Government Relations

Legislative Update

June 10, 2008

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STATE UPDATE

In The News

►Freshman Enrollments Up
Multiple UW campuses are reporting record numbers of freshman enrollments. Read the media coverage in:

►UW-Rock County to Offer Class at Janesville GM Plant
UW-Rock County will offer a communications class at the Janesville General Motors plant this fall as a way to encourage adults to consider going back to school. The campus will also hold an information session next month particularly geared towards those affected by the impending layoffs.  Read the news coverage in the Beloit Daily News.

►Veterans Tuition Remission
As the UW System gears up for the 2009-2011 biennial budget, full funding for veterans tuition remission programs remain a key concern. Read various editorial boards’ take on the situation.

On June 12, UW System President Kevin Reilly and Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary John Scocos issued a joint statement renewing their longstanding commitment to state programs that provide Wisconsin’s veterans with valuable opportunities to earn a college degree.

 

State Legislation Update

►2009-11 Biennial Budget
On June 25, the Governor released his "Major Budget Policies 2009-11.” Eight themes were listed as core concepts for constructing the biennial budget:

  1. Reform Health Care
  2. Invest in Education
  3. Care for Wisconsin Kids
  4. Continued Economic Competitiveness
  5. Energy Efficiency
  6. Support Local Government
  7. Protect Wisconsin's Citizens
  8. Enhance Wisconsin's Natural Resources

The instructions call for agencies to prepare 2009-11 biennial budget requests assuming no growth, excluding cost to continue items (page 4 of "Major Budget Policies 2009-11" document).  Further exceptions are provided including an exemption for University of Wisconsin System instruction and research activities that are focused on economic growth as well as other selected programs.  This exception was also included in the Governor's budget instructions two years ago, allowing UW System to forward our Growth Agenda for Wisconsin initiatives.  The initiatives that have been proposed for Board consideration for 2009-11 would also appear to fit within these instructions.

The instructions again call for state agencies to prepare plans to absorb ten percent permanent base reductions (page 5).  The University of Wisconsin System should prepare this plan based on ten percent of its administrative activities, which is $15.1 million annually.  Reduced base budget plans are due Monday, November 17, 2008.  The instructions ask agencies to look beyond across-the-board cuts and consider fundamentally reviewing the agency's missions and priorities, exploring opportunities to reallocate resources, integrate programs and consolidate functions.  They further suggest that agencies should plan to accomplish this reduction without layoffs.   Similar instructions were sent out in 2007-09.

The instructions note that, under 2007 Wisconsin Act 20, the University of Wisconsin System is required to lapse $25 million in 2009-11 and asks that the UW as well as other agencies with lapses required under Act 20 begin to plan for those lapses as part of the budget development process.  The instructions do not address the $270 million in additional lapses that were included in the Budget Adjustment bill that are expected to occur in 2008-09.  At this time, UW System’s share of those reductions has yet to be announced.

►Legislative Session Concluded
The 2007-2008 Legislative Session general floorperiod and veto period ended last month and the Legislature is not scheduled to meet for the remainder of 2008. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau has published the Summary of the 2007-2008 Wisconsin Legislative Session.

FEDERAL UPDATE

►Labor-HHS-Education Spending Bill
The House Labor-HHS-Education Subcommittee approved the 2009 spending bill which included an increase in funds for the National Institute of Health and Pell grants. Subcommittee Chairman David Obey (D-WI) proposed a $1.2 billion increase for NIH funds after funds for cancer research have declined substantially over the past two years. Also, Obey proposed increasing funding for the Pell grant program by $3.1 billion, totaling to $17.3 billion for the funding. This measure would increase the maximum grant by $169.

The Senate Appropriations Committee approved its FY09 bill.  The committee-passed bill provides less funding for research and student aid than the measure approved by the House Subcommittee.  The Senate bill would increase funding for NIH by $1.025 billion.  For student aid programs, the Senate bill would add $2.7 billion to the Pell Grant program, which would raise the maximum grant by $69.

In other good news, UW System federal priorities that were included in the bill by U.S. Senator Herb Kohl (and his subcommittee colleagues) are as follows:

  • $200,000 for UW-Eau Claire, Autism;
  • $350,000 for UW-Oshkosh, Elder Abuse;
  • $300,000 for UW-Milwaukee, School of Public Health;
  • $300,000 for UW-Platteville, Engagement Center; and
  • $300,000 for UW-Green Bay, Math & Science.

For other student aid programs, the House will would provide an extra $30 million and the Senate bill would provide an extra $10 million for the TRIO program. 

The UW System Office of Federal Relations is currently analyzing language in the House passed version of the Labor-HHS-Education spending bill as it relates to TRIO and, specifically, Upward Bound Math-Science and a committee directive that the Department fund high-ranking applicants from the 2007 competition that did not receive an award.  At risk is a very highly successful program at UW-Green Bay that is seeking a fix through the legislative process. 

