Wisconsin Senate Bill SB840

Wisconsin 2025-2026 Regular Session

• Introduced: 1/15/26
• Refer: 1/15/26
• Failed: 3/23/26

Caption

An Act to repeal 23.197 (15); to amend 20.866 (1) (u) and 93.73 (2) (b); to create 20.115 (7) (br), 20.115 (7) (tb) and 20.866 (2) (wg) of the statutes; Relating to: the agricultural conservation easement purchase program and making an appropriation. (FE)

Summary

SB840 would revise Wisconsin’s agricultural conservation easement purchase program, which allows the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) to buy conservation easements from willing landowners to keep farmland in agricultural use while leaving ownership with the landowner. The bill would restore a requirement that DATCP solicit applications for the program at least once each year and would remove a later requirement that the Department of Natural Resources provide stewardship funds for these purchases. The bill also increases the program’s financing authority. It would authorize up to $25 million in general fund-supported borrowing for DATCP to purchase agricultural conservation easements, replacing the prior $12 million borrowing authority that had been repealed. The bill creates related appropriations and debt-service provisions to support repayment of principal and interest on obligations issued for the program, and it repeals a statutory provision tied to the prior funding arrangement.

Impact

If enacted, SB840 would amend state finance and agriculture statutes to expand and reestablish funding mechanisms for agricultural conservation easements under s. 93.73. It would give DATCP a new $25 million public debt authorization from the capital improvement fund, create ongoing appropriations for debt service, and restore annual solicitation requirements for program applications. It would also eliminate the statutory requirement that DNR transfer stewardship-program funds to DATCP for this purpose, shifting the program back to direct borrowing support from the state.

Sentiment

The available context suggests the bill was introduced with support from a broad group of Senate and Assembly Democrats, indicating generally favorable sentiment toward preserving farmland and strengthening the easement program. However, there are no committee transcripts or recorded votes in the provided materials, and the bill ultimately failed to pass pursuant to Senate Joint Resolution 1. As a result, the record shows sponsorship support but no documented floor or committee debate in the supplied context.

Contention

The main policy point of contention appears to be how the easement program should be financed and administered. SB840 would reverse the prior shift away from direct general fund-supported borrowing and away from using DNR stewardship funds, which suggests disagreement over whether the state should fund farmland conservation through debt, stewardship resources, or some other mechanism. Another likely issue is the size of the borrowing increase, since the bill raises the authorization from $12 million to $25 million. No specific objections are documented in the provided transcripts, but the funding source and scale of the appropriation are the most likely areas of dispute.