooperatives to pay a portion of the costs of the stray
voltage program.

Under current law, housing that is ready for occupancy after September 30,
1993, consisting of 3 or more dwelling units (covered multifamily housing) is
required to be accessible to persons with disabilities. This bill raises to 4 the number
of dwelling units that multifamily housing must have to be subject to the accessibility
laws.

Under current law, no person may design or construct covered multifamily
housing unless that housing has at least one entrance for each building that is
accessible to persons with disabilities. Current law also requires all other entrances
at grade level to be accessible to the greatest extent feasible. This bill eliminates the
requirement that all other entrances at grade level be accessible to the greatest
extent feasible.

Under current law, a renter may request, at no cost to the renter, that lever door
handles be installed on all doors and single lever controls be installed on all plumbing
fixtures used by the renter. This bill shifts the expense of installing those door
handles and controls to the renter if the expense does not exceed market rates.

Current law requires the department of commerce to establish minimum
accessibility requirements for multilevel covered multifamily housing without

---

elevators (townhouses). This bill eliminates townhouses from the coverage of the
accessibility laws.

Under current law, plans and specifications for a proposed, covered multifamily
housing project or for a remodeling project must be submitted to the department for
approval prior to commencing work on the project. Currently, the department may
grant a variance from the exterior accessibility requirements if meeting those
requirements would be impractical because of the terrain or unusual characteristics
of the site. Current law requires the department, in granting a variance, to have a
minimum goal of exterior accessibility of 50% of the dwelling units of covered
multifamily housing at one site. This bill lowers to 20% the minimum goal of exterior
accessibility of dwelling units of covered multifamily housing when granting a
variance.

Current law applies accessibility requirements to covered multifamily housing
that is being remodeled, regardless of when the housing was first intended for
occupancy, based on the percentage of interior square footage that is being remodeled
and the type of alterations being made. This bill eliminates the percentage
requirements and requires instead that, when covered multifamily housing is
remodeled, that part of the housing that is to be remodeled must be made accessible.
The bill also requires the path of travel to the remodeled area and the toilet rooms,
telephones and drinking water serving the remodeled area to be made accessible,
unless the cost of remodeling the path of travel exceeds 20% of the cost of the entire
remodeling project.

This bill requires financial institutions doing business in this state to
participate in a financial record matching program. Under this program, a financial
institution is required to match information about delinquent child support obligors,
provided by the department of industry, labor and job development (DILJD), with
financial records of the financial institution. The matching requirement also applies
to family support and court-ordered payment of past support and medical or birth
expenses. The financial institution is required to identify any accounts of delinquent
obligors and to notify DILJD of the obligor's account number and the balance in the
account at the time that the record match is made. The bill provides that a financial
institution is not liable to any person for disclosing financial records to a child
support agency attempting to establish, modify or enforce a support obligation, or for
disclosures of account information, seizures of assets or other actions taken in good
faith in participating in the financial record matching program. (See also Health
and human services, support, paternity and other family matters.)

Currently, under the petroleum storage remedial action program (commonly
known as PECFA) owners are reimbursed for a portion of the cleanup costs of
discharges from petroleum storage systems. Current law also directs the
department of commerce to inspect petroleum products brought into this state to
ensure that the products meet minimum product grade specifications. The
department of revenue (DOR) imposes and collects a petroleum inspection fee for

---

these inspections, and the revenue from the petroleum inspection fees funds several
programs, including PECFA.

This bill provides that any person who purchases in this state aviation fuel on
which the petroleum inspection fee has been imposed is eligible for an allowance of
2 cents for each gallon of aviation fuel purchased in excess of 1,000,000 gallons per
month. The allowance is obtained by filing a claim with DOR. A person who
purchases aviation fuel for resale is not eligible for the allowance.

Under current law, a person who sells liquefied petroleum gas (LP gas) using
a meter that measures the gas in liquid form must comply with certain requirements
to ensure the accuracy of the measurements done by the meter and the price charged
the purchaser.

