Government Relations

Legislative Update

April 20, 2009

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In this issue:

STATE UPDATE

In The News

► April 22 is Undergraduate Research Day!
In honor of Undergraduate Research Day 2009, the UW System will be hosting Posters in the Rotunda: A Celebration of Undergraduate Research at the Wisconsin State Capitol.  The event will focus on UW System students, their faculty advisors, and the incredible breadth of undergraduate research taking place on campuses across the system. This year, Undergraduate Research Day coincides with Earth Day providing a reminder of the importance of research to environmental education, preservation, stewardship and sustainability.  Joint resolutions (AJR 43 and SJR 28) have been introduced in the Wisconsin Senate and Assembly in honor of the occasion. 

► April 16-18 – UW-La Crosse hosts the National Council on Undergraduate Research
Nearly 3,000 undergraduate researchers from around the country came to UW−La Crosse for the 23rd National Conference on Undergraduate Research.  For more information, visit the conference website and see news coverage by WKTB 8 and The Racquet.

► April 17 – UW-Superior Breaks Ground on New Building
Swenson Hall is the first new academic building to be constructed on campus in 30 years.  Governor Doyle and other officials were on hand to break ground for the $32 million, 144,000 square foot building to be constructed on the northwest corner of the campus.  Read news coverage in the Superior Telegram.

State Budget

► April 16 – First JFC Executive Session
The Joint Committee on Finance (JFC) met for the first executive session of the 2009-11 budget cycle.  The agenda and budget papers from the meeting are all available online.  The committee voted unanimously to delete the Governor’s recommendation of a 1% reduction to gifts and grants appropriations (alternative #2 in Budget Paper 174).  This action restores a total of $10,643,400 PR to 24 gifts and grants appropriations, with the majority of that amount coming to UW.  The JFC will meet in executive session again on April 21 (see meeting notice).

► April 7 – List of Non-Fiscal Policy in Budget Released
In late March, the Legislative Fiscal Bureau (LFB) released a list of 80 non-fiscal policy items in the 2009-11 biennial budget bill. As noted in the letter, “the criteria used are as follows: (1) generally the item has no state fiscal effect; (2) if there is a state fiscal effect associated with an item, the policy implications of the provision outweigh any potential fiscal effect; (3) the item has been, or is, the subject of separate, non-budget legislation; (4) the item is one that typically would be reviewed by a standing committee of the Legislature; and (5) the provision could be accomplished without statutory directive.”

The Joint Finance Committee co-chairs, Sen. Mark Miller (D-Madison) and Rep. Mark Pocan (D-Madison), requested that the LFB modify the criteria and only include those items that (1) have “no effect on state appropriations or state or local revenues in the 2009-11 biennium;” or (2) “could be accomplished without statutory directive.”  That generated a list of 11 items that meet the non-fiscal policy definition, but not the modified criteria.  

The JFC co-chairs issued a memo to JFC members stating that 45 items identified as non-fiscal policy will not be addressed by the committee in the budget.  Instead, these items will be drafted as separate bills and referred to other appropriate legislative standing committees.

State Legislation Update

► Legislative Committee Activity
The complete Schedule of Committee Activity is available online.

► New Legislation of Interest
The UW System is monitoring the following newly-introduced legislation of interest:

  • SB166 – Relating to creating an individual income tax deduction for any amount of interest paid on certain loans that are used for educational expenses. (Introduced by Sen. Darling; referred to Senate Committee on Health, Health Insurance, Privacy, Property Tax Relief, and Revenue.

FEDERAL UPDATE

► April 14 – Department of Education Report Shows Increase in Federal Aid Recipients
A report released by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) shows that two-thirds of American undergraduate students receive some form of federal student aid, up three points from 2003-2004 and 11 points from 1999-2000.  The average amount for all students receiving aid was $9,100.  For more information, see the NCES website and analysis by The Chronicle of Higher Education.  This report comes in the midst of a debate over a student lending proposal within President Obama’s budget to replace subsidized loans made by private banks with direct government lending (for more information on that issue see coverage by the New York Times)

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-Eau Claire:  A new partnership between the UW-Eau Claire and Veolia Environmental Services is diverting nearly two tons of waste per week from an Eau Claire landfill.
  • UW-Green Bay: The Phuture Phoenix program received the 2009-10 Wisconsin College Access Challenge Grant to replicate the pre-college awareness program at another state college or university. The effort was announced at a press conference with First Lady Jessica Doyle on Tuesday, March 24.
  • UW-Superior:  A recent agreement between UW-Superior and the Wisconsin Technical College System (WTCS) will allow students who obtained an Early Childhood associate degree from a college in the WTCS to transfer credits to UW-Superior.

UPCOMING EVENTS

April  
22 UW System Administration hosts Posters in the Rotunda: A Celebration of Undergraduate Research at the Wisconsin State Capitol.
22 UW-Green Bay hosts the Green Innovations Symposium
May  
7-8 Board of Regents meeting hosted by UW-Milwaukee.
June  
4-5 Board of Regents meeting in Madison
July  
9 Board of Regents meeting in Madison
22-24 2009 UW System Academic Staff Leadership Conference, hosted by UW-Whitewater.

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