Wisconsin Senate Bill SB772

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 12/12/25
• Refer: 12/12/25
• Failed: 3/23/26

Caption

An Act to create 20.370 (4) (cf) of the statutes; Relating to: Groundwater Coordinating Council activities funding and making an appropriation. (FE)

Summary

SB772 would provide ongoing state funding for activities related to Wisconsin’s Groundwater Coordinating Council. The bill creates a new continuing appropriation in the statutes for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and increases the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents appropriation, with $500,000 annually directed to each entity for groundwater coordinating council-related work in fiscal years 2025-26 and 2026-27. The measure is focused on supporting the council’s nonregulatory groundwater coordination functions, including information exchange and interagency collaboration. It does not appear to change groundwater regulatory standards directly; instead, it supplies dedicated funding for the DNR and UW System to carry out their existing roles under the statutes governing the council.

Impact

SB772 would amend Wisconsin’s appropriations statutes to add a continuing general-fund appropriation for DNR activities tied to the Groundwater Coordinating Council and to increase the Board of Regents’ appropriation for related UW System activities. The bill would affect state budgeting and agency operations by guaranteeing $500,000 annually to each entity for groundwater coordination work, but it would not itself create new groundwater rules or enforcement powers. The primary affected parties are the DNR, the UW System, and indirectly state and local stakeholders involved in groundwater monitoring, research, and policy coordination.

Sentiment

The available record suggests the bill was introduced as a support measure for groundwater coordination, with no committee transcript or recorded vote details provided to show debate. Its framing as a funding bill for environmental management and groundwater coordination suggests a generally policy-supportive intent, but the bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1. Because there are no transcripts or votes in the provided materials, the level of support or opposition cannot be measured beyond the final unsuccessful outcome.

Contention

The main point of potential contention is fiscal: SB772 requires new ongoing general-fund spending, totaling $1 million per year across DNR and the UW System, which may have raised budgetary concerns even though the bill does not alter regulatory requirements. Another possible point of debate is whether groundwater coordination should be funded through a dedicated appropriation versus being handled within existing agency budgets. No specific objections or supporters are documented in the provided committee materials, so any contention can only be inferred from the bill’s appropriations impact and its eventual failure to advance.