In the Senate, SB 434 passed out of committee last week (2/5/2016) and was approved by the Joint Finance Committee on Thursday. It now is awaiting scheduling for a full Senate vote.
The Assembly companion bill, AB 561, moved out of the Environment and Forestry Committee but the bill passed by only a 7 to 6 vote. Although Representative Jeff Mursau, Chair of the Assembly’s Environment and Forestry Committee, has worked hard to develop and shepherd the bill, it’s unclear at this point if there are enough votes in the Assembly to pass this bill.
What we’ve learned is that very few legislators understand what the MFL is all about, much less why it’s important that changes be made to keep it relevant given other competing land uses. Their concerns can be alleviated but it requires taking some time to explain the complexity of the program to them.
WAFO urges all private woodland owners to call their state representatives. Ask them to support the bills. If they have any questions you can’t answer, let us know so that we can schedule a meeting with them to discuss their concerns.
To find your legislators go to http://maps.legis.wisconsin.gov/
HERE ARE LINKS THAT PROVIDE DETAILED INFORMATION ON THE STATUS OF THE BILLS
Proposal: AB561 (-3980) View Bill History
relating to: taxes on managed forest lands, eligibility for the managed forest land program, management plans for managed forest land, sale or transfer of managed forest land, productivity of managed forest land, closed managed forest land, forest production areas, natural heritage inventory, wildlife action plans, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, and granting rule-making authority.
- 2/3/2016: Environment and Forestry Revised an Executive Session
Proposal: SB434 (-3256) View Bill History
relating to: taxes on managed forest lands, eligibility for the managed forest land program, management plans for managed forest land, sale or transfer of managed forest land, productivity of managed forest land, closed managed forest land, forest production areas, natural heritage inventory, wildlife action plans, providing an exemption from emergency rule procedures, and granting rule-making authority.
- 2/3/2016: Finance Scheduled an Executive Session
Fiscal Bureau Paper on MFL (and related programs) Bill: