2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
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2023 ASSEMBLY BILL 26
February 10, 2023 - Introduced by Representatives KURTZ, SINICKI, ZIMMERMAN,
WITTKE, TUSLER, TITTL, SUBECK, STUBBS, SPIROS, SHANKLAND, ROZAR, RIEMER,
RATCLIFF, PETRYK, PETERSEN, ORTIZ-VELEZ, OHNSTAD, NOVAK, MURSAU, KNODL,
KITCHENS, JOERS, HAYWOOD, GUSTAFSON, EMERSON, EDMING, DONOVAN,
CONSIDINE, CONLEY, CABRERA, BRANDTJEN, BILLINGS, BALDEH, ARMSTRONG,
ANDRACA, C. ANDERSON and JACOBSON, cosponsored by Senators COWLES,
HESSELBEIN, WIRCH, WANGGAARD, TAYLOR, STAFSHOLT, SPREITZER, PFAFF,
LARSON, JAMES, FEYEN and CARPENTER. Referred to Committee on Veterans
and Military Affairs.
1 AN ACT to create 20.855 (4) (bg) of the statutes; relating to: the University of
2 Wisconsin Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project and making
3 an appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under this bill, the University of Wisconsin Missing-in-Action Recovery and
Identification Project (MIA Recovery Project) may request the Joint Committee on
Finance to provide $180,000 in each fiscal year of the 2023-25 fiscal biennium for
missions to recover and identify Wisconsin veterans who are missing in action. The
request must include a research prospectus and spending plan for the mission for
which the funding is requested and must be concurrently provided to the standing
committees of each house of the legislature dealing with veterans matters (veterans
committees), as well as the governor, the Department of Veterans Affairs, and the
Department of Military Affairs. The veterans committees may submit to JCF a
written recommendation regarding the request. JCF considers the request under a
14-day passive review process and, upon JCF's express or implied approval of the
request, JCF must provide the requested amount of funding directed to the MIA
Recovery Project Fund. If JCF provides funding, by June 30, 2025, the MIA Recovery
Project must submit to JCF, each veterans committee, the governor, DVA, and DMA
a report on the mission's findings and accounting of expenditures, including specified
information. The bill also creates a miscellaneous appropriation of general purpose
revenue through which JCF provides the funding.
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ASSEMBLY BILL 26
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as
an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do
enact as follows:
1 SECTION 1. 20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place, insert
2 the following amounts for the purposes indicated:
2023-24 2024-25
3 20.855 Miscellaneous Appropriations
4 (4) TAX, ASSISTANCE AND TRANSFER PAYMENTS
5 (bg) Missing-in-Action Recovery
6 Project GPR C 180,000 180,000
7 SECTION 2. 20.855 (4) (bg) of the statutes is created to read:
8 20.855 (4) (bg) Missing-in-Action Recovery Project. As a continuing
9 appropriation, the amounts in the schedule for the joint committee on finance to
10 provide the funding under 2023 Wisconsin Act .... (this act), section 3 (1).
11 SECTION 3.0Nonstatutory provisions.
12 (1) FUNDING FOR THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN MISSING-IN-ACTION RECOVERY
13 AND IDENTIFICATION PROJECT.
14 (a) In this subsection, “MIA Recovery Project” means the University of
15 Wisconsin Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project.
16 (b) The MIA Recovery Project, acting through a designated representative, may
17 submit to the joint committee on finance a request for funding in fiscal year 2023-24
18 in the amount of $180,000 and for funding in fiscal year 2024-25 in the amount of
19 $180,000 for the MIA Recovery Project to perform a mission for the recovery and
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ASSEMBLY BILL 26 SECTION 3
1 identification of Wisconsin veterans who are missing in action. Any request
2 submitted under this paragraph shall include a research prospectus and spending
3 plan for the mission for which the funding is requested, with a copy of the request,
4 the prospectus, and the spending plan concurrently provided to the standing
5 committees of each house of the legislature dealing with veterans matters, the
6 governor, the department of veterans affairs, and the department of military affairs.
7 (c) After receiving the request, prospectus, and spending plan specified in par.
8 (b), the standing committees of each house of the legislature dealing with veterans
9 matters may, within 7 working days of receiving the request, submit to the joint
10 committee on finance a written recommendation regarding the request.
11 (d) If, within 14 working days after receiving the request under par. (b), the
12 cochairpersons of the joint committee on finance do not notify the MIA Recovery
13 Project representative that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the purpose
14 of reviewing the request, the request is considered approved. If, within 14 working
15 days after the date of the request, the cochairpersons of the committee notify the MIA
16 Recovery Project representative that the committee has scheduled a meeting for the
17 purpose of reviewing the request, the request is approved only upon express approval
18 of the committee.
19 (e) Upon approval of the request under par. (d), the joint committee on finance
20 shall provide funding in the requested amount, from the appropriation account
21 under s. 20.855 (4) (bg), directed to the University of Wisconsin Missing-in-Action
22 Recovery and Identification Project Fund.
23 (f) If the joint committee on finance approves a request under par. (d), the MIA
24 Recovery Project, acting through its representative, shall submit, by June 30, 2025,
25 for which funds provided under par. (e) were expended, to the joint committee on
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ASSEMBLY BILL 26 SECTION 3
1 finance, the standing committees of each house of the legislature dealing with
2 veterans matters, the governor, the department of veterans affairs, and the
3 department of military affairs, a report on the mission's findings and an accounting
4 of expenditures, including all of the following:
5 1. A detailed budget breakdown showing how all funding provided under par.
6 (e) was spent.
7 2. A statement of the number of cases identified.
8 3. A description of all cases during the time frame funds were received,
9 including current progress and future planned actions such as letters to the family
10 or missions abroad.
11 4. A calculation of the cost to continue with additional missions, identifying the
12 data and methodology used to make the calculation.
13 5. Identification of the amount and source of all funds raised for the cases that
14 were in addition to the funding provided under par. (e).
15 6. A detailed description of the involvement of the federal department of
16 defense in the mission, along with information identifying all other missions or cases
17 on which the MIA Recovery Project has worked with the federal department of
18 defense in the past and all missions or cases on which the MIA Recovery Project
19 expects to work with the federal department of defense in fiscal years 2025-26 and
20 2026-27, including what arrangements the MIA Recovery Project has made with the
21 federal department of defense to continue with future missions.
22 7. A detailed description of the role of University of Wisconsin System students
23 in the mission or in connection with the mission, including how students were
24 utilized to accomplish the objectives of the mission, whether involved students were
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ASSEMBLY BILL 26 SECTION 3
1 paid or received academic credit or neither, and whether the MIA Recovery Project
2 provided any classroom instruction or coursework to involved students.
3 SECTION 4.0Effective date.
4 (1) This act takes effect on the day after publication, or on the 2nd day after
5 publication of the 2023 biennial budget act, whichever is later.
6 (END)