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Wisconsin Legislature: SB1178: Bill Text
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SB1178: Bill Text
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2025 - 2026 LEGISLATURE
LRB-5751/1
MIM:skw
2025 SENATE BILL 1178
March 19, 2026 - Introduced by Senators
Larson
,
L. Johnson
,
Carpenter
,
Roys
and
Spreitzer
, cosponsored by Representatives
Neubauer
,
Madison
,
Anderson
,
Arney
,
Bare
,
Clancy
,
DeSanto
,
DeSmidt
,
Fitzgerald
,
Hong
,
Joers
,
Mayadev
,
Miresse
,
Moore Omokunde
,
Palmeri
,
Rivera-Wagner
,
Sinicki
,
Snodgrass
,
Stroud
,
Subeck
,
Taylor
,
Tenorio
,
Udell
and
Vining
. Referred to Committee on Natural Resources, Veteran and Military Affairs.
SB1178,1,4
1
An Act
to amend
16.75 (1) (a) 1.;
to create
15.105 (34), 16.24, 16.705 (1b) (e),
2
16.705 (10), 20.505 (1) (bm) and 20.505 (1) (kw) of the statutes;
relating to:
3
creating the Wisconsin Climate Corps program, granting rule-making
4
authority, and making an appropriation.
Analysis by the Legislative Reference Bureau
This bill creates the Wisconsin Climate Corps (WCC) program to provide workers to assist with the restoration and rebuilding of natural lands, climate resiliency projects, and weatherization and energy efficiency projects in homes and to provide employment training and career pathways for underserved communities. The bill directs the Wisconsin Climate Corps Board, which is created under the bill and attached to the Department of Administration, to contract with a nonprofit corporation (manager) that has demonstrated experience in grant program writing and administration, natural resource restoration and rebuilding, and youth training, education, and employment to manage and administer the program. Under the bill, the manager must remain neutral with respect to any union organizing activities of workers in the program.
The bill provides that a WCC project must be designed to carry out a specific goal within a defined period of time and must be focused on the restoration and rebuilding of natural lands, weatherization and energy efficiency projects in homes, or other climate resiliency projects in urban and rural areas of this state.
The bill allows local governments, tribal governments, nonprofit corporations, and executive branch agencies to sponsor projects. The manager is required to administer the grant program, including reviewing applications, approving projects, and negotiating agreements with sponsors to provide work crews to complete eligible projects, and to submit an annual report to DOA regarding each project. The board may provide grants for projects approved by the manager. Under the bill, the cumulative amount of administrative costs in connection with a grant may not exceed 10 percent of the amount of the grant.
The bill provides a preference for work crew members on a WCC project who are at least 16 and not more than 30 years old. The bill requires that at least 50 percent of the work crew members on each project be from underserved populations in this state, as determined by the manager. The bill also provides that workers on projects must be paid at least $15 per hour worked and receive a housing stipend and health insurance coverage.
The bill requires each sponsor of a WCC project to erect a permanent plaque at each work site that is on property owned by the federal government, the state, a local government, a tribal government, or a nonprofit entity that identifies the site as a WCC project.
The bill allows DOA to retain its manager and allows other state agencies to engage a WCC crew on a project without complying with state procurement laws, including requirements for public notice to and competitive solicitation of contractors and limitations on the circumstances under which contractual services may be obtained.
Finally, the bill requires DOA to annually audit the program and submit an annual report to the legislature identifying the projects that were completed in each year or that are in the process of completion as of the end of that year.
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:
SB1178,1
1
Section
1
.
15.105 (34) of the statutes is created to read:
SB1178,2,4
2
15.105
(34)
Wisconsin climate corps board.
There is created a Wisconsin
3
climate corps board that is attached to the department of administration under s.
4
15.03, consisting of the following:
SB1178,2,5
5
(a) The secretary of natural resources or his or her designee.
SB1178,3,1
1
(b) The executive secretary of the board of commissioners of public lands.
SB1178,3,2
2
(c) The secretary of administration or his or her designee.
SB1178,3,3
3
(d) The secretary of workforce development or his or her designee.
SB1178,3,5
4
(e) One representative to the assembly, appointed by the speaker of the
5
assembly.
SB1178,3,7
6
(f) One representative to the assembly, appointed by the minority leader of
7
the assembly.
SB1178,3,8
8
(g) One senator, appointed by the president of the senate.
SB1178,3,9
9
(h) One senator, appointed by the minority leader of the senate.
SB1178,3,12
10
(i) One member of a nongovernmental organization that has expertise in
11
conservation matters or climate resilience or that represents employees who work
12
in conservation activities or climate resilience, appointed for a 3-year term.
SB1178,3,14
13
(j) One member of a nongovernmental organization that has expertise in
14
youth training programs, appointed for a 3-year term.
