As funding for the Knowles-Nelson Stewardship Program nears its June 30 expiration, Democratic legislative leaders are signaling that the program is a priority they intend to act on.
At a WisPolitics luncheon on June 16, Senate Minority Leader Dianne Hesselbein made clear that restoring Knowles-Nelson would be on the agenda if Democrats win control next year.
“We absolutely need it. Knowles-Nelson has been around for so long and it’s worked so well making sure we have green spaces in the state of Wisconsin to enjoy,” Hesselbein said. “If Democrats are in charge and we have a Democratic trifecta, Knowles-Nelson will be back.”
Hesselbein named the environment among Democrats’ priorities for the next session, alongside school funding, childcare, healthcare, and housing affordability, as reported by the Wisconsin Examiner. She said she was disappointed that Republicans and Democrats couldn’t agree on a reauthorization bill, noting that the popular program got only a “30-second” conversation during negotiations over the rejected tax and school funding package.
Lawmakers introduced competing bills last session but couldn’t reach a compromise. A Republican-authored proposal would have required the legislature to approve individual land purchases, a sticking point for Democrats, who noted the legislature isn’t in session for much of the year and could miss time-sensitive deals. Democrats put forward a reauthorization proposal that would have given a separate oversight council authority over those approvals instead, but it never advanced. With the deadline now here, restoring Knowles-Nelson looks likely to fall to the next legislative session.
