DATCPDepartment of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection

DETFDepartment of Employee Trust Funds

DFIDepartment of Financial Institutions

DHFSDepartment of Health and Family Services

DMADepartment of Military Affairs

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DNRDepartment of Natural Resources

DOADepartment of Administration

DOCDepartment of Corrections

DOJDepartment of Justice

DORDepartment of Revenue

DOTDepartment of Transportation

DPIDepartment of Public Instruction

DRLDepartment of Regulation and Licensing

DVADepartment of Veterans Affairs

DWDDepartment of Workforce Development

JCFJoint Committee on Finance

OCIOffice of the Commissioner of Insurance

PSCPublic Service Commission

UWUniversity of Wisconsin

WHEDAWisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority

WHEFAWisconsin Health and Educational Facilities Authority

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Under current law, DATCP administers the Soil and Water Resource
Management Program, which awards grants to counties for land and water resource
management projects and for the construction of animal waste management
systems. This bill increases the general obligation bonding authority for the Soil and
Water Resource Management Program by $7,000,000.

This bill authorizes DATCP to award grants to increase the use of agricultural
products and wastes as energy sources, to reduce the generation or increase the
beneficial use of agricultural wastes, and to encourage the development of
biochemicals from agricultural products. A grant may not exceed $300,000.

This bill authorizes DATCP to make loans for the development of rural business
enterprises or for rural economic development using federal funds.

Under current law, DATCP generally pays partial reimbursement to owners for
the value of their livestock, including farm-raised deer, that DATCP orders to be
destroyed because of exposure to disease. Under this bill, if DATCP orders an animal
to be destroyed because it is suspected to have a transmissible spongiform
encephalopathy, such as chronic wasting disease, and the owner disposes of the
animal as directed by DATCP, DATCP reimburses the owner also for the costs of
destroying and disposing of the animal.

Current law authorizes the Department of Commerce (department) to award,
from the Wisconsin development fund (WDF): 1) a grant to a person for capitalizing
a revolving loan fund to promote local or regional economic development; 2) a "rapid
response" loan to a person to purchase equipment or purchase, renovate, or construct
a building; 3) a grant to a business group to investigate reorganizing or
reincorporating an existing business as an employee-owned business; 4) a grant to
a small business for preparing a proposal for a federal program; 5) a grant to fund

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the preliminary stages of the expansion or start-up of a business located in an urban
area; and 6) grants to the Wisconsin Procurement Institute to secure federal
government contracts and create jobs.

Current law also authorizes the department, at the request of the Development
Finance Board (board), to award, from the WDF, a grant or loan to any of the
following: 1) a business or consortium for technical research related to technology
development; 2) a business for customized labor training; 3) a major economic
development project (defined as a project that is necessary to retain or create a
significant number of jobs, that will lead to significant capital investment in the
state, or that will make a significant contribution to the state's economy), if the
project is not eligible for technology development or customized labor training grants
or loans; and 4) a business, public entity, or nonprofit organization for researching,
developing, and marketing products and processes related to certain types of
pollution or waste.

This bill eliminates the technology development, customized labor training,
major economic development, and technology and pollution control and abatement
programs, as well as the programs for revolving loan fund capitalization, rapid
response loans, employee ownership assistance, urban area early planning, and the
Wisconsin Procurement Institute. The bill authorizes the department, at the request
of the board, to award a grant or make a loan of WDF funds to an eligible governing
body or person for any of the following: capital financing; worker training;
entrepreneurial development; assisting technology-based businesses or businesses
at a foreign trade show; promoting urban or regional economic development;
establishing revolving loan funds; providing working capital; and promoting
employee ownership.

Under the bill, in deciding whether to award a WDF grant or loan, the board
must consider, among other factors, whether the project serves a public purpose and
whether the project might not occur without the grant or loan. The bill eliminates
certain factors from the board's consideration of whether a project will be located in
a targeted area. The bill requires the department to establish procedures and
conditions for WDF grants and loans, including a matching requirement of at least
25 percent.

This bill requires the department to designate certain areas as extremely
depressed areas and authorizes the department to award a grant for up to five years
to a business that locates in an extremely depressed area (which must be an area
with an unemployment rate equal to or exceeding 150 percent of the statewide
average unemployment rate) if the business will create at least 100 qualifying jobs
in the area. Under the bill, the department may award a grant only if the business
agrees to pay at least 90 percent of the new employees a family-supporting wage and
to make every reasonable effort to fill at least 75 percent of the new jobs with
individuals who reside in the extremely depressed area.

