December WPRA Legislative Update
  • Wisconsin’s Legislative Session. The Wisconsin legislature will not be back on the floor to vote on the legislation until January 2024. Both houses are expected to be on the floor in January and February – however it is still not clear if they will convene into March.
  • Raising the Bidding Threshold. On December 14, the Assembly Committee on Local Government held a public hearing on AB 723 – which would raise the threshold to $50,000. WPRA, along with the League of Municipalities and the Wisconsin Counties Association are all in favor of this legislation. Numerous school organizations registered against the bill, as it also includes a provision to require school districts to also utilize competitive bidding. In addition, numerous labor groups registered against the bill. It is unclear if this bill will advance through both houses at this point with this amount of pushback.
  • EV Charging Bill Gets Hearing. Next week, on December 19, the Senate Utilities committee will hear SB 791 – which would allow the state to receive roughly $78 million in federal funds for EV charging infrastructure.  Under current law, businesses that want to operate EV charging stations must be regulated as a utility. SB 791 provide private businesses an exemption from the rule and require that they sell electricity by the kilowatt-hour. The bill prohibits local governments from owning, operating, managing, or leasing an EV charging station – with some exceptions. Currently, the League of Municipalities is “Other” on the bill. WPRA plans to monitor this legislation as it advances.
  • WPRA Tracking Report. Check out the other bills the WPRA PPC are monitoring! And happy holidays and new year!