Welcome to the Universities of Wisconsin Government Relations Newsletter. The Office of Government Relations provides legislative and political updates that impact the Universities of Wisconsin at the state and federal level.
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State Relations
Check back for updates.
Special Session
Governor Evers, Assembly Speaker Vos and Senate Majority Leader LeMahieu announced that they have reached an agreement on a bipartisan proposal to build upon the bipartisan investments and agreements approved in the 2025-27 Biennial Budget. Items include increased K-12 funding and property tax relief. Governor Evers signed Executive Order #292 calling the Legislature into a special session to act upon this legislation between 3pm on Monday, May 11, and 5pm on Friday, May 15. The Joint Committee on Finance plans to come in on Tuesday, May 12, for a public hearing and executive session on this legislation. Assuming passage, both the Senate and the Assembly have indicated they will then convene on Wednesday to vote on this agreement.
You can read the Governor’s full press release here. The full legislative proposal can be viewed at this link.
State Building Commission
The State Building Commission is scheduled to meet on Wednesday May 13. Below is the schedule for the day:
- Administrative Affairs Subcommittee – 10:45am
- Higher Education Subcommittee – 11:45am
- Full Commission – 3:00pm
You can view the full agenda here.
You will be able to watch on Wisconsineye
Federal Relations
Department of Education Release
Last week, the Department of Education released a Fact Sheet, titled, "The Trump Administration is Making College More Affordable." The release details many of the changes, which originate from H.R. 1, and provides information on the final rule stemming from the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) Negotiated Rulemaking Committee.
House Committee on Education and Workforce Hearing
On May 14, the House Committee on Education and Workforce will hold a hearing titled, “Examining the Policies and Priorities of the Department of Education.” Secretary McMahon is scheduled to testify. The hearing will begin at 9:15 AM Central and can be live-streamed on the Committee’s YouTube Page.
Full House and Senate Hearing Schedule
If interested, you can see a full list of upcoming hearings on the Senate Hearings & Meetings Page. A review of the committee hearings in the House of Representatives is available via the Committee Schedule within the House of Representatives Legislative Activity section on the Chamber’s main page.
House and Senate Floor Schedules
Both the House of Representatives and the Senate are set to return to DC for votes this week. The anticipated schedule for the House of Representatives and the Senate can be found on the preceding websites.
Note: Links to external sites are provided for informational purposes and not meant to convey an endorsement of the Universities of Wisconsin.