MADISON (NBC 26) — Wisconsin Democrats are trying to save the state’s popular stewardship program with a bill that would more than double current funding and create a 17-person board to oversee land purchases.
It comes after Republicans stripped funding for the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program from the new state budget passed last month, citing concerns about accountability after a state Supreme Court ruling weakened their ability to block conservation projects.
Not all GOP lawmakers were on board with that cut. The bill announced by Democrats on Tuesday offers an alternative to legislation from Republican supporters of Knowles-Nelson that would require land purchases that cost more than $1 million to be approved by the full Legislature.
Watch: Wisconsin Democrats propose bill to save stewardship program
“Given the fast pace of land acquisitions in real time, [the Republican bill’s] reliance on the legislative process – slow at best – would not prove workable in most instances,” Democratic Sen. Jodi Habush Sinykin, the bill’s Senate co-author, said.
The Democratic bill would instead require approval from a state board for projects that cost more than $2.5 million. It would also increase annual funding for Knowles-Nelson from the current $33.25 million to $72 million. That’s less than the $100 million proposed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers’ administration but more than the $28.25 million proposed in Republicans’ bill.
“This is a very serious proposal that we’re putting forward,” Democratic Rep. Vincent Miresse, the bill’s Assembly co-author, said. “It bridges that divide between the governor and the Republican-controlled Legislature, and I really feel like it’s an earnest effort to bring people to the table.”
Both authors of the Republican proposal to continue Knowles-Nelson said they’re looking forward to working across the aisle to find a solution.
“I am glad to see that lawmakers on both sides of the aisle have an interest in reforming and reauthorizing the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program,” Republican Sen. Patrick Testin said. “I look forward to reviewing the legislative proposal brought forward by my Democrat colleagues to see where we can work together and find common ground.”
“It’s always been our intention to find a bipartisan path forward to ensuring the Stewardship Program’s future,” a spokesperson for Republican Rep. Tony Kurtz said. “We haven’t reviewed their proposal yet, but look forward to continued discussions on this important issue this fall.”
If the Legislature doesn’t act to reauthorize the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program, it will come to an end in June 2026.
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