Welcome to the Universities of Wisconsin Government Relations Newsletter. The Office of Government Relations provides legislative and political updates that impact the Universities of Wisconsin at the state and federal level.

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Board of Regents

The Board of Regents for the Universities of Wisconsin will be meeting virtually on Thursday, October 9. You can view the agenda, meeting materials, and webcasts on the website when available.

State Relations

Please check back for future updates.

Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Veteran and Military Affairs

The Senate Committee on Natural Resources, Veteran and Military Affairs will be holding an Executive Session on Tuesday, October 7 at 9:45am on Senate Bill 411, relating to: the University of Wisconsin Missing-in-Action Recovery and Identification Project, funding for the veterans housing and recovery program, eligibility changes for the veterans and surviving spouses property tax credit, and making an appropriation. The UWs and UW-Madison each submitted written testimony for information only during the public hearing.

Universities of WI SB 411 Testimony pdf

UW-Madison SB 411 Testimony pdf

Assembly & Senate Floor Sessions

Both the Senate and the Assembly are planning to be on the floor on Tuesday, October 14. The Assembly will also be on the floor voting this Tuesday, October 7 at 1pm.

Tuesday’s Assembly calendar will include Assembly Bill 210, relating to: changes to amount of, and criteria for designating recipients of, academic excellence higher education scholarships, will be up for a vote on the Assembly floor on Tuesday, October 7. The UWs and UW-Madison each submitted written testimony in favor during the public hearing for this bill.

Assembly Joint Resolution 85, relating to: congratulating the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Baseball Team on winning the 2025 NCAA Division III National Championship, will also be heard during the Assembly floor session.

You can view the full Assembly floor calendar for October 7 here.

You will also be able to watch live on WisconsinEye.

Federal Relations

Government Funding Updates

Absent legislation to fund the government past the end of the federal fiscal year, the federal government “shutdown” just after midnight on October 1, 2025. While it is not certain when Congress will advance funding legislation that has the effect of resuming normal government operations, updates will be shared as appropriate.

If interested in reading more, the following resources may be of interest:

Full House and Senate Hearing Schedule

If interested, you can see a full list of upcoming hearings on the Senate Hearings & Meetings Page. A review of the committee hearings in the House of Representatives is available via the Committee Schedule within the House of Representatives Legislative Activity section on the Chamber’s main page.  

House and Senate Floor Schedules

When the House of Representatives and Senate return to Washington, a full list of votes will be found on the respective websites for the House of Representatives and the Senate

Note: Links to external sites are provided for informational purposes and not meant to convey an endorsement of the Universities of Wisconsin.