Government Relations
Legislative Update
June 6, 2003
Joint Finance Committee Proceedings
The Joint Finance Committee concluded its work on the 2003-05 budget this week. The committee made some further changes affecting the UW System. They include:
- Telecommunications: Removed from the budget the provision that would have put all of the UW's telecommunications procurement under the authority of the Department of Administration—this maintains current law.
- UW-Green Bay: Added the $30 million sports center addition to a list of enumerated building projects for the 2003-05 biennium ($7.5 million of general fund supported borrowing authorized after July of 2005. The project requires that $7.5 million in gifts and $15 million in student fees be raised).
- UW-Superior: Deleted $150,000 PR annually from UW System appropriation that supports the operations and maintenance of the UW aquaculture facility funded with tribal gaming revenue.
- Surplus Property and Equipment: Required the proceeds of the sale of surplus property from the SWAP (Surplus With A Purpose) program to be deposited in the state budget stabilization fund.
- Employee Benefits: Required that the state would pay only half of the health care premium for any permanent or project state employees with appointments between .50 and .74 FTE who are WRS participants. The employee would contribute the remainder.
- Spending Freeze: Limit state spending in 2003-04, 2004-05, and 2005-06, to the total amount of GPR appropriations for state operations in each of those years (excluding GPR debt service and compensation reserves), to the GPR funding for state operations, excluding debt service and compensation reserves for 2002-03. [Note: UW System is still analyzing any potential impact of this provision.]
A complete summary of UW System-related budget provisions is on the UW System Budget website.
The Joint Finance Committee modifications will be drafted as a substitute amendment. The budget bill may be heard in the Senate the week of June 16.
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
For the Joint Finance Committee home page and schedule, click on:
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/lfb/jfc.html
Committee Hearings
The Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities voted on some of the following UW-related bills on Tues., June 3:
- AB-208. Changes membership of the Board of Regents by substituting a resident from each of the 16 technical college districts for the Technical College System Board member and the 14 citizen members and by adding a student member who is at least 24 years old. A substitute amendment offered by Rep. Kreibich (R-Eau Claire) reduces the scope of the bill and adds to the board a non-traditional student who would be selected by the governor. Passed unanimously.
- AB-342. Makes a student convicted of drug charges ineligible for state-funded financial aid. Passed 7-4 (No: Shilling, Pocan, Black, Schneider).
- AB-344. Requires UW System institutions and private colleges to inform residence hall students about meningococcal disease (Meningitis) and to obtain confirmation of the student's vaccination or choice not to be vaccinated. Passed 9-2 (No: Nass and Pocan).
NOTE: The Colleges and Universities Committee has scheduled another Executive Session on AB 344 for Wed., June 11. The session may be to take up further amendments to the bill.
Upcoming Committees
Senator Kanavas (R-Brookfield) and Senator Stepp (R-Sturtevant) will chair a Select Committee on Job Creation. Senate leaders also said they plan action by the end of the month on four bills intended to jump-start Wisconsin's economy.
Rep. Jeskewitz (R-Menomonee Falls) and Rep. Bies (R-Sister Bay) chair a Speaker's Task Force on the Wisconsin Technical College System. The panel will examine "numerous components of the technical college system with the goal of providing substantive and constructive suggestions for the modification of the system." Topics to be studied include overall efficiency of the system; effectiveness of the system for its students; staffing and capital costs; credit transfer issues; funding; and accountability to the taxpayers.
Gaming Compacts
Gov. Jim Doyle and Forest County Potawatomi Community Chairman Harold Frank have signed off on changes to the February 2003 compact. Among the changes is deletion of a clause in the 2003 compact that allowed for the use of funds by the state for the benefit of the University of Wisconsin. Those provisions included payments of $34.125 million on June 30, 2004, and $43.625 million on June 30, 2005, to the state "for the benefit of the University of Wisconsin, in lieu of and to supplant funds that would otherwise have been provided to the University of Wisconsin from the general fund..."
UW System President Katharine C. Lyall and Regent President Guy Gottschalk had previously written to DOA Secretary Marc Marotta requesting clarification of the original provision.
Legislative Session
The Assembly and the Senate met Tuesday, June 3. No floor session is scheduled for next week.
New Legislation Introduced
AB-377. SABBATICAL LEAVES (J. Wood) Requires that paid sabbatical leaves for UW faculty be paid for by gifts and grants. To Colleges and Universities.
Board of Regents selects new officers
The UW System Board of Regents unanimously elected new leaders on Friday, June 6, selecting Toby E. Marcovich of Superior as president and David G. Walsh of Madison as vice president.
The votes came after Regent Guy Gottschalk withdrew his nomination for a second term as board president. Walsh ran for his post unopposed.
Senate Directory
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/senate/sosd.pdf
Assembly Directory
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/assembly/aod.pdf
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/
For further information contact Margaret Lewis (608) 262-4464 or David Miller (608) 262-4463