SB1178,3,15
15
(k) One member appointed by the Great Lakes Inter-Tribal Council, Inc.
SB1178,2
16
Section
2
.
16.24 of the statutes is created to read:
SB1178,3,17
17
16.24
Climate corps.
(1)
Definitions.
In this section:
SB1178,3,18
18
(a) “Board” means the Wisconsin climate corps board.
SB1178,3,20
19
(b) “Local government” has the meaning given for “local governmental unit” in
20
s. 16.97 (7).
SB1178,3,22
21
(c) “Manager” means the nonprofit corporation with which the department
22
executes a contract to manage the Wisconsin climate corps program under sub. (3).
SB1178,4,3
23
(d) “Nonprofit corporation” means a nonstock, nonprofit corporation described
1
under section
50
1 (c) (3) or (4) of the Internal Revenue Code that is exempt from the
2
federal income tax under section 501 (a) of that code and organized under the laws
3
of this state.
SB1178,4,8
4
(e) “Project” means a planned undertaking of the Wisconsin climate corps for
5
a sponsor to carry out a specific goal within a defined period of time that is focused
6
on the restoration and rebuilding of natural lands, weatherization and energy
7
efficiency projects in homes, or other climate resiliency projects in urban and rural
8
areas of this state.
SB1178,4,11
9
(f) “Sponsor” means a local government, tribal government, or nonprofit
10
corporation or an executive branch agency, as defined in s. 16.70 (4), that proposes
11
to undertake a project.
SB1178,4,17
12
(2)
Establishment of program.
There is established the Wisconsin climate
13
corps program. The purpose of the program is to provide workers to assist with the
14
restoration and rebuilding of natural lands, the weatherization of homes, energy
15
efficiency projects for homes, and other climate resiliency projects in both rural and
16
urban areas and to provide employment training, professional development, and
17
career pathways for underserved communities in this state.
SB1178,4,23
18
(3)
Board duties.
The board shall contract with a nonprofit corporation to
19
administer and manage the Wisconsin climate corps program. The nonprofit
20
corporation shall be operating on a statewide basis on the effective date of this
21
subsection .... [LRB inserts date], and have demonstrated experience in grant
22
program writing and administration, natural resource restoration and rebuilding,
23
and youth training, education, and employment.
SB1178,5,2
1
(4)
Contract terms
. The contract under sub. (3) shall require the manager
2
to do all of the following:
SB1178,5,3
3
(a) Develop a project application form.
SB1178,5,6
4
(b) Review project applications submitted by sponsors, approve projects, and
5
negotiate agreements with sponsors to provide work crews to complete eligible
6
projects.
SB1178,5,7
7
(c) Require projects to be sited on land that is located in this state.
SB1178,5,9
8
(d) Require projects to be for one or more of the purposes specified under sub.
9
(5) or for any other similar project, as determined by the manager.
SB1178,5,11
10
(e) Give preference to members of a work crew on a project who are at least 16
11
years of age and not more than 30 years of age.
SB1178,5,13
12
(f) Require that at least 50 percent of the members of a work crew come from
13
an underserved population in this state, as determined by the manager.
SB1178,5,17
14
(g) Prohibit any employee or contractor from performing services under the
15
Wisconsin climate corps program if those services displace the services of any
16
individual who is employed by this state in a position, as defined in s. 230.03 (11), or
17
who is employed by a local government in a permanent position.
SB1178,5,18
18
(h) Pay each worker on a project at least $15 per hour worked.
SB1178,5,20
19
(i) Provide each worker on a project with a housing stipend of not less than
20
$100 per week or provide housing to each worker.
SB1178,5,23
21
(j) Provide each worker on a project with health insurance coverage that is
22
equivalent to a gold level health plan purchased on the American health benefit
23
exchange, as described in
42 USC 18031
, in this state.
SB1178,6,2
1
(k) Remain neutral with respect to any labor organizing among workers on a
2
project.
SB1178,6,6
3
(L) Require each sponsor, upon completion of a project, to erect a permanent
4
plaque at each project work site located on land owned by the federal or state
5
government, a local government, a tribal government, or a nonprofit entity that
6
identifies the site as a Wisconsin climate corps project.
SB1178,6,12
7
(m) Submit an annual report to the department, no later than January 31,
8
identifying, to the greatest extent practicable, information regarding the location of
9
each project, a brief description of each project, and the training provided to
10
employees. The manager shall also provide to the department any information the
11
department considers necessary to complete the report under sub. (11) and may
12
recommend improvements to the program.
SB1178,6,13
13
(5)
Scope of projects.
Projects may include any of the following:
SB1178,6,15
14
(a) Coordination of flood resilience activities in urban and rural watershed
15
areas of this state.
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