Government Relations
Legislative Update
February 27, 2004
Legislative Session
(NOTE: Both the Assembly (10 a.m.) and the Senate (11 a.m.) will be in session on Tuesday, March 2. The Legislature is scheduled to conclude general business sessions on Thursday, March 11. Unless there is an agreement to change that ending date, or to extend the current session, all bills and resolutions pending upon adjournment on March 11 are dead.)
Both the Assembly and Senate passed AB-909, the result of an agreement among Gov. Jim Doyle, Speaker John Gard, Sen. Majority Leader Mary Panzer and Sen. Alberta Darling. The bill, a one-year solution using low interest rates and debt restructuring, includes the following items: increasing bonding by $175 million; transferring $123.5 million to the medical assistance fund; increasing the private bar appropriation of the Office of the State Public Defender by a total of $9.2 million; increasing the appropriation of the District Attorneys by $1 million and eliminating a projected deficit in the state budget at the end of the biennium.
TABOR (AJR-55)
The University of Colorado has recently released a study of the Taxpayers Bill of Rights’ (TABOR) disproportionate cuts to higher education. It is found at: http://www.cu.edu/challenges.pdf In Colorado, the higher education general fund appropriation has declined to about 10 percent of the university budget and is projected to decline to zero by 2009 if there are no TABOR changes. The Bell Policy Center in Denver has also provided information on the effect of TABOR in Colorado over the past ten years on all spending areas. That document can be found at: http://www.thebell.org/Revisedt.pdf
At a Feb. 13 meeting with members of the Board of Regents, Rep. Frank Lasee suggested that the Legislature could remove the UW System from the state’s fiscal year spending limitations and, instead, provide that the UW System have the same spending limitation as a school district or technical college, (CPI plus enrollment growth), OR exclude ―from the definition of fiscal year spending in the resolution ―all expenditures and reserves from the funds of the UW System that are not GPR. Changes to the bonding provisions of the resolution are also expected
UW System staff continues to monitor TABOR closely. There is speculation that a vote on TABOR will NOT occur prior to the end of session on March 11.
SENATE
By a vote of 30-3, the Senate on Thursday confirmed the appointments of Danae Davis of Milwaukee and Peggy Rosenzweig of Wauwatosa to the Board of Regents.
In addition, SJR-67, which commends President Katharine C. Lyall for her many years of dedicated service to the University of Wisconsin System and to the state of Wisconsin, has been introduced and referred to the Senate Organization Committee.
Among the legislation passed by the Senate this week were:
- AB-757. (In lieu of SB-388.) Increases bonding authority for UW Hospitals and Clinics Authority. Passed, 27-5.
- SB-253. Independent charter schools established by UW institutions and college campuses.
- SB-388. Increases bonding authority for UW Hospitals and Clinics Authority.
The Senate calendar for Tuesday, March 2, includes the appointments of Mark Bradley of Wausau and David Walsh of Madison to Board of Regents.
ASSEMBLY
Among the legislation passed by the Assembly this week were:
- AB-830. Funding for engineering instruction at the UW-Rock County campus. Passed 58-38
- SB-247. (In lieu of AB-497) Electronic provision of certain orientation information for UW System students. Passed 97-0.
- AB-757. Increases UW Hospital and Clinic bonding authority. Am. 1 withdrawn. Passed, 93-1
- AB-207. Bans smoking in and around UW System residence halls and dorms. Passed, voice vote.
- AB-686. Remedial legislation suggested by the UW Board of Regents relating to the State Hygiene Lab; non-resident tuition exemption for veterans; transfer program at the UW Medical School. Passed, voice vote.
Recent Committee Hearings
The Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee met on Tuesday and held an executive session on:
-
AB-766. Authority of University of Wisconsin System police to make arrests off campus. Passed 10-1-1 after adopting an amendment.
- AB-799. Nonresident tuition exemption for dependents of certain active members of the armed forces. Passed, 11-0-1.
(NOTE: AB-813., which would have prohibited UW System administrators from serving on the board of directors of corporations with which the system does business, was dropped from the agenda.)
The Assembly Veterans and Military Affairs Committee met on Thursday and held an executive session on:- AB-869. which makes an exemption from nonresident tuition at the University of Wisconsin System for certain veterans. Am (LRBa2324) adopted, 13-0-1. Am. (LRBa2413) adopted, 13-0-1. Passage as amended recommended, 13-0-1.
Upcoming Committee Hearings
Senate Higher Education and Tourism, 10 a.m., Wednesday, March 3, 300-SE.
- SB-437. Funding for engineering instruction at the UW-Rock County campus.
- AB-683. Selection of one or more financial institutions to serve as vendors of the college savings program.
Legislation Introduced
SB-474. Building Program (Roessler & Risser at the request of the State Building Commission) The 2003-05 authorized state building program, including four UW System projects. To Joint Finance.Other News
Rep. Steve "Mickey" Foti (R-Oconomowoc) announced this week he will not seek re-election. He was elected to the Assembly in 1982 and became majority leader in 1997.Attorney General Peg Lautenschlager pled guilty to a charge of drunk driving. In a public statement on Thursday, the Attorney General stated that “ I can not erase my actions on the night of Monday, Feb. 23, but I can, however, offer each and every citizen my most sincere apologies and promise that this will not happen again.”For further information, contact Margaret Lewis at (608) 262-4464 or Doug Bradley at (608) 262-4463Information on the Web
UW System Government Relations:http://www.uwsa.edu/execvp/govrel/index.htmUW System Budget:
http://www.wisconsin.edu/budget/Wisconsin Legislature:
http://www.legis.state.wi.us/