Government Relations
Legislative Update
September 19, 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.
The Senate will meet Tuesday, Sept. 23 to take up, among other things, SB-85. This proposal would add to the Board of Regents a non-traditional student selected by the governor.
Upcoming Committee Hearings
The Assembly Education Reform Committee will hold an executive session at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 24, in room 328-NorthWest of the State Capitol on AB-503. The bill increases the number of students allowed to enter the UW-Parkside charter school from 400 to 480 beginning in the 2004-05 school year.
Assembly
Colleges and Universities will meet
at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 7, in room 225-NorthWest
of the State Capitol to discuss the UW Executive
Salary Range action taken on Sept. 2. Regent
Vice President David Walsh will speak to the
committee.
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 room 411-South of the State Capitol to review requested state agency remedial legislation for, among other agencies, the UW System.
New Legislation
SB-247. This legislation, authored by Sen. Sheila Harsdorf (R-River Falls) allows the UW campuses to distribute statutorily required orientation information electronically, potentially providing better access to information and savings for students and campuses. SB-247 was referred to the Senate Higher Education and Tourism Committee and is a companion to AB-497 by Rep. Suzanne Jeskewitz (R-Menomonee Falls).
SB-253, authored by Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills), allows any UW campus to operate or to contract for the operation of a charter school with the approval of the Board of Regents. SB-253 was referred to the Senate Higher Education and Tourism Committee.
Proposals Circulating for Co-Sponsorship
UW Salary Adjustment Oversight
(Rep. Scott Suder, R-Abbotsford) LRB 3238/2
This bill provides that the Board of Regents
of the UW System must propose salary ranges
and adjustments to the salary ranges for these
UW System senior executive positions, but that
no salary range or adjustment may take effect
until approved by the Joint Committee on Finance.
Roll
Call Votes (Rep. Kitty Rhoades, R-Hudson)
LRB 3271/1
This bill would require that every vote by the
Board of Regents be a roll call vote.
Open
Meetings (Sen. Tom Reynolds, R-West
Allis and Rep. Suder) LRB 3220/1 and LRB 3303/1
This bill would expand the open meetings law
to include all university departmental committees,
subcommittees and similar bodies which are currently
exempt.
UW
Employee Code of Ethics (Rep. Sheryl
Albers, R-North Freedom and Sen. Reynolds) LRB
0165/3 & LRB 3213/1.
This bill would create a UW Employee Code of
Ethics to require that all unclassified personnel
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.
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