Government Relations
Legislative Update
October 24, 2003
Legislative Session
The State Senate passed a package
of bills related to charter schools and private school choice on
Thursday,
Oct. 23. The bills included:
AB-260,
which extends the Milwaukee Parental Choice Program to all
private schools in Milwaukee County. Passed, 18-14 (Party line).
AB-261,
which allows students outside the Milwaukee School District
to attend an independent charter school in Milwaukee. Passed
on a voice vote.
AB-503,
which increases enrollment at UW-Parkside’s charter school
to 480 pupils starting in the 2004-05 school
year. Voice Vote.
The Senate reconvened at 7 a.m. Friday. SB-214 -- the concealed weapons bill -- remained on the calendar (details below).
Committee Hearings
The Joint Finance Committee on Tuesday passed SB-214, allowing persons to carry concealed weapons (Personal Protection Act). On a 16-0 vote, the committee adopted motion #811 (authored by Sen. Harsdorf and Sen. Darling) to exempt from the bill’s provisions “any building located on the campus of a public or private university, college, or technical college” and “any portion of a building used for instructional purposes by a public or private university, college or technical college.” The UW System had argued for an exemption for all campus property. Sen. Moore offered the broader exemption (motion #893), which failed on a party line 4-12 vote.
The Joint Committee on Employment Relations (JCOER) met on Tuesday, Oct. 21 to hear recommendations by the Director of the Office of State Employment Relations on the proposed 2003-05 compensation and benefit adjustments for UW System senior executives, faculty and academic staff. The committee approved a pay plan that includes a 0 percent increase for fiscal year 2003-04 and 1 percent for 2004-05. The Employment Relations Director told the committee that final decisions were not made on how much of the 1 percent increase would be funded by the state compensation reserve and how much would be covered by university funds. Committee Co-Chair Gard requested the secretary to report to both the JCOER and the Joint Finance Committee on the final decision.
Upcoming Committee Hearings
The Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee will
hold a hearing on Wed, Oct 29, at 10:30 a.m., Room 225-NW of
the State Capitol.
The committee will hear an informational
presentation by the Attorney General’s office on the
findings and settlement of the investigation
of open meetings by the UW Board of Regents. The committee
will also hear from
representatives of the UW System.
The committee may hold an executive session
on:
AB-543,
which expands the requirements for notice of public meetings
held by departments within the UW System.
AB-532,
which requires the Joint Finance Committee to vote on salary
range adjustments for UW System senior executives.
Signed into law
Gov. Jim Doyle signed AB-344 into law last week. The law requires public and private universities to annually provide all enrolled students information on meningococcal disease and hepatitis B and the availability and effectiveness of vaccines against the diseases. Students living in campus housing must affirm that they have received the information and provide the date of vaccinations if applicable. The institutions must maintain a record of the student’s vaccinations. It is now Act 61.
Introduced in the Assembly
AB-609 by Rep. Suder. The bill reinstates the determination of the amount of National Guard tuition reimbursement as it existed before the passage of 2003 budget bill.
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