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Legislative Update

sDecember 2, 2005

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Joint Finance Committee Action on Concealed Carry, Military Dependents Tuition Exception, State Building Program

Last week the Joint Finance Committee passed an amended Assembly Substitute Amendment to the concealed carry legislation (AB 763/SB403) by a vote of 14-0. At the time of publication the new Substitute Amendment had not yet been drafted. We have heard that the legislation could be placed on the December 6 Senate calendar for action. Included in the substitute amendment is an exemption for university buildings similar to language last session which does not include university lands.

Joint Finance also passed other legislation affecting the UW System. AB 87 which grants a non-resident tuition exemption for dependents of certain active members of the armed forces was passed 14-0. On a vote of 11-3, the committee also passed AB 397/SB175 which adds the UW-Platteville housing project to the 2003-05 authorized state building program.

Audit of WTCS Personnel Policies

The Joint Audit Committee on a vote of 8-0 approved the scope of an audit of personnel policies and practices of the Wisconsin Technical College System.

Legislative Activity on Biomedical Research

The Senate Job Creation, Economic Develop and Consumer Affairs Committee recommended passage on a vote of 3-2, SB 372 which would appropriate $2 million GPR to support biomedical research of a consortium of five southeastern universities including UW-Milwaukee and UW-Parkside.

Upcoming Hearings Academic Excellence Higher Education Scholarships, Enrollment increase at UW-Parkside Charter School; RA Bible Study

The Senate Higher Education and Tourism Committee will hold a public hearing on Dec. 7, 10 a.m. in room 300 Southeast on the following bills: SB 345/AB 698 which would increase authorized enrollment at the UW-Parkside Charter School; SB 370 which would add the eligibility of a student enrolled in a two-year, full-time vocational diploma program at a technical college for an academic excellence higher education scholarship.

The Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee will hold an informational hearing on Dec. 13, from 9:00-11:00 a.m. in room 412 to discuss the RA Bible study ban at UW-Eau Claire. Invited guests include: Lance Steiger, UW-Eau Claire student and RA; UW-Eau Claire Interim Chancellor Vicki Lord Larson; UW System President Kevin Reilly and UW system attorneys; and U.S. Congressman Mark Green.

Legislation Introduced: Tuition Remission, Collective Bargaining for UW Faculty and Academic Staff

AB 835 (Moulton) [companion to SB 414] Under current law, tuition remissions are granted for children and surviving spouses of ambulance drivers, correctional officers, emergency medical services technicians, fire fighters, and law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. This bill extends this remission to include children and spouses for those covered occupations who develop a permanent work-related disability (qualifying disability) and forced to retire or reduce his/her work assignment and later dies from the qualifying disability. See full text at: http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2005/data/AB-835.pdf

AB 837 (Pope-Roberts) Requires state agencies (including UW System), school districts, and technical college districts to give preference in purchasing chicken, turkey, beef, or pork products to suppliers who provide meat from animals that have not been given antibiotics for other than therapeutic reasons. See full text at: http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2005/data/AB-837.pdf

SB 452 (Schultz) provides faculty and academic staff of the UW System collective bargaining rights under state law similar to that provided other state employees under the State Employment Labor Relations Act (SELRA). Under the bill collective bargaining would be prohibited on the mission and goals of the Board of Regents; the diminution of the right of tenure; the rights granted faculty and academic staff under current law; and academic freedom. Collective bargaining units would be structured with separate units for faculty at each UW System campus and academic staff at each UW System campus. Contracts must be approved by the Joint Committee on Employment Relations and adopted by the legislature. See full text at: http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2005/data/SB-452.pdf

Federal Update

The House will return to session on December 6; the Senate will return to session on December 12. On tap is budget reconciliation, reauthorization of the USA PATRIOT Act, the FY06 Defense and Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bills, Avian flu legislation, and liability protections.

It is anticipated that the House will reject the effort by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee to include reauthorization of the Higher Education Act in the budget reconciliation package. Only provisions related to mandatory spending on student loans will survive because of the limited time available to work out differences between the House and Senate. Of particular concern to Wisconsin institutions, it is being reported that the Senate would likely “balk at House language that changes the aid formula for work study and similar programs, as well as revises the definition of a university to include for-profit institutions, making them eligible for increased federal aid. Neither of those provisions is in the Senate-approved measure.

AAU is reporting the difficulty in approving the two remaining appropriations bills: Labor-HHS-Education and Defense. The House voted down the conference report on Labor-HHS-Education due to low funding for programs like NIH, home heating subsidies, and the lack of congressional earmarks.

The FY06 Defense bill is being watched because it could be the vehicle for a variety of last minute legislation, including provisions for flu funding and a hurricane relief measure. The bill remains stalled over an amendment by Senator McCain that would ban torture of enemy combatants.

There are plans in the Senate to introduce the “National Innovation Act of 2005,” which aims to make improvements in research, education of science and technology talent and innovation infrastructure. The bill responds to the recommendations made in the National Innovation Initiative report, Innovate America, issued late last year by the Council on Competitiveness. For a summary of the bill and section-by-section analysis, go to: http://www.aau.edu/reseach/funding.cfm.

Finally, AAU has prepared a comparison of the House-Senate Reconciliation provisions on student aid. The chart is available at: http://www.aau.edu/budget/StudentLoanReconciliation112905.pdf.