Government Relations

Legislative Update

December 5, 2008

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In this issue:

STATE UPDATE

 

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In The News

► November 20-21 -- UW System Hosts System-wide LEAP Conference
The UW System Office of Academic Affairs and Advisory Group on the Liberal Arts co-sponsored Liberal Education: a Unifying Mission for the 21st Century University, a system-wide conference at highlighting the UW System’s participation in the Association of American Colleges & Universities (AACU) Liberal Education and America’s Promise (LEAP) Campaign.  Featured speakers were Lt. Governor Barbara Lawton; UW Regent President Mark J. Bradley; UW System President Kevin P. Reilly; AACU President Carol Geary Schneider; and Lee Knefelcamp, Professor of Psychology and Education at Columbia University.  See press coverage summary on the AACU website and the UW System press release.

► December 2 -- Measuring Up 2008 Released
The National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education release its bi-annual report, Measuring Up 2008: The National Report Card on Higher Education.  See the UW System press release, as well as coverage by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

► December 4-5 -- Board of Regents Meeting Hosted by UW-La Crosse
The Board of Regents meeting was hosted this week by UW-La Crosse.  The meeting agenda, webcast archive, and news summaries for day one and day two are available on the UW System website.

State Legislation Update

► November 18 -- 2009-11 Joint Finance Committee Membership


Assembly Senate
Co-Chair: Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Madison) Co-Chair: Sen. Mark Miller (D-Madison)
Co-Vice Chair:  Rep. Pedro Colon (D-Milwaukee) Co-Vice Chair:  Sen. Dave Hansen (D-Green Bay)
Rep. Cory Mason (D-Racine) Sen. Lena Taylor (D-Milwaukee)
Rep. Jennifer Shilling (D-La Crosse) Sen. John Lehman (D-Racine)
Rep. Gary Sherman (D-Port Wing) Sen. Judy Robson (D- Beloit)
Rep. Tamara Grigsby (D-Milwaukee) Sen. Julie Lassa (D-Stevens Point)
Rep. Robin Vos (R-Racine) Sen. Alberta Darling (R-River Hills)
Rep. Phil Montgomery (R-Green Bay) Sen. Luther Olsen (R-Ripon)

► November 20 -- WI Department of Administration Released New State Revenue Projection
DOA Secretary Michael Morgan submitted a statutorily-required biennial budget report to Gov. Jim Doyle and the members of the State Legislature outline agency budget requests and revenue estimates.

► December 1 -- State Legislative Recounts Completed
Recounts in the 47th Assembly district and the 18th Senate district have confirmed the respective victories of Republicans Keith Ripp (see Sauk Prairie Eagle coverage) and Randy Hopper (see Oshkosh Northwestern coverage).  The results, as certified by the Government Accountability Board, mean that Democrats will officially maintain their 18-15 majority in the Senate and gain a 52-46-1 majority in the Assembly.


FEDERAL UPDATE

Federal Update

► November 17 -- Senate Democrats Introduce Stimulus Proposal
Senate Democrats unveiled a $100 billion stimulus proposal (S. 3689), which includes $1 billion for the National Institutes of Health and $175 million for the Office of Science at the Department of Energy.  Democratic leaders had hoped to move quickly on the legislation, but were unable to overcome Republican objections.  It is now likely that the proposal will wait until the new Congress convenes.  House Speaker Nancy Pelosi today called for movement on the economic stimulus legislation (H.R. 7060) that was approved by the House in late September, but has since stalled in the Senate.

► November 20 -- AASCU Briefing: Election Implications for State Colleges and Universities
The American Association of State Colleges and Universities released a policy briefing providing context to the 2008 elections and discussion on the potential impact on higher education.

► Update on the 110th Congressional Schedule and FY 2009 Appropriations
A lame-duck session next week to reconsider federal aid for the auto industry is likely.  However, if Congressional leadership is unable to move any legislation, they will likely seek to assemble an omnibus economic recovery package (which could include remaining FY 2009 appropriations) for consideration by the next Congress in January with the goal of sending it to the new President shortly after inauguration.

AROUND WISCONSIN

► “Around Wisconsin” features items relating to exciting progress on campus or examples of strong relations with the community and policy makers. Please send items of interest to externalrelations@uwsa.edu.

  • UW-Extension: The UW-Extension Local Government Center has received the 2008 “Friend in County Government Award” from the Wisconsin Counties Association.
  • UW-Green Bay: UW-Green Bay and the Port of Green Bay have been awarded a $55,000 research grant from the Great Lakes Maritime Research study the potential impact of renewed container shipping on freight transportation and job creation in the region.
  • UW-Whitewater: Three UW-Whitewater professors received NASA Wisconsin Space Grants to study the geology and geography of Earth from modern, recent and ancient perspectives.

UPCOMING EVENTS

Dec  
9 Meeting of the Special Committee on Building Wisconsin’s Workforce in Madison.  Agenda and meeting materials (including an updated listing of committee recommendations) are available on the committee website.
12

Faculty and Academic Staff Representatives Councils meeting in Madison
19 Campus submissions for Federal Priorities for Fiscal Year 2010 due to UW System Federal Relations.
Feb 2009  
5-6 Board of Regents meeting in Madison
TBD Governor presents 2009-2022 budget proposal to the State Legislature
Mar 2009  
5 Board of Regents meeting in Madison
6 NSF Regional Grants Conference in Milwaukee, hosted by UW-Milwaukee and the UW System Office of Federal Relations.  NSF representatives will present information on Foundation, the review process, and cross-disciplinary and international programs.  There will also be breakout sessions with program officers from the NSF directorates and a session on proposal writing.
April 2009  
1-2 UW Law Days, a symposium on legal issues and new legal developments in areas of interest to university administrators.
May 2009  
7-8 Board of Regents hosted by UW-Milwaukee.

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