Under this bill, a person using this type of meter to sell or deliver LP gas must
have the meter inspected at least annually by an independent meter testing
company. Under the bill, the company must file a report with the department of
agriculture, trade and consumer protection (DATCP) on the condition of the meter,
and must pay a fee to DATCP for each meter for which a report is filed.

The bill also authorizes DATCP to inspect these meters. Under the bill, a seller
must pay a fee to DATCP if the amount of LP gas delivered is less than the amount
measured by the meter or if the meter has not been inspected within the last year.

The bill also raises the fees for licenses for commercial scales that weigh
vehicles and for licenses for persons who install, test or service weights and
measures.

Current law restricts the transmittal of unsolicited documents by facsimile
machine. These restrictions prohibit the transmittal of unsolicited documents that
are more than one page and the transmittal of unsolicited documents to persons with
whom the person sending the documents has not had a prior business relationship.
The current definition of "facsimile machine" under this law includes specified types
of transmitting media used to transmit copies of documents. These media include
telephone lines, microwaves, satellites and cellular radio transmittal. This bill
expands the definition of "facsimile machine" to include a machine that uses any type
of radio transmittal.

Under current law, the public service commission (PSC) may require a party to
certain hearings to pay the cost of producing a transcript. In all other hearings and
investigations for which a transcript is produced, the PSC must provide free copies
of transcripts upon request. In addition, the PSC may charge a reasonable price for
a copy of an audiotape or videotape that is received into evidence. Under this bill,
the PSC may require any party to any hearing or investigation to pay the cost of
producing a transcript, audiotape or videotape. In addition, the PSC may charge a
reasonable price for a copy of a transcript that is requested.

This bill changes the name of the division of savings and loan in the department
of financial institutions (DFI) to the division of savings institutions.

---

Under current law, some of the mining tax revenue which the state collects is
deposited in the badger fund and the rest is deposited in the investment and local
impact fund, which is used to benefit communities affected by mining. The interest
on the badger fund may be expended for school aids and certain recreational
purposes. The badger board administers the fund. However, on June 30, 1997, the
balance in the badger fund lapses to the general fund. This bill discontinues the
badger fund and the badger board and provides that all mining tax revenue is
deposited in the investment and local impact fund.

This bill creates a mining economic development grant and loan program.
Under the program, the department of commerce may award a grant or loan to a
business, community-based organization, local development corporation, city,
village, town or county located in an area affected by mining for various specified
purposes, such as start-up or expansion costs, developing an economic
diversification plan, conducting a local economic development project or establishing
a revolving loan fund to finance businesses that will create long-term employment
opportunities. An area affected by mining is defined as an area in which public and
private infrastructure are or were provided to support mining activity, public funds
are or were expended for costs associated with mining activity, construction of a mine
has begun and economic diversification is necessary to reduce dependence on mining
activity. The bill specifies factors that must be considered in awarding the grants and
loans and places limits on the amounts that may be awarded for each type of project.
The program is funded from the investment and local impact fund.

This bill authorizes the department of commerce to award a grant to a person
for the redevelopment of brownfields and associated environmental remediation
activities. The bill defines brownfields as abandoned, idle or underused industrial
or commercial facilities or sites that are adversely affected for expansion or
redevelopment because of actual or perceived environmental contamination. The
party actually responsible for the environmental contamination must be unknown
or unable to be located, and a person receiving a grant must make a cash or in-kind
contribution to the project. The bill sets out criteria for the department to use in
making grants, and the relative weight that the department must give to each of the
criteria. Before the department awards a grant, however, it must consider the
recommendations of the department of administration (DOA) and the department
of natural resources (DNR). The department is required to award at least 7 grants
for projects that are located in municipalities with a population of less than 30,000.
A total of $20,000,000 in grants may be awarded. The maximum amount that may
be awarded for a grant is $5,000,000. The grants are funded from the recycling fund.

The bill also requires the department of commerce, DOA and DNR to enter into
a memorandum of understanding addressing various issues related to the
responsibilities of the 3 departments with respect to brownfields redevelopment
programs, including a conflict resolution mechanism.