Bill by Wisconsin Democrats Revives State’s Land Purchase Program
Republicans didn't reauthorize bipartisan Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program.
Aerial view of the Plum Creek Conservation Area. Photo courtesy of Carol Abrahamzon
Wisconsin Democratic lawmakers are introducing a bill to reauthorize the state’s land purchase program at $72 million annually over the next six years and create a board to oversee spending on conservation projects.
State Sen. Jodi Habush Sinykin, D-Whitefish Bay, and Rep. Vincent Miresse, D-Stevens Point, announced the measure Tuesday at a press conference in Madison. The proposal comes as funding for the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program is set to expire next year. It’s currently funded at $33.25 million annually.
Republican lawmakers did not reauthorize the program that preserves public lands and expands outdoor recreational opportunities in the current two-year state budget, which was signed into law by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in early July. Republican leaders have said the program is in jeopardy after they lost a legal battle with Evers over blocked funding for conservation projects.
Even so, GOP lawmakers have put forth a bill to continue the program.
Habush Sinykin said that while well-intentioned, the GOP proposal is “unworkable” because it would require legislative approval for land purchases to move forward. Instead, Democrats are proposing to create a 17-member board that would advise the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources on spending stewardship funds.
That board would “provide the oversight needed, but in a timely, transparent way and without the time-consuming and oftentimes partisan gridlock of the Legislature,” Habush Sinykin said.
In June, Rep. Tony Kurtz, R-Wonewoc, and Sen. Patrick Testin, R-Stevens Point, put forth legislation to reauthorize the stewardship program at reduced funding levels of $28.25 million annually. The GOP proposal would create a new program for major land purchases that would require legislative approval for projects exceeding more than $1 million.
Wisconsin GOP lawmakers float bill to reauthorize the stewardship program
In a statement, a spokesperson for Kurtz said lawmakers have always intended to find a bipartisan path forward to ensure the program’s future.
“We haven’t reviewed their proposal yet, but look forward to continued discussions on this important issue this fall,” the spokesperson said.
The Democratic proposal would increase to $17.2 million annually the amount that can be set aside for land purchases, as well as boost the amount for property development and local assistance to $45 million each year. It would also increase aid for recreational boat facilities, set aside money to purchase lands for recreational vehicle trails and eliminate restrictions on DNR land acquisitions.
Regarding spending oversight, the proposed board would include representatives from the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly, DNR, environmental organizations, hunting and fishing groups, Wisconsin tribes and the public.
The board would have the ability to approve or deny projects exceeding $2.5 million, and proposals would be automatically approved if the board doesn’t meet within 120 days. Members would serve staggered three-year terms. The governor would nominate board members, who would not be subject to Senate confirmation.
“Spending taxpayer dollars is the job of the elected state Legislature, not a bunch of political hacks that are hand-picked by the governor,” Assembly Speaker Robin Vos said in a statement. “I can’t understand why elected Democrats would try to shift power from the people to unelected bureaucrats.”
The proposal to limit the Senate’s authority to vet the governor’s nominees comes as Republicans have rejected 21 Evers appointees. There are 250 appointees who are awaiting Senate confirmation, according to the Legislative Reference Bureau.
At the same time, GOP lawmakers on the Legislature’s finance committee have blocked funding for dozens of conservation projects through legislative vetoes. In 2023, Evers sued GOP leaders, arguing that legislative committees were improperly withholding or blocking funds. Last year, the Wisconsin Supreme Court ruled in Evers’ favor that lawmakers overstepped their authority.
GOP committee overstepped authority by blocking governor, state Supreme Court finds
A statewide poll commissioned by The Nature Conservancy found 93 percent of roughly 500 voters back public funding for land conservation. Miresse called the bill a “commonsense” approach, hoping both parties would work together to reauthorize the program.
“Our state’s conservation ethic runs deep, stretching back for generations and has always been a bipartisan priority,” Miresse said. “No program reflects our shared Wisconsin values more than the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship fund.”
While the program has enjoyed bipartisan support, Republican lawmakers have expressed concerns that it adds to the state’s debt and takes private lands off the tax rolls in areas of northern Wisconsin that already have a lot of public land.
In 1989, the Legislature created the stewardship program under Republican Gov. Tommy Thompson. It was later renamed after Wisconsin governors Warren Knowles and Gaylord Nelson.
The DNR has spent $720 million through a mix of stewardship funds and other sources to purchase more than 724,000 acres under the program since 1990, according to the Legislative Fiscal Bureau. The DNR is authorized to borrow $1.17 billion under the program.
All Senate and Assembly Democrats are backing the measure. Democrats are seeking cosponsors by Sept. 9.
Wisconsin Democrats put forth bill to reauthorize state’s land purchase program was originally published by Wisconsin Public Radio.
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