Legislative Alerts
Legislative Update 1/2024
RB-4336/1 - “Urban Towns, Mandatory Connection” Bill Update
Josh Clements, AICP, APA-WI Legislative Committee Member and VP of Professional Development, testified on behalf of APA-WI at the Senate Committee meeting on January 10, 2024 at the Wisconsin State Capitol.
Josh delivered a testimony on behalf of planners in the interest of preserving critical and necessary tools for multi-jurisdictional growth management and coordination, rational planning, and efficient growth. See this link for the testimony document.
We joined the League of Wisconsin Municipalities, multiple cities, and development trade organizations in presenting our concerns with the legislation. The groups that have registered on the bill: https://lobbying.wi.gov/What/BillInformation/2023REG/Information/23421.
Josh Clements testified on behalf of APA-WI at the Senate Committee meeting.
Legislative Update 10/24/2023
Proposed "Urban Towns" Bill
APA-WI recently shared a response opposing the recently proposed "Urban Towns" Bill, LRB-4336/1. According to an email from Senator LeMahieu on October 19, 2023, the bill has not been formally introduced in the Senate.
For more information, see the links below:
To find your state legislators, Senator and Representative, go to the legislative website and type in your address.
Workforce Housing Acts Update
Dan O’Callaghan of Carlson Black provided a legislative update at the recent WI-APA Conference in Milwaukee with focus on the 2023 - Workforce Housing Acts. See the presentation for details.
Case Law Updates
June - October 2023 Case Law Updates will be shared in November.
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On July 5, Governor Evers signed the biennial 2023-25 State Budget into Law
This budget provides historic increases in shared revenue funding, housing, PFAS, and more. We wanted to highlight the issues that are especially important for planners, as recently summarized by the WI League of Municipalities:
Shared Revenue
The state budget provides the funding for the provisions of the Shared Revenue Bill, signed into law as Act 12. Specifically, the budget transfers an ongoing 20% of sales and use taxes (a penny of the sales tax) to the newly created local government fund. The budget also funds the $300 million for the Innovation Fund, and the $3 million for innovation planning grants.
Housing
The Legislature passed a package of Housing Bills that will provide workforce and senior housing across the state, and the Joint Finance Committee then provided $525 million in the state budget to fund the Housing Bills. The budget provides $50 million in one-time funds to the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority (WHEDA) to support a housing rehabilitation program to low- to moderate-income households to renovate or repair their current home and address hazards like lead and mold. It invests $275 million in one-time funds for the newly created Residential Housing Infrastructure Revolving Loan Fund at WHEDA to support the creation of new affordable and senior housing. It provides $100 million in one-time dollars to fund the newly created Main Street Housing Rehabilitation Revolving Loan Fund at WHEDA to improve rental workforce housing on the second or third floor of existing buildings. It also allocates $100 million in one-time funding for the newly created Commercial-to Housing Conversion Revolving Loan Fund at WHEDA for the conversion of vacant commercial buildings to new residential developments of workforce or senior housing.
Transportation
The state budget includes many transportation provisions, including a one-time GPR transfer of $555 million to the transportation fund, a 2% increase in general transportation aids in each year of the biennium, a 25% increase in connecting highway funding, a one-time, $100 million increase in the Local Roads Improvement Program, $150 million in the newly-created Local Roads Improvement Program-Agriculture (ARIP), a 2% increase in mass transit operating aid, increases in State Highway management and operations, and funding for the Local Bridge Improvement Program.
Thank you to the APA-WI Policy Committee and our collaborators with the WI League of Municipalities.
Recent bills signed into law:
Shared Revenue
Shared Revenue Bill, signed into law as Act 12, transferring an ongoing 20% of sales and use taxes (a penny of the sales tax) to the newly created local government fund.
Informational Paper #22 by Wisconsin Legislative Fiscal Bureau.
Housing
Governor Evers signed five bills into law establishing loan programs for builders and landlords and making it easier for developers to get permits for new residences.
- 2023 AB 264 residential housing infrastructure revolving loan fund and revolving loan program.
- 2023 AB 268 commercial-to-housing conversion revolving loan fund and loan program.
- 2023 AB 265 a main street housing rehabilitation revolving loan fund and loan program.
- 2023 AB 267 housing rehabilitation loans awarded by the Wisconsin Housing and Economic Development Authority.
- 2023 AB 266 judicial review of local governmental decisions related to certain land development, local approval of residential housing development, and amendment of zoning ordinances.