The State of Wisconsin Building Commission met on Wednesday, August 7 at the State Fair Park Expo Center In Milwaukee.

The following projects were approved by the Building Commission:

• UW-Madison: Land Acquisition at 937 W. Johnson Street at $418,500 PR Cash + closing costs
• UW-Oshkosh: Classroom/Instructional Technology Projects at $435,000 GFSB
• UW-Stevens Point: Classroom/Instructional Technology Projects at $1,237,000 GFSB
• UW-River Falls: Kleinpell Fine Arts Electrical Distribution Equipment Replacement at $1,072,000 GFSB
• UW-River Falls: University Center Entry & Terrace Renovation at $425,400 PR Cash
• UW-Stout:  Price Commons Kitchen Hood Replacement at $674,000 PR Cash
• UW-La Crosse: Central Heating Plant Fuel Reliability Upgrade at $3,984,000 ($2,032,100 GFSB and $1,952,400 PR Cash)
• UW-Oshkosh: Central Heating Plant Fuel Reliability Upgrade Increase at $500,000 ($255,000 GFSB and $245,000 PRSB)

UW System President Cross was pleased to co-sponsor the Dairy Task Force 2.0 over the last 18 months. The group has completed their work and have issued a report summarizing the effort.

The Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection (DATCP) Secretary Pfaff sent a letter to state legislators and federal congressional delegation, encouraging policy makers to read the final report and consider the role they can play in moving these recommendations forward.

DATCP has also developed a dashboard on their website to note all known actions taken on the recommendations. If you are aware of other actions taken that are not listed, please notify Ashley Andre at ashley.andre@wisconsin.gov or (608) 224-5002 to update their records and website as appropriate.

The State Relations and Communication teams have completed collecting feedback from all Chancellors on how we can build upon our advocacy efforts for the remaining legislative session and next biennial budget. If you haven’t already done so, please take a few minutes to share your thoughts by filling out this brief survey. The survey will remain open until Friday, August 31.

On Thursday, August 1^st, the Board of Regents had a special meeting to approve the request for $45 million in the Joint Committee on Finance’s (JFC) supplemental appropriation. The request focuses on allocating funding as part of the outcomes-based funding formula, and includes $15 million in the first year of the biennium and $30 million in the second year of the biennium.

You can see details of the request on pages 5 and 6 here.

The Board of Regents also approved the $8.8 million request ($1 million in the first year and $7.8 million in the second year) for funding for the Dairy Innovation Hub that is also included in the JFC supplemental account. This funding will be divided between UW-River Falls, UW-Platteville, and UW-Madison.

You can see details of the request on pages 7-13 here.

We will provide updates when we know how and when the legislature will consider these proposals.

Rep. Katrina Shankland, (D-Stevens Point), and Sen. Dave Hansen, (D-Green Bay), introduced a series of bills that affect the UW System. You can learn more about each of the proposed bills by following the links below.

• LRB-3576 Memo UW Blue Ribbon Commission: This bill creates a Blue Ribbon Commission in the University of Wisconsin System.
• LRB-3666 Memo UW Funding: This bill provides additional funding to the University of Wisconsin System and making an appropriation.
• LRB-3574 Memo UW Tuition Freezes: This bill requires that all future tuition freezes for the University of Wisconsin System are funded.
• LRB-3577 Memo UW Student Grants: This bill funds Wisconsin grants for University of Wisconsin System students and technical college students and makes an appropriation.
• LRB-3578 Memo Tuition Remission: This bill remits UW undergraduate student teachers’ academic fees for the semester they are student teaching.
• LRB-3575 Memo Tech College Aid: This bill is included as part of the package but does not affect the UW System. It provides additional funding for the technical college system.

Rep. Dave Murphy, (R-Greenville), the chairman of the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee, and Sen. André Jacque, (R-De Pere), introduced a series of bills that affect the UW System.  Follow the links below to learn more information on each proposed bill.

• LRB-3098 Memo UW Tuition: This bill creates a cohort tuition model and limits future tuition increases to CPI for each incoming class.
• LRB-2023 Memo UW Fees: This bill limits the use of seg fees and imposes restrictions on seg fees for athletics and capital building projects, while giving students responsibility for the disposition of all segregated fees (allocable and non-allocable)
• LRB-3667 Memo UW-System Reporting: This bill streamlines or eliminates several reports we are required to submit to the state, and it allows graduate health science classes to start before September 1^st.
• LRB-1862 Memo Course Numbering: This bill creates a universal course numbering system between UW System and WTCS, and it eliminates the statutory distinction between UW System and WTCS.
• LRB-1829 Memo UW Debt Guarantees: This bill makes several changes to the governance of affiliated organizations, limits the authority of the Board of Regents to delegate powers, and fixes the statutes related to guaranties of public debt.