Government Relations
Legislative Update
September 12, 2003
Upcoming Legislative Session
The Assembly will be in session on the following days: Tuesday, Sept. 23, 11 a.m.; Thursday, Sept. 25, 10 a.m.; Wednesday, Oct. 1, 11 a.m.; and Thursday, Oct. 2, 10 a.m. The Assembly will not be in session on Tuesday, Sept. 30.
Committee Hearings
The Senate Judiciary Committee and the Assembly Criminal Justice Committee held a public hearing on Tuesday, Sept. 9, on AB 444 and SB 214, which would permit concealed weapons. UW-La Crosse Police Chief Scott Rohde testified on behalf of the UW System and requested that the bill be amended to prohibit citizens from carrying concealed weapons onto university property. No vote was taken on the bill.
The Senate Higher Education and Tourism Committee met on Wednesday, Sept. 10 to hear testimony on SB-209. The bill regulates athlete agents who represent student athletes by enacting the Uniform Athlete Agents Act. No action was taken. The committee amended and passed SB-85, a proposal that would add to the Board of Regents a non-traditional student selected by the governor. A companion bill in the Assembly (AB 208) was passed by the Committee on Colleges and Universities in June.
UW System President Katharine C. Lyall and WTCS President Richard Carpenter addressed the Speaker’s Task Force on the Wisconsin Technical College System on credit transfer issues on Tuesday, Sept. 9. Click to see President Lyall's testimony.
The Assembly Public Health Committee met on Wednesday, Sept. 10, to discuss AB 104, a measure that would ban all forms of cloning—which would effectively ban embryonic stem cell research. Rep. DuWayne Johnsrud (R-Eastman) had prepared an amendment that would have protected stem cell research and would have likely been adopted. The committee chairman (Hines) pulled the bill from the agenda before the vote. No subsequent vote has been scheduled at this time, but may be at a later date.
The Assembly Education Reform Committee held a hearing on AB 503, regarding enrollment of the charter school established by UW-Parkside, on Wednesday, Sept. 10. The proposal increases the number of students allowed to enter the charter from 400 to 480 beginning in the 2004-05 school year.
The Senate Education, Ethics and Elections Committee held a hearing on Wednesday, Sept. 10, on SB 220, which allows a pupil who resides outside the Milwaukee school district to attend an independent charter school located in the Milwaukee school district.
Upcoming Committee Hearings
Assembly Colleges and Universities will meet
at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7, in room 225-NorthWest of the
State Capitol to discuss UW Executive Salary Ranges action
taken on Sept. 2, 2003. The committee has invited Regent President
Toby E. Marcovich to discuss this decision. The committee will
also hear testimony on:
AB-366,
a proposal that would require the Board of Regents to accept
all credits transferred within the UW System, including credits
transferred between the two-year UW Colleges, and all credits
transferred from the technical college system.
AB-377,
a measure requiring the Board of Regents to offer paid sabbatical
leave funded by gifts and grants, instead of general purpose
revenue, as it is now funded.
AB-403 Regulates
athlete agents.
(The committee may exec on the above items.)
Law Revision Committee will meet at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7, in 411-South to review requested state agency remedial legislation for, among other agencies, the UW System.
New Bills Introduced
SB-242. Increases future enrollment in UW-Parkside charter school. To Senate Higher Education and Tourism. This is a companion bill to AB 503 (see description above).
Proposals Circulating for Co-Sponsorship
Rep. Sheryl Albers (R-Reedsburg) and Sen. Tom Reynolds (R-West Allis) are circulating LRB 0165/3 & LRB 3213/1, which require a UW Employee Code of Ethics to require reporting by all unclassified personnel to annually report to the System income received from any source other than direct pay by the UW System. This could include income from patents, royalties, honorariums, consulting services, and grants that are a result of the employee’s professional experience and expertise. The proposal bill also directs the state Ethics Board to maintain or participate in a site on the Internet where this information is to be posted and to charge the Board of Regents costs for services rendered.
Rep. Sue Jeskewitz (R-Menomonee Falls) and Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls) are circulating LRB2612/1, which allows UW campuses to distribute statutorily required orientation information electronically, potentially providing better information access and savings for students and campuses.
Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Halls) is circulating LRB 3122/1, a proposal that allows any UW campus to operate or to contract for the operation of a charter school with the approval of the Board of Regents.
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