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AB780: Bill Text
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2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-4601/1
MJW:skw
2025 ASSEMBLY BILL 780
December 17, 2025 - Introduced by Representatives
Madison
,
Anderson
,
Joers
,
Andraca
,
Arney
,
DeSmidt
,
Hysell
,
Miresse
,
Moore Omokunde
,
Palmeri
,
Sinicki
,
Stroud
,
Subeck
,
Tenorio
,
Udell
and
Vining
, cosponsored by Senators
Smith
,
Spreitzer
,
Drake
,
Dassler-Alfheim
,
L. Johnson
and
Ratcliff
. Referred to Committee on Environment.
AB780,1,6
1
An Act
to repeal
15.347 (2), 20.370 (4) (eq), 20.370 (6) (eq), 20.370 (9) (nq),
2
25.17 (1) (d), 25.43 (2s) and 25.48;
to amend
20.566 (1) (r), 25.46 (2m), 77.9964
3
(3) and 292.65 (14);
to create
20.370 (6) (et), 20.370 (6) (eu), 25.43 (2t), 25.46
4
(1) (s) and 292.66 of the statutes;
relating to:
repealing the dry cleaner
5
environmental response program, creating the revitalize Wisconsin program,
6
granting rule-making authority, and making an appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill eliminates the existing dry cleaner environmental response program and its associated fund and council and creates the revitalize Wisconsin program, which is administered by the Department of Natural Resources.
This bill creates the revitalize Wisconsin program, which is administered by DNR and which provides aid, in the form of grants or direct services to local governments, dry cleaners, and private parties, to address the discharge of a hazardous substance or the existence of environmental pollution on the government’s or person’s property. Aid may be provided for sites for which the site’s owner or operator applied for assistance under the dry cleaner environmental response program before its repeal; brownfields; sites that are exempt from the state’s hazardous substance remediation laws (often called the “spills law”); sites that are subject to the spills law but that are owned by private parties; and sites that are a public nuisance or a tire dump, for which expansion or redevelopment is adversely affected by actual or perceived discharge or environmental pollution.
The bill provides that DNR may not award aid to an applicant under the revitalize Wisconsin program if the applicant caused the discharge or environmental pollution, unless the applicant is a dry cleaner that applied for assistance under the dry cleaner environmental response program before its repeal. The bill also provides that DNR may require an applicant to provide a match, either in cash or in-kind services, for any aid that is awarded under the program.
Activities for which aid may be provided under the program include removing hazardous substances from contaminated media; investigating and assessing the discharge or environmental pollution; removing abandoned containers; asbestos abatement; and restoring or replacing a private potable water supply.
For further information see the state fiscal estimate, which will be printed as an appendix to this bill.
The people of the state of Wisconsin, represented in senate and assembly, do enact as follows:
AB780,1
1
Section
1
.
15.347 (2) of the statutes is repealed.
AB780,2
2
Section
2
.
20.005 (3) (schedule) of the statutes: at the appropriate place,
3
insert the following amounts for the purposes indicated:
-
See PDF for table
-
See PDF for table
-
See PDF for table
-
See PDF for table
-
See PDF for table
AB780,3
11
Section
3
.
20.370 (4) (eq) of the statutes is repealed.
AB780,4
12
Section
4
.
20.370 (6) (eq) of the statutes is repealed.
AB780,5
13
Section
5
.
20.370 (6) (et) of the statutes is created to read:
AB780,3,3
1
20.370
(6)
(et)
Environmental aids
—
revitalize Wisconsin program.
2
Biennially, from the environmental fund, the amounts in the schedule for aid
3
awards under s. 292.66 and to make any required payments under s. 25.43 (2t).
AB780,6
4
Section
6
.
20.370 (6) (eu) of the statutes is created to read:
AB780,3,10
5
20.370
(6)
(eu)
Environmental aids
—
waste removal and sampling.
6
Biennially, from the environmental fund, the amounts in the schedule to provide
7
financial assistance for the purpose of removing waste materials that have
8
accumulated or been dumped on abandoned properties and to conduct sampling
9
and testing to determine if those properties pose a risk to public health and safety
10
or the environment.
AB780,7
11
Section
7
.
20.370 (9) (nq) of the statutes is repealed.
