MADISON – The Wisconsin State Senate concluded their regular session yesterday passing several bills supporting farmers and agribusinesses across the state. Wisconsin Farm Bureau Federation worked closely with lawmakers, state agencies and members of the Wisconsin Ag Coalition to bring these bills forward.
“These bills provide farmers with important protections from fee increases and unfair legal liabilities, improve the efficiency of transporting agricultural goods and make common sense regulatory changes,” said WFBF President Brad Olson. “We appreciate the leadership of the bill authors, the strong bipartisan support of all those voting for the bills, and the collaboration of state agencies and our agricultural advocacy partners to get these bills to the Governor’s desk.”
Assembly Bill (AB) 130 and 131 provide access to $125 million in cleanup and drinking water grants for communities impacted by PFAS contamination and creates liability protections for innocent farmers and landowners who unknowingly accepted materials contaminated with PFAS.
Senate Bill (SB) 622 keeps Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection program fees flat after proposed increases that would have significantly raised costs for farmers, truckers and livestock dealers.
AB 679 creates new permits for transporting grain, feed and fertilizer on six-axle, 91,000-pound trucks to improve efficiency and reduce transportation costs.
AB 956 creates an exemption for certain agricultural warehouses from sprinkler system requirements to prevent potential pollution of surface and groundwater.
“Wisconsin Farm Bureau will continue working with policymakers to ensure these proposals become law by strongly encouraging Gov. Tony Evers to sign these bills and to advance policies that strengthen Wisconsin’s farm families and rural economy,” added Olson.
