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Legislative Update

January 29, 2004

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Legislative Session

The Assembly adjourned this week without taking a vote to override Gov. Jim Doyle's veto of the bill to repeal the more than 130-year-old ban on carrying concealed weapons (for a complete bill history go to http://www.legis.state.wi.us/2003/data/SB-214hst.pdf ). Postponed twice, the vote, according to Speaker John Gard (R-Peshtigo), is expected to take place on Tuesday, Feb. 3. The UW System has consistently supported an exemption for university properties to protect UW student safety.

Also on the Assembly Calendar for Tuesday:

AB-683. Permits DOA to select more than one vendor for EdVest; expands definition of "vendor"
AB-556. Regulating the resale of tickets to entertainment or sporting events.

Recent Committee Hearings

Assembly Public Health met on Wednesday, Jan. 28, to hear testimony on AB-757, a bill to increase bonding authority for the UW Hospitals and Clinics Authority. Passage recommended, 5-0-3.

The Senate Committee on Health, Children, Families, Aging and Long Term Care met on Thursday, Jan. 29, to vote on SB-388, a measure that increases bonding authority for the UW Hospitals and Clinics Authority. Passage recommended, 9-0.

Upcoming Committee Hearings

Senate Higher Education and Tourism, will meet at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 4, on the following:

SB-294. Remedial legislation suggested by the Higher Educational Aids Board relating to administration of student financial aid programs.
AB-209. Allows an individual income tax deduction for certain amounts contributed by a great-grandparent, aunt or uncle to a college savings account or a college tuition and expenses program.
AB-342. Makes a student convicted of certain drug violations ineligible for state financial aid.

(NOTE: An executive session may be held on SB-209. Regulating athlete agents)

Legislation Introduced

AB-761. STATE CONTRACTS (Pocan) Requires all contractual services purchased by executive branch agencies to be performed in the United States. The bill was referred to the Assembly Government Operations and Spending Limitations Committee.

AB-766. UW POLICE (J. Wood) Authorizes UW police assigned to a given campus to make arrests anywhere in the county in which the UW campus is located if the board authorizes them to do so and adopts policies regarding investigations and arrests occurring off campus. The bill was referred to the Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee for a Feb. 10 hearing.

Other News

U.S. Congressman Jerry Kleczka (D-Milwaukee) is retiring after 20 years in Congress. Kleczka represents the 4th Congressional District, which includes the cities of Milwaukee, St. Francis, Cudahy, and South Milwaukee; the Village of West Milwaukee and part of West Allis.

Business owner Tim Michels officially joined the race to replace Democratic U.S. Sen. Russ Feingold this week. Michels told supporters in Brown County that “for 22 years Russ Feingold has been the voice for extreme liberal ideas both in Madison and Washington, D.C. …”

The Wisconsin Policy Research Institute released a report on Tuesday indicating that Milwaukee has fallen in recent decades from being one of the nation’s strongest large cities economically to near the bottom of the list. Authors George Lightbourn and Stephen J. Agostini emphasized the need to increase educational accomplishment, pointing out that economic success strongly correlates to educational accomplishment, and that Milwaukee is far behind other cities on that score. Agostini and Lightbourn also say the weak performance of Milwaukee’s economy has stunted the growth of the entire metropolitan area and hurt Wisconsin as whole, in terms of the general economy and in specifics, such as government spending.

For further information, contact Margaret Lewis at (608) 262-4464 or Doug Bradley at (608) 262-4463