A bipartisan measure seeking to open a competitive bidding process to solicit bids for a statewide public affairs network — a service that’s been provided by WisconsinEye for the last 18 years — while also providing temporary funds to keep WisconsinEye’s cameras running in the meantime cleared the state Senate Wednesday, Feb. 18.
A piece in the Feb. 19 issue of the Portage Daily Register covered the passage. According to the story:
It remains unclear if Senate Bill 994 will be taken up by the state Assembly, which earlier this month unanimously approved a bipartisan measure to give WisconsinEye, the state’s version of C-SPAN, taxpayer funds to publicly broadcast state government functions.
The Legislature’s lower chamber planned to conclude floor periods on Thursday, Feb. 19 and either bill would need to pass both chambers and be signed by Democratic Gov. Tony Evers in order to become law.
After going dark on Dec. 15 due to a lack of funds, the organization commonly known as “WisEye” resumed operations earlier this month after state lawmakers provided the organization $50,000 in direct funding to cover the month of February. WisconsinEye officials have said it will have to pause operations again in March if additional funds are not provided.
The Senate bill passed the upper chamber on a voice vote. The measure would direct the state Department of Administration to issue a request for proposals to solicit bids for a statewide public affairs network. The bill would require the chosen network to adhere to many practices already pursued by WisconsinEye, including prioritizing floor sessions, legislative committees, the executive branch and state Supreme Court. It would also require live streaming and the maintenance of a digital archive, and be free to the public.
In a sign of bipartisan agreement, lawmakers on Wednesday amended the bill to provide WisconsinEye with more than $585,000 in state taxpayer funds to continue operations. The funds would require approval from the state budget committee.
If approved, WisconsinEye would receive more than $48,000 each month for a one-year period. Payments would cease if a new public affairs network is selected or if WisconsinEye fails to maintain live broadcasts of state government proceedings.
The bill would require proposals for a public affairs network to be submitted by June 30.
Lawmakers on both sides of the aisle hailed the bill as a rare example of bipartisan agreement in the waning days of the current legislative session.
Sen. Mark Spreitzer, D-Beloit, called the agreement a “bipartisan bright spot,” adding that “failure is not an option when it comes to transparency.”
The biggest question now is whether the Assembly, which plans to hold its final floor session on Thursday, takes up the measure to send it to Gov. Tony Evers’ desk.
Lawmakers in the lower chamber have already passed their own bipartisan measure, Assembly Bill 974, which would eliminate language requiring WisconsinEye to raise a dollar for every dollar it receives from a roughly $10 million endowment fund previously set aside by the state.
Under the legislation, the state Department of Administration can distribute grant funds from that account to cover the network’s operating costs.
WisconsinEye officials have said that level of funding would cover about two-thirds of the organization’s operating budget. WisconsinEye would be on the hook for the remaining funds, as well as any money needed for equipment upgrades, maintenance or program expansion.
The bill also requires WisconsinEye to submit annual financial reports to the Legislature and provide free online access to Capitol events to the public. It also requires that, if WisconsinEye ceases operations and divests assets in the future, the organization must pay back any grant funds received and transfer all archives to the state historical society.
Both the Senate and Assembly bill would require WisconsinEye to appoint legislative designees to its board of directors.
A message sent to legislative leaders and posted Monday on WisconsinEye’s website notes the organization will need another $50,000 in order to continue providing Capitol coverage in March. Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, said lawmakers may consider additional funding extensions if an agreement is not reached by the end of February.
The memo also states that the organization is “happy to respond” to a request for proposals, but notes that such a process “will take considerable time.”
