Wisconsin Statutes & Annotations
Chapter 44 - Historical societies and historical preservation.
44.20 - Historic sites.

44.20 Historic sites.
(1)
(a) The historical society shall operate and maintain the historic sites known as Stonefield Village, Pendarvis, Villa Louis, Old Wade House, Madeline Island, Old World Wisconsin, H.H. Bennett Studios and, if the First Capitol state park has been transferred to the historical society under 1993 Wisconsin Act 16, section 9142 (1e), First Capitol.
(b) The historical society shall operate and maintain Circus World Museum. If a lease agreement under s. 44.16 (1) is in effect on September 23, 2017, this paragraph does not apply until the termination date of the lease agreement that is specified in s. 44.16 (3).
(2) No historic site may be closed without specific authorization to do so from the legislature and the governor.
(3)
(a) For each historic site under sub. (1), the historical society may organize and maintain a nonstock, nonprofit corporation under ch. 181 for the purposes of soliciting and accepting contributions, gifts, grants, and bequests for the historic site for which the corporation is organized and maintained, providing goods or services relating to that historic site, and providing support for the operation, management, and development of that historic site. Any corporation organized under this paragraph shall be organized so that contributions to the corporation will be deductible from gross income under section 170 of the Internal Revenue Code, as defined in s. 71.01 (6), and so that the corporation will be exempt from taxation under section 501 of the Internal Revenue code, as defined in s. 71.22 (4), and s. 71.26 (1) (a).
(b) The historical society may enter into a contract with a corporation organized for the purposes of soliciting and accepting contributions, gifts, grants, and bequests for a historic site under sub. (1), providing goods or services relating to that historic site, and providing support for the operation, management, and development of that historic site setting forth the methods by which the historical society and the corporation will cooperate to accomplish those purposes. The contract shall provide that any contribution, gift, grant, or bequest accepted by the corporation that is not retained by the corporation shall be deposited in the history preservation partnership trust fund, credited to the appropriation account under s. 20.245 (1) (r), and, in accordance with the wishes of the donor, used exclusively for the operation, management, and development of the historic site for which the corporation was organized and that any moneys received by the corporation for any goods or services provided by the corporation that are not retained by the corporation shall be deposited in the history preservation partnership trust fund, credited to the appropriation account under s. 20.245 (1) (r), and used exclusively for the operation, management, and development of the historic site for which the corporation was organized.
(c) The historical society may sell memberships in a corporation specified in par. (b). All moneys received from the sale of those memberships shall be deposited in the general fund, credited to the appropriation account under s. 20.245 (1) (h), and transferred to the corporation for which the membership was sold.
(4)
(a) Subject to authorization under s. 16.505, the historical society may employ outside the classified service sales and development professionals to engage in activities intended to generate admissions, sales, and other receipts for the historic sites under sub. (1) and to solicit contributions, gifts, grants, and bequests in support of those historic sites. The historical society may provide a compensation plan for those professionals under which those professionals are compensated, in whole or in part, through commissions and bonuses.
(b) Notwithstanding s. 230.08 (2) (cd), if a position in the classified service at the historical society is transferred outside the classified service under par. (a) and if the employee holding that position has achieved permanent status in class before the date of that transfer, that employee shall retain, while serving in the unclassified service at the historical society, those protections afforded employees in the classified service under ss. 230.34 (1) (a) and 230.44 (1) (c) relating to demotion, suspension, discharge, layoff, or reduction in base pay. Such an employee shall also be eligible for transfer under s. 230.29 and shall have reinstatement privileges to the classified service under s. 230.33 (1m). If a position in the classified service at the historical society is transferred outside the classified service under par. (a) and if the employee holding that position has not achieved permanent status in class on the date of that transfer, that employee is eligible to receive the protections, privileges, and rights preserved under this paragraph if the employee successfully completes service equivalent to the probationary period required in the classified service for the position that the employee holds on that date.
(4m) The historical society and the department of tourism may enter into a memorandum of understanding setting forth the responsibilities of the department of tourism relating to promoting and marketing the historic sites under sub. (1) and the methods that the historical society and the department of tourism will use to cooperate in promoting and marketing those historic sites.
(5) The director of the historical society shall include in the biennial report under s. 15.04 (1) (d) information regarding revenues and expenditures for each historic site under sub. (1) and the condition of the historic sites.
History: 1983 a. 27, 192; 1987 a. 27; 1989 a. 31; 1991 a. 39; 1993 a. 16, 437; 1995 a. 3; 1999 a. 9; 2003 a. 91; 2017 a. 59.