Government Relations
Washington Wire
January 2004
In This Edition
- System News: Congressmen update regents on Higher Education Act
- Congressional Update: Education funding part of combined spending bill
- Building Partnerships: UW System to outline federal priorities
System News
Congressmen update regents on Higher Education Act
Access and affordability are among the top priorities as Congress works to reauthorize the federal government’s blueprint for higher education, two Wisconsin congressmen recently told the University of Wisconsin System Board of Regents.
U.S. Reps. Tom Petri (R-Fond du Lac), and Ron Kind (D-La Crosse)
told the board at its December meeting that their work on the reauthorization
of the Higher Education Act is intended to help alleviate some of
the fiscal pressure universities are experiencing as a result of
budget cuts.
 |
| U.S. Reps. Ron Kind (left) and Tom Petri (right) spoke to the Board of Regents in December about their work on the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. They are pictured with Regent President Toby Marcovich of Superior. |
“There is no greater priority from my perspective than talking about access and affordability,” Kind said.
Both representatives are members of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, which is drafting the reauthorization of the Higher Education Act. Petri is the committee’s vice chair.
Kind said he has heard a great deal of feedback in opposition to a proposal from Rep. Howard “Buck” McKeon, (R-Calif.), that would withhold federal financial aid from colleges and universities that raise tuition by more than twice the rate of inflation. Kind said he has helped introduce an alternative proposal that would instead offer incentives to states that “hold harmless” students by more fully funding higher education.
“There are a lot of factors that are driving what we see now,” Kind said.
Kind also noted that for the first time in 10 years, Congress is expected to freeze the level of funding provided by Pell Grants for the next fiscal year. Regent Peggy Rosenzweig of Wauwatosa asked if public outcry may be able to influence a change in that plan, but Kind said the decision was almost certain to be voted on when the House returned to session the following week. The bill was approved Dec. 8.
Petri said the House is forwarding the Higher Education Act as seven separate bills, which has allowed members to devote more attention to the provisions. He said the House has already passed four of the seven bills, while the Senate is expected to pass the measures as one package.
Petri added that he continues to work toward changing the rules that govern eligibility for funding under the TRIO program. TRIO provides federal funds to help minority, disadvantaged and first-generation students, many of whom start at the UW Colleges' freshman-sophomore campuses before transferring to a four-year campus.
Current interpretation of federal law considers the UW Colleges one institution—even though it has 13 campuses—because it has a single chancellor and centralized financial aid processing. This means the UW Colleges receive only one TRIO grant, and only 27 percent of eligible students get funding from the student support services portion of the program.
Petri also said he is interested in loosening accreditation of higher education institutions, which can sometimes be overly burdensome.
“Some people think accreditation is linked to quality, that it’s a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval, but it’s not,” Petri said. “It is sometimes used strategically, even by administrators, to shoehorn boards.”
Regent Fred Mohs of Madison confirmed that UW campuses have struggled with certain accreditation mandates and welcomed changes at the federal level.
“Every chancellor, I’m sure, has stories in which accreditation has become counterproductive,” Mohs said.
UW-Madison Chancellor John Wiley agreed that while some specialized accreditation programs do cause difficulty, the regional accreditation process that takes place every 10 years is a “useful and helpful” exercise.
Petri said the work to allow states to establish their own accreditation standards is in progress and has allowed for productive conversation on the issue.
Regent Vice President David Walsh of Madison said an overall increased reliance on loans instead of grants for financial aid may be contributing to dropping numbers of UW students from low-income families.
“It seems the culture in Wisconsin and the Midwest is not to take on a lot of debt,” Walsh said. “I sense a disconnect between Washington and our state on this.”
Kind said the example illustrates the need for improved lines of communication. “The better we can coordinate our efforts, the better we’ll be able to serve the university and the students at the end of the day,” he said.
In introducing Petri and Kind, UW System President Katharine C. Lyall noted that between them, the congressmen represent 11 of the UW System’s 26 campuses, including universities in Eau Claire, La Crosse, Oshkosh, Platteville, River Falls and Menomonie (UW-Stout); and the two-year colleges in Fond du Lac, Menasha (UW-Fox Valley), Manitowoc, Sheboygan and Richland Center.
“Indeed, we are a key constituency for both of these U.S. representatives and they, in turn, treat us as such,” Lyall said.
Kind said his district is a “mecca for higher education learning,” and said he welcomes continued input and information about what is important for colleges and universities in Wisconsin.
Petri praised the board’s work to identify priorities and determine the future direction of the university.
“If we are to prosper as a state, it will be in large part due to the University of Wisconsin,” Petri said.
* More Board of Regents news is available on the UW System News and Events website.
Congressional Update
Education funding part of combined spending bill
Senate expected to take up appropriations bill in January
The first session of the 108th Congress adjourned Dec. 9 before the Senate approved the conference report on the FY2004 Consolidated Appropriations Bill (H.R. 2673).
