This past Friday, the Senate Committee on Financial Institutions and Sporting Heritage voted 3-2 in favor of Senate Bills 316 and 685. Senate will move into session this week where the bills will be addressed and voted on. You can read more about the current iterations of the bills here: Senate Bill 316 and Senate Bill 685. There are a couple of particular issues noted within the current form of the proposed bills that have an affect on Friends groups: Issue 1. Grant Match AmendmentKnowles Nelson grants require a 50% match. To help with raising the match amount, most applicants apply for federal, local, or other state grants to help with the match amount. The new KN Bill would only allow for a 30% maximum amount to be raised from other grants. This would severely restrain most Friend's groups, NCO's, and local municipalities from raising enough funds to move forward with any projects. This is taking a vital funding resource into the wrong direction to help volunteers from completing projects, maintenance, naturalist programs, and many other benefits volunteers are willing to provide in lieu of adequate state funding. Issue 2. Updated Grant Amount (But at What Cost?)The total grant amount for Friends groups is increased to $1,000,000 from $500,000. Currently the maximum grant amount per applicant is $20,000. With the increase in amount the maximum should be increased to $40,000. Another suggestion would be to increase the grant percentage from 50% of project cost to 75% of project cost. Expectation for Senate Session Floor Action This Week (Likely Tomorrow)Today is crucial in connecting with your senator, representative, and governor. There are a number of incredible resources at your disposal through the Team Knowles Nelson website. We ask you share these issues with your district legislators, and encourage strong work between senators to ensure Knowles Nelson is reauthorized with adequate funding, proper rules, and remain a vital asset to Wisconsin's conservation efforts. |