This bill authorizes the department to award a grant to an employer to provide
a job training program for the employer's employees if the employer will create a
significant number of high-paying jobs or will retain a significant number of jobs.
The department may also award a grant to an employer for training employees who

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do not earn a family-supporting wage if the employer agrees to pay a
family-supporting wage to employees who complete the training program and there
is significant potential for additional wage increases. Employers must develop
training programs with a technical college or other training provider, and grant
proceeds may be paid directly to the technical college or other training provider.

This bill appropriates to the Department of Tourism, from the transportation
fund, an amount equal to 40 percent of the fees imposed on certain rental vehicles
to pay for tourism marketing.

Currently, under the Enterprise Development Zone Program, the department
may allocate tax credits to eligible businesses that conduct certain economic
activities in areas designated as enterprise development zones. The department
may not designate more than 79 enterprise development zones unless it obtains the
approval of JCF. This bill eliminates the cap on the number of enterprise
development zones the department may designate without JCF's approval and limits
the total amount of tax benefits allocated under the program to $243,000,000.

Currently, the department may award a gaming economic development grant
to improve the profitability of a business that has been negatively affected by a
casino, a gaming economic diversification grant to diversify the economy of a
community or to remediate brownfields, and a business employees' skills training
grant for training a business's current or prospective employees. Under current law,
the department awards these grants directly to qualified businesses. This bill
authorizes the department to contract with and pay the grant directly to persons who
provide the qualified businesses the assistance for which the grants are made.

This bill prohibits Forward Wisconsin, Inc., from spending $1,000,000 of
appropriated money in the 2006-07 fiscal year unless DOA certifies that Forward
Wisconsin, Inc., has raised $2,000,000 in private donations.

Under current law, the department awards grants to technology-based
nonprofit organizations to support a manufacturing extension center. This bill
transfers administration of this grant program to the Technical College System
Board and prohibits the board from awarding a grant to a technical college district
or to a corporation or foundation created for the benefit of a district.

Under current law, alcohol beverages are generally distributed to consumers
under a three-tier distribution system (manufacturer, wholesaler, and retailer).
DOR issues intoxicating liquor wholesalers' permits authorizing the sale of
intoxicating liquor (wine and distilled spirits) at wholesale from the premises
described in the permit to intoxicating liquor retailers and to other wholesalers.
With limited exceptions, a manufacturer may not hold any direct or indirect interest
in a wholesaler and a manufacturer or wholesaler may not hold any direct or indirect
interest in a retailer.

Under this bill, any intoxicating liquor sold by a wholesaler must be physically
unloaded at the wholesaler's premises prior to being delivered to a retailer or to
another wholesaler, and the wholesaler's premises must be capable of warehousing
intoxicating liquor. Also, a wholesaler must annually sell and deliver intoxicating
liquor to at least ten retailers that do not have any direct or indirect interest in each

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other or in the wholesaler. If a wholesaler violates these requirements, in addition
to the current penalty of a fine or imprisonment or both, a court may order the
forfeiture of profits gained from the violation and the wholesaler's permit revoked.
A retailer that receives a benefit from a wholesaler violation, with knowledge of the
circumstances giving rise to the violation, is subject to similar penalties.

Under current law, DOR may suspend or revoke any alcohol beverages permit
if the permit holder violates any legal requirement. This bill allows DOR to suspend
or revoke wholesalers' permits based upon written allegations, including allegations
of third parties, without a hearing.

Under current law, upon request by the secretary of revenue, the attorney
general may represent this state or assist a district attorney in prosecuting any
alcohol beverages violation, but DOR may not prosecute such violations. This bill
authorizes DOR to represent the state in prosecuting violations of the wholesaler
requirements created by the bill. The bill also allows wholesalers, retailers, and
trade associations to prosecute violations of the wholesaler requirements created by
the bill if DOR fails to timely render a decision on a complaint made to DOR.

Currently, DOA may not allocate more than $3.2 million of federal funds to pay
for assistance to meet weather-related or fuel supply shortage emergencies. This bill
eliminates this restriction.

Under current law, WHEDA maintains a surplus fund, which generally
consists of assets that are not required to pay the cost of issuing bonds or notes, to
make loans, or to honor agreements with bondholders and noteholders. This bill
requires WHEDA to pay $2,500,000 in each fiscal year of the 2005-07 biennium to
the state from this surplus fund.

This bill increases the fees that DFI charges a foreign corporation when the
corporation files its annual report or applies for a certificate of withdrawal (which
withdraws authority for the corporation to transact business in this state).

This bill doubles the maximum fee that the department may charge for licenses
and registrations issued to plumbers, utility contractors, pipelayers, and contractors
installing or maintaining automatic fire sprinklers. The bill also doubles the
maximum term for these licenses and registrations, as well as the term for plumbing
supervisors that the department employs.

Under current law, DOC and DHFS operate the Drug Abuse Correctional
Center Program in Winnebago, which provides substance abuse treatment for prison
inmates transferred there. If DOC determines that an inmate has successfully
completed the program, the inmate is released early to parole or extended
supervision. Inmates convicted of certain violent crimes or certain offenses against
children are not eligible for early release under this program. Inmates who are
sentenced under the "Truth in Sentencing" law are eligible only if the court

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authorizes their participation. This bill authorizes DOC to establish similar
treatment and release programs at any state prison.

Under current law, DOC may lease space within adult or juvenile correctional
institutions to one or two private businesses to employ inmates or residents to
manufacture products or provide services for sale on the open market. The earnings
of an inmate or resident employed under this program must be used for
compensating victims of crimes, supporting the person's dependents, and paying for
room and board, among other things. This bill eliminates DOC's authority to operate
the private business prison employment program.

Current law provides that, with certain exceptions, DOC must charge each
person on probation, parole, or extended supervision a fee to cover some of the costs
of supervising the person. This bill authorizes DOC to charge a person who is
required to register as a sex offender and is on probation, parole, or extended
supervision or otherwise in DOC's custody an annual fee of up to $50. DOC may use
the proceeds of the fee to cover some of its costs of supervising persons on probation,
parole, or extended supervision.

Under current law relating to community youth and family aids, generally
referred to as "youth aids," DOC must allocate various state and federal moneys to
counties to pay for state-provided juvenile correctional services and local
delinquency-related and juvenile justice services. DOC charges counties for the
costs of services provided by DOC according to per person daily cost assessments
specified by law. This bill increases the assessments for care in a juvenile
correctional facility, treatment facility, foster home, or group home, for corrective
sanctions services, and for aftercare services and decreases the assessments for care
in a residential care center for children and youth or treatment foster home.

Current law requires DOC, under the Community Intervention Program, to
distribute $3,750,000 each year to counties for early intervention services for
juvenile first offenders and for intensive community-based intervention services for
seriously chronic juvenile offenders. This bill transfers administration of the
Community Intervention Program to the Office of Justice Assistance in DOA.

In all criminal proceedings, and in a limited number of civil proceedings, a
circuit court must provide an interpreter for an indigent party or witness who has
limited English proficiency. This bill requires the court, in all criminal and civil
proceedings, to provide an interpreter for a party or witness who has limited English
proficiency, regardless of indigence.

This bill creates a $20 child abuse prevention and child mental health
surcharge and requires a court to impose the surcharge on each misdemeanor offense
or count and on each felony offense or count when it imposes a sentence or places a
person on probation. Of the surcharge $6 is used by the Child Abuse and Neglect
Prevention Board for grants to organizations, and $14 is used by DHFS for grants
to certain counties and tribal governing bodies for programs for alcohol and other
drug abuse problems. If an inmate in a state prison or a person sentenced to a state

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prison has not paid the surcharge, DOC must assess the amount owed from the
inmate's wages or other moneys.

Under current law, the clerk of circuit court must charge a justice information
system surcharge of $9 from persons who must pay certain specified fees. Under
current law, two-ninths of the surcharge is used for the development and operation
of automated justice information systems and six-ninths is issued for the operation
of circuit court automated information systems. This bill increases the surcharge to
$12, five-twelfths of which is used for for the development and operation of
automated justice information systems and one-half of which is used for the
operation of circuit court automated information systems. One-twelfth is deposited
into the general fund and is not earmarked for any particular program.

Under current law, if a court imposes a sentence or places a person on probation,
the court must impose a crime victim and witness assistance surcharge. The
surcharge is $50 for each misdemeanor offense or count and $70 for each felony
offense or count. Of the surcharge $30 for each misdemeanor and $50 for each felony
is used to reimburse counties for services to victims and witnesses of crimes. This
bill increases the surcharge to $60 for each misdemeanor and $85 for each felony.
Of the surcharge $40 for each misdemeanor and $65 for each felony is used to
reimburse counties for the services to victims and witnesses of crimes.

Under current law, with some exceptions, if a court imposes a sentence, places
a person on probation, or imposes a forfeiture for a violation of state law or a violation
of a municipal or county ordinance, a court must impose a $7 crime laboratories and
drug law enforcement surcharge. This bill increases the surcharge to $8.

This bill increases the penalty surcharge, which a court imposes whenever it
imposes a fine or forfeiture for most violations of state laws or local ordinances, from
24 percent to 25 percent of the fine or forfeiture imposed. The bill also increases the
percentage of the money collected from this surcharge that is used to train law
enforcement, jail, and secure detention officers and for crime laboratory equipment
from 48 percent to 49.5 percent.

