Government Relations

Legislative Update

April 11, 2003

Legislative Update Archive | Search Legislative Update
 

Joint Finance Committee Proceedings

The Joint Finance Committee held two public hearings on the biennial budget bill (SB-44) this week. The committee held a hearing Tuesday (April 8) on the UW-Platteville campus and another hearing Wednesday (April 9) at the State Capitol in Madison.

Media coverage of the hearings:

Joint Finance Committee executive sessions are currently scheduled to begin Tuesday, April 22 and be completed in late May. According to the Wheeler Report, Majority Republicans are hoping to work out consensus items and schedules for execs before the first exec is held. Members of the committee are working to determine those areas where accord can be easily achieved. Majority members have been told to get their priority items and issues to the finance committee members by the end of this week or early next week.

For the Legislative Fiscal Bureau summary of the governor's budget, click on:
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/lfb/2003-05budget/Governor/tableofcontents.htm

Committee Hearings

The Joint Finance Committee held an s.1310 hearing Wednesday (April 9) in response to the objection by Sen. Bob Welch to the UW System plan to manage the $8.26 million cut from the 2002-03 budget adjustment bill. Welch authored a modified plan to reallocate budget reductions. The motion did the following:

  • Eliminated the cut to Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory by $19,700.
  • Reduced cut to UW-Madison ($147,300), UW-Stevens Point ($29,000), UW-Stout ($61,680), UW-Superior (53,450), UW-Whitewater ($50,000).
  • Shifted both cuts to UW System Administration.

The motion was adopted 9-7.
YES: Darling, Welch, Fitzgerald, Lazich, Harsdorf, Kanavas, Kaufert, Stone, Meyer.
NO: Decker, Moore, Huebsch, Ward, Rhoades, Coggs, Schooff.

Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities met on Tuesday (April 8) to take up the following legislation:
AB-66. Requires all persons admitted to UW Medical School to take the Medical College Admission Test. The bill failed to pass on a tie vote of 6-6.
Ayes: Towns, Krawczyk, Jeskewitz, Kreibich, Shilling and Pocan.
Nays: Nass, Underheim, Gottleib, Balow, Black and Schneider.
AB-208. Appointment of UW Regents from each technical college system region, two student members. In the proposed legislation, the representative from the Wisconsin Technical College System Board was excluded. Some members showed interest in retaining this position, and proposed the number of regents increase from 19 to 20. In order to avoid tie votes of the regents, some members showed interest in adding what would be a third student. The vote was delayed until May.
AB-207. Bans smoking in and around UW System residence halls and dorms. The committee voted in favor of the bill 10-2 (Nays: Krawczyk and Towns)
AB-209. Individual income tax deduction for great-grandparent, aunt or uncle to a college savings account or a college tuition and expenses program. The committee voted in favor, 12-0.

New Legislation Introduced

AB-246. HUMAN CLONING (Sherman) Prohibits engaging in or attempting to engage in human cloning. To Public Health.

Legislative Fiscal Bureau Summaries of the Governor's Budget and Capital Budget
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/lfb/LFBPublications_ButtonPages/Publications_Main.htm

Legislative Directories
 For information on legislative office addresses and phone numbers, click here for the Senate Directory or here for the Assembly Directory.

Pending Legislation Site
 Check out the updates to the UW System Pending Legislation site:
http://www.uwsa.edu/execvp/govrel/pending/index.htm

Information on the Web

UW System Government Relations:
http://www.uwsa.edu/govrel/

UW System Budget:
http://www.uwsa.edu/budplan/

Wisconsin Legislature on the Web
 http://www.legis.state.wi.us/

Prepared by Kerry Niemcek.
For further information contact Margaret Lewis (608) 262-4464 or David Miller (608) 262-4463

Legislative Update Archive | Search Legislative Update