The House of Representatives approved the FY2004 Consolidated Appropriations Bill the previous day by a vote of 242-167. The bill combines seven of the 13 annual spending bills for FY2004, which began Oct. 1. The seven combined spending bills include Agriculture; Commerce, Justice, State and Judiciary; District of Columbia; Foreign Operations; Labor, Education, and Health and Human Services; Transportation and Treasury; and Veterans Affairs and Housing and Urban Development appropriations bills.
When the second session of the 108th Congress convenes Jan. 20, passing the conference report for H.R. 2673 is expected to be the Senate’s first priority. GOP leaders are likely to need a significant number of votes from Democrats to bring the report to a final vote.
The Consolidated Appropriations Bill is a vast $820 billion spending package that includes $328.1 billion in discretionary spending. The omnibus spending bill includes several increases in research funding, including an approximately $300 million increase in the National Science Foundation’s budget over last year's level.
The omnibus bill also calls for maintaining maximum Pell Grant awards at $4,050, the same level as in the 2003 fiscal year. The bill provides $2.94 billion to provide states and school districts with tools to improve teacher quality. The bill also provides for the ‘Transition to Teaching’ program to assist eligible members of the Armed Forces and mid-career professionals to obtain certification as teachers. Math and science partnerships are funded at $150 million to increase the number of teachers trained in relevant fields. TRIO and GEAR UP programs to help minority and disadvantaged students prepare for and succeed in college are funded at $837.5 million and $300 million, respectively.
In a victory for Wisconsin institutions, the bill would prevent the U.S. Department of Education from making a proposed change in the formula that the government uses to calculate a student’s need for financial aid. UW System budget officials estimate that if the change were enacted, there would be 1,300 fewer Pell Grant recipients in the UW System and awards would decline an average of $100. Together, the lower awards and fewer recipients would amount to a loss of approximately $3 million in federal Pell Grant dollars for UW System students.
The White House has confirmed that President Bush will deliver the State of the Union address on Jan. 20. President Bush is expected to issue his budget request for FY2005 on Feb. 2.
* Online schedules for the second session of the 108th Congress are available for both the Senate and the House of Representatives.
UW-Extension faces $96,000 loss in federal aid for nutrition education
An educational item in the appropriations bill passed by the House could have a negative
impact on some of Wisconsin's most vulnerable populations,
and UW-Extension officials have encouraged
Wisconsin's Congressional delegation
to restore the funding to FY2003
levels.
The omnibus bill included $96,000
in cuts, or 10 percent of the total budget, to UW-Extension's Expanded Food
and Nutrition Education Program (EFNEP), which offers
educational programs to low-income families. In Wisconsin,
almost 75 percent
of the people served by this program
report incomes below the federal poverty level. More than
two-thirds represented African
American, Native American, Asian,
Hispanic/Latino and other diverse populations.
Research has documented the effectiveness
of EFNEP in increasing the nutritional
well-being of the families served. Multiple cost-benefit
analyses show
that every $1 invested
in EFNEP returns as much as $10.64
in reduced health care costs attributed to poor nutrition.
In Wisconsin, EFNEP operates in six predominately urban counties -- Milwaukee, Rock, Dane, Racine, Kenosha, and Waukesha -- and reaches nearly 3,000 people each year in these and other areas of the state. The effective, far-reaching educational program is a strong match with the goals of local, state and federal officials, including Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson, who have all recently stressed the importance of good nutrition.
UW-Extension and the UW Systemsupport an effort to restore EFNEP funding to FY2003 levels. For more information, please contact Kris Andrews, Federal Relations Coordinator, UW System, or Jennifer Grondin, Special Assistant to the Chancellor, UW-Extension.
* Read an article about the program from the Wisconsin State Journal.
Building Partnerships
UW System to outline federal priorities
To assist Wisconsin’s Congressional delegation during the FY2005 federal appropriations process, the UW System will again compile a binder of proposals for specific campus projects, multi-campus collaborations, and the Systemwide priorities of the UW System Federal Relations Council. The binders will be presented to Wisconsin’s Congressional representatives.
The comprehensive binder will include charts and graphs to portray the type and amount of federal funding previously awarded to UW System campuses; a list of systemwide priorities relating to higher education in Wisconsin; and proposals for legislation, funds and specific projects related to research and instruction at each campus and UW-Extension.
Draft recommendations for inclusion in the binder are due to Kris Andrews by Jan. 23.
QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?
E-mail washingtonwire@uwsa.edu or contact Kris Andrews, Federal Relations Coordinator, UW System.
University of Wisconsin System: http://www.wisconsin.edu
Washington Wire: http://www.uwsa.edu/execvp/govrel/wwire/index.htm