Yesterday morning, the Legislative Council met regarding the proposed changes to the MFL. The Council voted to allow full consideration by the Assembly and Senate as a single bill. That is, instead of seven different changes moving through the legislative process, the changes will be combined into one. When I know more about committee assignments […]
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Proposed Legislative Changes to the MFL: Focus on Local Government A recently completed Legislative Council Special Committee has recommended seven changes to the Managed Forest Law. This Forestry Fact (#107) reviews those changes with a focus on their potential implications for towns and counties. Temporarily, it is available for download here as a pdf. I […]
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I received word today that the Wisconsin Joint Legislative Council, the body that authorized the MFL study, will meet on May 4 to discuss, and I suppose, take action on the Special Committee’s recommendations. Time, location, and complete agenda have yet to be are posted. The meeting will commence at 8:30 in Room 412 East, […]
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UPDATED Mar 23–There are lots of changes packed into the Legislative Council Special Committee recommendations on the MFL (see this post and this other one). The path to passage is unclear (given everything else), but folks with an interest in private lands, forest management, local government, and economic development should pay attention and, more importantly, […]
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Late last week, I had a conversation with a colleague at the DNR who is looking further into how the budget repair bill might affect the status of forest certification (past post). The bill is currently awaiting final action by the Wisconsin Senate. The proposed Legislation does not ‘end’ collective bargaining by public employees, but […]
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The Legislative Council produced a final report (PDF) on the MFL study committee. The next step is for the Committee’s recommendations to be presented to the full Legislative Council.
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In my original post, I misremember the outcome of the vote on the annual allowable cut proposal: it passed. I fixed that. The minutes minutes (pdf) and an audio (mp3) [links broken] of the final meeting are available. Sorry.
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Wisconsin has become a battleground over public employee unions, collective bargaining, and public finances (local coverage). It is also true that other dimensions are purely political: public employees overwhelmingly support Democratic candidates and the Republicans in control see an opportunity for political advantage in the future. Extension Colleagues Anna Haines and John Duplissis (both UW-Stevens […]
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Last week, the Special Committee to Review the MFL [link broken] voted on all seven proposed changes. The outcomes were (if memory serves me right–IT DIDN’T) as follows. Please note that specific language was changed for some proposals, but there general intent remained. [PASSED] Allow leasing of MFL land for recreational activities [PASSED] Allow for easier […]
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Last week, the Special Committee to Review the MFL voted on all seven proposed changes. The outcomes were (if memory serves me right–IT DIDN’T) as follows. Please note that specific language was changed for some proposals, but there general intent remained. [PASSED] Allow leasing of MFL land for recreational activities [PASSED] Allow for easier additions […]
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