2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
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2023 SENATE BILL 218
April 14, 2023 - Introduced by Senators MARKLEIN, FELZKOWSKI, JAMES, QUINN,
SMITH and SPREITZER, cosponsored by Representatives KURTZ, ARMSTRONG,
BINSFELD, BRANDTJEN, DUCHOW, EDMING, GREEN, GUNDRUM, MOSES, MURSAU,
NEDWESKI, NOVAK, PALMERI, PETRYK, RETTINGER, SPIROS and SWEARINGEN.
Referred to Committee on Transportation and Local Government.
1 AN ACT to create 323.29 (2) (g) and 323.29 (5) of the statutes; relating to:
2 creating a grant program for public safety interoperable communication system
3 upgrades.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
Under current law, the Department of Military Affairs is responsible for
administering and overseeing the operation of the current, and a future, statewide
public safety interoperable communication system, which is a radio system that may
be used for emergency communication by public safety agencies, public works and
transportation agencies, hospitals, and volunteer emergency services agencies.
This bill creates a grant program to be administered by DMA which will provide
grants to local units of government that use the statewide public safety interoperable
communication system for system upgrades.
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:
4 SECTION 1. 323.29 (2) (g) of the statutes is created to read:
5 323.29 (2) (g) Advise the department on appropriate purposes and eligibility
6 criteria for grants under sub. (5).
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SENATE BILL 218 SECTION 2
1 SECTION 2. 323.29 (5) of the statutes is created to read:
2 323.29 (5) GRANT PROGRAM FOR PUBLIC SAFETY INTEROPERABLE COMMUNICATION
3 SYSTEM UPGRADES. (a) The department shall award grants to local units of
4 government that have participating agencies and entities identified under sub. (2)
5 (a), using the criteria under par (b) 2.
6 (b) The department shall establish guidelines for grants under par. (a) that are
7 based on the recommendations of the council under sub. (2) (g). Notwithstanding s.
8 227.10 (1), guidelines under this paragraph need not be promulgated as rules under
9 ch. 227 and shall specify all of the following:
10 1. Appropriate purposes for the grants, which shall relate to public safety
11 interoperable communication system upgrades.
12 2. Eligibility criteria for the grants, which shall include, at a minimum, all of
13 the following:
14 a. A requirement that a local unit of government's governing body submit a
15 resolution or other written commitment indicating the local unit of government's
16 intention to spend, of its own funds, an amount equal to 20 percent of the total grant
17 awarded under par. (a) on the public safety interoperable communication system
18 upgrades.
19 b. A requirement that a local unit of government's governing body submit a
20 resolution or other written commitment indicating its intention to join the
21 replacement statewide public safety interoperable communication system required
22 under 2021 Wisconsin Act 58, section 9131 (1) (c), when that system becomes
23 available.
24 c. Authorized uses for the grant funding.
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SENATE BILL 218 SECTION 2
1 (c) Beginning on the effective date of this paragraph .... [LRB inserts date], and
2 for 4 years thereafter, the department shall award 70 percent of the grants under par.
3 (a) to local units of government whose agencies or entities identified under sub. (2)
4 (a) are daily users of the statewide public safety interoperable communication
5 system.
6 (d) Grants under par. (a) may be prioritized to correlate the timing of the receipt
7 of grant funding with the timing of infrastructure for the replacement statewide
8 public safety interoperable communication system required under 2021 Wisconsin
9 Act 58, section 9131 (1) (c), becoming available in the geographic area of the grant
10 recipient.
11 (END)