Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

2023 - 2024 LEGISLATURE
                                                                               LRB-2102/1
                                                                                  MPG:cjs
                  2023 ASSEMBLY BILL 449
    September 28, 2023 - Introduced by Representatives NOVAK, KITCHENS, ALLEN,
         ANDRACA, ARMSTRONG, BEHNKE, CONSIDINE, EDMING, GREEN, JACOBSON,
         MURSAU, OLDENBURG, ROZAR, SHANKLAND, SPIROS, TUSLER, TRANEL and BARE,
         cosponsored by Senators QUINN, BALLWEG, JAMES and SPREITZER. Referred to
         Committee on Rural Development.
1   AN ACT to create 20.380 (3) (dm) and 41.567 of the statutes; relating to: rural
2        creative economy grant program and making an appropriation.
                     Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
          This bill creates a grant program administered by the Arts Board in the
    Department of Tourism. The bill requires the Arts Board to award grants on a
    competitive basis to businesses, whether operated for profit or not for profit, local
    governmental agencies, tribal governmental agencies, and business development
    organizations or associations that work to promote creative businesses, products, or
    services in rural areas in Wisconsin, including by fostering any of the following:
          1. Job and business creation and capacity building.
          2. Workforce training and development.
          3. Community and sector planning, development, and engagement.
          4. Products or services with artistic, cultural, creative, or aesthetic qualities.
          Under the bill, such a grant may not exceed $50,000 and must be expended
    solely for the benefit of rural areas. Additionally, the bill prohibits the Arts Board
    from awarding a grant unless the grant recipient matches the amount of the grant
    with moneys raised from nonstate sources.
          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:
     2023 - 2024 Legislature                 -2-                                   LRB-2102/1
                                                                                     MPG:cjs
      ASSEMBLY BILL 449                                                            SECTION 1
 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   20.380 Tourism, department of
 4   (3)   SUPPORT OF ARTS PROJECTS
 5    (dm) Rural creative economy grant
 6           program                               GPR       C        500,000        500,000
 7         SECTION 2. 20.380 (3) (dm) of the statutes is created to read:
 8         20.380 (3) (dm) Rural creative economy grant program. As a continuing
 9   appropriation, the amounts in the schedule for rural creative economy development
10   grants under s. 41.567.
11         SECTION 3. 41.567 of the statutes is created to read:
12         41.567 Rural creative economy grant program. (1) In this section:
13         (a) “Creative business, product, or service” means a business, product, or
14   service having an artistic, cultural, creative, or aesthetic value.
15         (b) “Rural area" means any of the following:
16         1. A city, town, or village in this state that has a population of less than 20,000.
17         2. An area in this state that is not an urbanized area, as defined by the federal
18   bureau of the census.
19         3. A county in this state that has a population of less than 25,000.
20         (2) (a) From the appropriation under s. 20.380 (3) (dm), the board shall award
21   rural creative economy development grants on a competitive basis to businesses,
22   whether operated for profit or not for profit, municipal and county governmental
23   agencies, tribal governmental agencies, and business development organizations or
                                                                                LRB-2102/1
     2023 - 2024 Legislature              -3-                                      MPG:cjs
     ASSEMBLY BILL 449                                                          SECTION 3
 1   associations that work to promote and assist creative businesses, products, or
 2   services in rural areas in this state, including by fostering any of the following:
 3        1. Job and business creation and capacity building.
 4        2. Workforce training and development.
 5        3. Community and sector planning, development, and engagement.
 6        4. Products or services with artistic, cultural, creative, or aesthetic qualities.
 7        (b) A grant awarded under par. (a) may not exceed $50,000 and shall be
 8   expended solely for the benefit of rural areas in this state.
 9        (3) The board may not award a grant under sub. (2) unless the business,
10   governmental agency, or business development organization or association has
11   secured from nonstate sources an amount equal to the amount of the proposed grant.
12        SECTION 4.0Nonstatutory provision.
13        (1) EFFECTIVENESS REPORT. The arts board shall develop a matrix to evaluate
14   the effectiveness of rural creative economy development grants awarded under s.
15   41.567 and shall submit a report on the effectiveness of the rural creative economy
16   development grants, as determined using the matrix developed under this
17   subsection, to the joint committee on finance no later than May 1, 2025.
18                                        (END)