AB780,8
12
Section
8
.
20.566 (1) (r) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB780,3,15
13
20.566
(1)
(r)
Administration of dry cleaner fees.
From the
dry cleaner
14
environmental response
environmental
fund, the amounts in the schedule for the
15
purpose of administering the fees under subch. XII of ch. 77.
AB780,9
16
Section
9
.
25.17 (1) (d) of the statutes is repealed.
AB780,10
17
Section
10
.
25.43 (2s) of the statutes is repealed.
AB780,11
18
Section
11
.
25.43 (2t) of the statutes is created to read:
AB780,3,22
19
25.43
(2t)
The secretary of administration and the secretary of natural
20
resources shall ensure that any moneys required to be repaid to the environmental
21
improvement fund as a result of a transfer under s. 25.43 (2s), 2023 stats., shall be
22
paid from the environmental fund to the environmental improvement fund.
AB780,12
23
Section
12
.
25.46 (1) (s) of the statutes is created to read:
AB780,4,2
1
25.46
(1)
(s) All moneys received under s. 77.9964 (3) for environmental
2
management.
AB780,13
3
Section
13
.
25.46 (2m) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB780,4,7
4
25.46
(2m)
Of the moneys described in sub. (1) that are received for the
5
purpose of environmental management, except the moneys described in sub. (1) (ej),
6
(ek), (hm), (j), (jj),
(s),
(t), and (u), $6,150,000 shall, in each fiscal year, be considered
7
to have been received for the purpose of nonpoint source water pollution abatement.
AB780,14
8
Section
14
.
25.48 of the statutes is repealed.
AB780,15
9
Section
15
.
77.9964 (3) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB780,4,11
10
77.9964
(3)
The department shall deposit all of the revenue that it collects
11
under this subchapter in the
environmental
fund
under s. 25.48
.
AB780,16
12
Section
16
.
292.65 (14) of the statutes is amended to read:
AB780,4,14
13
292.65
(14)
Sunset.
This section does not apply after
June 30, 2032
the
14
effective date of this subsection .... [LRB inserts date]
.
AB780,17
15
Section
17
.
292.66 of the statutes is created to read:
AB780,4,16
16
292.66
Revitalize Wisconsin program.
(1)
Definitions.
In this section:
AB780,4,19
17
(a) “Brownfield” means a property that is abandoned, idle, or underused, the
18
expansion or redevelopment of which is adversely affected by actual or perceived
19
discharge or environmental pollution.
AB780,4,20
20
(b) “Innocent landowner” means any of the following:
AB780,5,3
21
1. A property owner that acquired the property prior to November 1, 2006, has
22
continuously owned the property since the date of acquisition, and can
23
demonstrate, through documentation, that the discharge or environmental
1
pollution on the property was caused by another person and that the property
2
owner did not know and had no reason to know of the discharge or environmental
3
pollution when the owner acquired the property.
AB780,5,10
4
2. A property owner that acquired the property on or after November 1, 2006,
5
has continuously owned the property since the date of acquisition, and can
6
demonstrate, through documentation, that the property owner conducted all
7
appropriate inquiries in compliance with
40 CFR part 312
prior to acquisition, that
8
the discharge or environmental pollution on the property was caused by another
9
person, and that the property owner did not know and had no reason to know of the
10
discharge or environmental pollution when the owner acquired the property.
AB780,5,14
11
(c) “Interim action” means a response action that is taken to contain or
12
stabilize a discharge or environmental pollution at a site or facility, in order to
13
minimize any threats to public health, safety, or welfare or to the environment,
14
while other response actions are being taken or planned for the site or facility.
AB780,5,15
15
(d) “Local governmental unit” has the meaning given in s. 292.11 (9) (e) 1.
AB780,5,16
16
(e) “Private party” means any of the following:
AB780,5,17
17
1. A bank, trust company, savings bank, or credit union.
AB780,5,18
18
2. A developer, as defined in s. 66.0617 (1) (b).
AB780,5,22
19
3. An organization or enterprise, other than a sole proprietorship, that is
20
operated for profit or that is nonprofit and nongovernmental, including an
21
association, business trust, corporation, joint venture, limited liability company,
22
limited liability partnership, partnership, or syndicate.
AB780,5,23
23
4. An innocent landowner.
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