Republican lawmakers are seeking to make changes to a WEDC grant program that they say would better support the state’s tourism industry.
Reps. Tony Kurtz of Wonewoc and David Armstrong of Rice Lake, along with Sen. Patrick Testin of Stevens Point, are circulating a co-sponsorship memo seeking support for LRB-3566/LRB-5743. The legislation is focused on the opportunity attraction and promotion program, run by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
“The changes in this bill aim to ensure this program is working effectively and getting money out the door in an efficient manner while promoting Wisconsin and growing our economy through our incredible tourism industry,” bill authors wrote.
The agency’s Opportunity Attraction Fund program has helped secure multiple major events in Wisconsin since being created in 2023, including the NFL Draft held earlier this year in Green Bay, authors note. Grant funding is meant to help bid against other states or organizations to bring an event or other opportunity to the state, or to support the actual hosting of such an event, according to the memo.
While the bill authors tout the program’s success, they say WEDC and the tourism industry writ large “have run into some bumps” with the program. They say it’s not working quickly enough to help during fast-paced bidding, noting some communities have ended up turning down awards because they came after bidding deadlines.
Under the legislation, the grant program would be eliminated entirely and replaced with a sponsorship structure, which authors say would speed up the entire process. Grants are subject to a more rigorous review taking up to eight weeks, the memo notes, while sponsorships have a “more expedited” review and approval process.
“Event opportunities often arise with little time to act and be competitive with other states bidding for the event,” authors wrote.
The bill would make a number of other changes to the program, including ending restrictions on where matching funds come from, allowing matching funds for sponsorship awards to be cash or in-kind contributions, and requiring WEDC to give special consideration for sponsoring events happening during the off-season or a “period of economic need” for Wisconsin.
Another provision would allow up to a fourth of the annual funding allocation to go toward events that aren’t open to the public, as long as they bring national exposure or contribute “substantially” to state or regional economic growth.
Sponsorship funds wouldn’t be provided for any events that are regularly scheduled or that rotate between different locations in the state, the memo notes. And instead of an existing requirement that applicants must provide estimates of economic impact and cost-benefit analysis, the bill would require WEDC to assess the economic benefits of the proposal before awarding a sponsorship.
Authors say the bill is a product of conversations with both WEDC and the tourism industry on how to ensure the program “functions properly and promptly” to attract opportunities to the state.
The co-sponsorship deadline is 3 p.m. tomorrow.
See the memo.