It should be noted that President Bush has threatened to veto any spending bill that is larger than his budget request.  

►Colleges and Universities with Federal Contracts to Use Employee-Verification System
On June 6 President Bush signed an executive order that would require all colleges and universities to use the Department of Homeland Security’s E-Verify system to check the immigration status of newly hired employees working on federal contracts.

How many institutions affected by this rule is not known, but according to the proposed rule, users of E-Verify will be responsible for costs. Public comments on this proposed rule are being accepted until August 11.  Read the June 13 article in The Chronicle of Higher Education.

►ADA (Americans With Disabilities Act) Restoration Act of 2007
The House passed H.R. 3195, the ADA Restoration Act of 2007, overwhelmingly.  H.R. 3195 seeks to address several Supreme Court decisions over the past decade that have narrowed the definition of “disability.”  The bill represents a compromise worked out by committee staff with the employer and disability communities; unfortunately the higher education community was not consulted until late in the process.

There are three issues of concern involving institutions’ roles as educators, not as employers.  One provision would expand the list of individuals who qualify as disabled under the ADA to include those who are substantially limited in the major life activities of “thinking” and “concentrating,” abilities students are expected to improve as a result of their education.  The second provision would add “learned behavioral or adaptive neurological modifications” to the list of mitigating measures that may not be considered in determining if an individual is disabled under ADA.  Thus, students who have used improved study habits and memory aids to succeed in school without accommodations could claim to need accommodation in college because those study improvements could not be considered in determining disability.  The third issue is that the bill does not include report language provided by the higher education community that would reaffirm the principle that higher education institutions need not provide requested accommodations if they would alter elements that the institution believes are fundamental to its academic programs, requirements for degree attainment, or other credentialing requirements.  The focus now moves to the Senate.

►Veterans Education Tuition Support Act
The House and Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committees considered the Veterans Education Tuition Support Act (H.R.2910, S.1718), a bill that is aimed at helping members of the Armed Services complete and pay for their college educations despite military deployments.  The measure was amended in the House Veterans’ Affairs Economic Opportunity Subcommittee; the Senate bill was incorporated into a larger package of veterans’ benefits.  The bill is expected to be attached to the FY09 Defense Authorization bill.

The VETS Act of 2007 would amend the Servicemembers Civil Relief Act to provide members of the Armed Services with tuition reimbursement for programs of education delayed by military service, deferment of student loans and reduced interest rates during periods of military service, and reenrollment with the same educational and academic status.

During committee markup, the Senate bill was incorporated into the Veterans’ Benefit Improvement Act of 2008 (S. 3023), which was then approved. 

The national higher education associations have expressed support for the legislation’s goal of enabling service men and women to further their education, and that any new legislation needs to be reconciled with the Higher Education Act and existing regulations.

►War Supplemental Includes Expanded Veterans’ Education Benefits
The Senate late Thursday night cleared the fiscal 2008 war supplemental appropriations bill (HR 2642) by a 92-6 vote to concur with House changes to the measure.  In addition to war funding Bush sought, the bill expands veterans’ education benefits and extends unemployment benefits, two measures with wide Democratic support. It also delays six Medicaid regulations proposed by the administration that seek to shift some costs to the states. The measure is the result of months of negotiations, where Democratic leaders had to work with factions in their own party as well as with the White House.   The President is expected to sign the measure.

►Obama Delivers Speech on Competiveness Agenda
In a June 13 speech at Oakland University in Flint, Michigan, Sen. Barack Obama (D-IL) called for a "competitiveness agenda built upon education, and energy, innovation and infrastructure, fair trade and reform."  In addition, he stated that his administration would give young people a $4000 tax credit to attend college in return for their service, in various capacities, to America.

The House and Senate are in July recess, returning the week of July 7.

 

AROUND WISCONSIN

“Around Wisconsin” is a new section for items relating to exciting progress on campus or examples of strong relations with the community and policy makers. Please send items for consideration to externalrelations@uwsa.edu.

  • UW-Stout: The campus hosted legislators to celebrate the ground breaking of the new Jarvis Hall, which will be an updated home for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics.
  • UW- Superior: Mae Gibson been named winner of the prestigious nationwide Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity Prize in Ethics Essay Contest.
  • UW-Extension: Cooperative Extension faculty and staff provided easily accessible information on resources to help with flooding and disaster assistance for Wisconsin residents around the state.

 

UPCOMING EVENTS

July  
17-18 Wisconsin Science & Technology Symposium, UW-Stout
Aug  
13 UW System Legislative Liaisons/Public Information Officers face-to-face meeting at UW-Oshkosh
20 Student government representatives from across the UW System will convene in Madison for their first annual meeting of the 08-09 academic year
21-22 Board of Regents meeting
Sept  
19 Fall meeting for the Inclusivity Initiative hosted in Madison

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