The Weekly Update

Board of Regents

The Board of Regents for the Universities of Wisconsin held a special meeting virtually last week where they considered two policies related to 2025 Wisconsin Act 15:

• Revisions to the existing teaching workload policy
• A new regent policy on core general education requirements

The Board of Regents unanimously approved both policies which will now be submitted to the Joint Committee on Employment Relations (JCOER) for legislative approval as outlined in the 2025-27 biennial budget.

A summary of the meeting can be found here.

The Board of Regents will also be holding a special meeting virtually tomorrow, Tuesday, November 25, at 8am where two contract approvals related to UW-Madison athletics for Name, Image, and Likeness (NIL) purposes will be considered.

You can find the meeting materials and videoconference information on the website here.

Senate and Assembly Floor

Both the Senate and Assembly were on the floor voting last week. Here are the UW related bills on both agendas:

Senate:

• Senate Bill 210. Relating to: changes to amount of, and criteria for designating recipients of, academic excellence higher education scholarships. The UWs and UW-Madison submitted written testimony in favor.
  • Passed via voice vote
  • Ready for the Governor’s desk

• Senate Bill 394. Relating to: damage or graffiti to certain historical property and providing a penalty.
  • Passed 18-15
  • Companion bill (AB 401) has not had a public hearing yet

• Senate Bill 424. Relating to: teacher preparatory programs.
  • Passed via voice vote
  • Ready for the Governor’s desk

• Senate Bill 498. Relating to: free speech and academic freedom at University of Wisconsin System institutions and technical colleges, due process in disciplinary proceedings at University of Wisconsin System institutions and technical colleges, and causes of action against the Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System and technical college district boards. The UWs testified and submitted for information only. UW-Madison also submitted testimony for information only.
  • Passed 17-16
  • Companion bill (AB 501) had a public hearing on 11/13/2025. No executive action taken yet

• Senate Bill 532. Relating to: course fees at University of Wisconsin System institutions. The UWs testified and submitted in opposition.
  • Passed 18-15
  • Companion bill (AB 545) has not had a public hearing yet

• Assembly Bill 166. Relating to: academic and career planning services provided to pupils and requiring the reporting of certain data on college student costs and outcomes. The UWs testified and submitted for information only.
  • Passed via voice vote.
  • Ready for the Governor’s desk.

All Senate Floor actions can be found here.

Assembly:

• Assembly Bill 420 Relating to: teacher preparatory programs.
  • Passed via voice vote.
  • Ready for the Governor’s desk.

• Assembly Bill 582 Relating to: dual enrollment programs, creating the Council on Dual Enrollment, and transfer of postsecondary course credits. The UWs testified and submitted for information only.
  • Passed 55-43
  • Companion bill (SB 591) has not had a public hearing yet

All Assembly Floor actions can be found here.

Please check back for future updates.

Department of Education Announces Agency Partnerships

Last week, the Department of Education announced new agreements with the Departments of Labor, Interior, Health and Human Services, and State related to various programs and offices with the Department of Education. For more on the higher education partnership, you can review the fact sheet here.

Additional information related to the Child Care Means Parents in School (CCAMPIS) partnership can be found here, and information related to the international education and foreign language studies partnership can be found here.

Higher Education Roundtable

Last week, Secretary McMahon and Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent participated in a higher education roundtable at the White House. The roundtable was titled, “Administrative Bloat and Low-Value Programs: How U.S. Universities are Failing American Families and How They Can Reform.”

As included in the linked release, “roundtable participants included Casey Sacks, President of BridgeValley Community and Technical College and Senior Advisor at the U.S. Department of Education; Erin Valdez, Executive Director of the Incubator of the Center for Education and Public Service at the University of Austin and Director of Education and Workforce Policy at the Cicero Institute; Michael Bettersworth, Chief Marketing Officer at Texas State Technical College; Raymond “Ray” Rodrigues, Chancellor of the State University System of Florida; and Kimberly Fletcher, President of Moms for America.”

At the time of the announcement, Secretary McMahon said, “It was an honor to meet with education leaders today to discuss how we can revitalize Americans’ dwindling faith in postsecondary education. Staggering increases in tuition rates, dismal earnings outcomes for many degrees, and wasteful spending on armies of administrators and DEI programs all underline the urgent need for bold reforms. Universities must refocus their operations to deliver high-value credentials and a better return on investment for the next generation of Americans. It was so encouraging to hear from higher education leaders in Texas, Florida, and West Virginia who are laser focused on keeping costs down and innovating to ensure public colleges are preparing graduates for rewarding careers in high-demand fields.”

2026 House and Senate Calendars Released

Last week, Majority Leaders Steve Scalise and John Thune released the 2026 calendars for their respective chambers. These calendars are subject to change, but can viewed at the following links:

• House Calendar
• Senate Calendar

House and Senate Floor Schedules

Both the House of Representatives and the Senate are in a scheduled recess period this week. Each chamber is set to return to Washington for legislative business the week of December 1, 2025.