This bill appropriates money to the Office of Justice Assistance in DOA and
directs the office to pay the amounts appropriated to the Wisconsin Trust Account
Foundation, Inc., to be awarded as grants to programs that provide civil legal
services to indigent persons. The Wisconsin Trust Account Foundation, Inc., was
created by the Supreme Court to allocate the money received from interest on
lawyers' trust accounts to programs that provide civil legal services to indigents. The
grants may be used only for assisting Wisconsin Works participants with medical
claims, developing discharge plans for mentally ill inmates, coordinating insurance
benefits for medical assistance recipients, providing ancillary services to juvenile
offenders, obtaining child support, and acting as a guardian ad litem in cases with
the Bureau of Milwaukee Child Welfare.

This bill authorizes DOJ to bring an action for injunctive or other equitable
relief against a person who interferes with the exercise or enjoyment by an individual
of a right secured by the constitution or laws of this state or of the United States.

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Generally, under current law, a county elects its own district attorney, but the
district attorney and deputy and assistant district attorneys are state employees.
DOA provides administrative assistance to district attorney offices. This bill
transfers the administrative assistance duties to DOJ.

Under current law, the term of probation for a person convicted of a single
misdemeanor is six months to two years. Under this bill, if a person is convicted of
a Class A misdemeanor (for which the maximum term of imprisonment is generally
nine months), the initial maximum term of probation is one year. If a person is
convicted of any other type of misdemeanor, the initial maximum term of probation
is six months, and there is no minimum term. Neither of these maximum terms of
probation applies, however, if the person committed the misdemeanor while
possessing a firearm or if the conviction is for an act of domestic abuse, for having
nonconsensual sexual contact with another person, or for a misdemeanor under
chapter 948 of the statutes (which covers certain crimes against children). In such
a case, the initial maximum term of probation is two years.

This bill directs the Sentencing Commission to review sentences imposed on
individuals who are convicted of nonviolent offenses, other than those relating to
operating a vehicle while under the influence of an intoxicant, or with a restricted
controlled substance or a prohibited level of alcohol in his or her blood, and to develop
recommendations for alternative dispositions for these individuals that may be used
by courts at or before sentencing.

Current law allows a school board to enter into a five-year renewable
achievement guarantee (SAGE) contract with DPI to reduce class size and improve
academic achievement in grades kindergarten to three in exchange for receiving
$2,000 for each low-income pupil enrolled in grades eligible for SAGE funding in the
school district. The most recent set of SAGE contracts expires at the end of the
2005-06 school year.

This bill authorizes another set of SAGE contracts, starting in the 2006-07
school year, and increases the $2,000 per pupil payment to $2,250 in the 2005-06
fiscal year and $2,500 in subsequent fiscal years for these new contracts and for
renewals of existing contracts.

Beginning in the 2006-07 fiscal year, this bill authorizes DPI to award grants
to school boards to implement four-year-old kindergarten programs. A school board
is eligible for an initial grant of up to $3,000 for each pupil enrolled in a four-year-old
kindergarten program in the school district and a second grant of up to $1,500 for
each such pupil.

This bill directs DPI to award grants of up to $100,000 to no more than 20 school
districts for the design, development, and implementation of a differentiated
compensation program for teachers in the 2005-07 fiscal biennium. To be eligible for
a grant, a program must base all or part of teacher salary increases on one or more
of the following factors:

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1. An increase in a teacher's knowledge about teaching or about the subjects
he or she teaches or an improvement in a teacher's teaching skills.

2. The assumption by a teacher of additional responsibilities, including
mentoring other teachers.

3. The assignment of a teacher to a grade level or subject area in which there
are teacher shortages.

4. The assignment of a teacher to a school that is difficult to staff or that is low
in pupil performance.

The bill directs DPI to establish a competitive process for awarding grants, to
give preference in awarding grants to school districts in which the teachers, the
community, and the businesses in the community support the grant, and to make
reasonable efforts in awarding grants to reflect the diversity of school districts on
various factors.

Current law limits the amount of revenue that a school district may obtain from
general school aids, computer aid, and the property tax levy. If a school district's
revenue in any school year is less than its revenue limit for that school year, the
revenue limit otherwise applicable in the subsequent school year is increased by an
amount equal to 75 percent of the difference between the revenue limit in the
preceding school year and the school district's actual revenue for that school year.

This bill increases that subsequent revenue limit for such a school district to the
entire difference between the revenue limit in the preceding school year and the
actual revenue for that school year.

Under current law, a school district's revenue limit is based on a three-year
rolling average of its enrollment. This bill sets a school district's revenue limit at the
amount calculated using a three-year or five-year rolling average of its enrollment,
whichever yields the higher amount.

Currently, a school district with per pupil revenue below $7,800 in any school
year is exempt from school district revenue limits. This bill raises the amount to
$8,100 in the 2005-06 school year and to $8,400 in subsequent school years.