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
Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety
The Committee held a public hearing on Tuesday, January 6, at 10AM on AB 673, relating to: banning the use of genetic software from foreign adversaries in medical and research facilities, the storage of any human genome sequencing data within the borders of a foreign adversary, and providing a penalty.
Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges
The Committee held a public hearing on Wednesday, January 7, at 10AM on several UW related bills.
- SB 640: Relating to: tuition and fee remission or grants for certain veterans and their dependents enrolled in the University of Wisconsin System, a technical college, or a private nonprofit institution of higher education; and the University of Wisconsin System nonresident tuition exemption for certain veterans.
- SB 652: Relating to: race-based higher education programs and requirements.
- SB 591/AB 582: Relating to: dual enrollment programs, creating the Council on Dual Enrollment, and transfer of postsecondary course credits. The UWs submitted written testimony for information only on this legislation during the public hearing.
The hearing was held at Waukesha County Technical College in Pewaukee, WI.
Assembly Committee on Colleges and Universities
The Committee held an executive session and a public hearing on Thursday, January 8, at 10AM. See below for the UW related bills on the agenda.
Executive Session:
- AB 663: Relating to: imposing certain prohibitions on foreign influence at University of Wisconsin System institutions. The bill passed as amended on a 6-4 vote. The UWs and UW-Madison submitted testimony for information only during the assembly public hearing.
- AB 486: Relating to: permissible financial aid reductions in higher education. The bill passed as amended on a 6-4 vote. The UWs and UW-Madison submitted testimony for information only during the assembly public hearing.
Public Hearing:
- AB 545: Relating to: course fees at University of Wisconsin System institutions. The UWs testified in opposition to this bill during public hearing.
- AB 669: Relating to: race-based higher education programs and requirements.
- AB 659: Relating to: tuition and fee remission or grants for certain veterans and their dependents enrolled in the University of Wisconsin System, a technical college, or a private nonprofit institution of higher education; and the University of Wisconsin System nonresident tuition exemption for certain veterans. The UWs submitted testimony for information only on this legislation.
Senate Committee on Universities and Technical Colleges
The Committee will be holding an executive session on three bills related to the UWs on Monday, January 12, and will vote via paper ballot. The bills on the agenda include:
SB 640 – Relating to: tuition and fee remission or grants for certain veterans and their dependents enrolled in the University of Wisconsin System, a technical college, or a private nonprofit institution of higher education; and the University of Wisconsin System nonresident tuition exemption for certain veterans. The bill passed out of committee on a 4-1 vote. The UWs submitted written testimony for information only on this legislation.
SB 652 - Relating to: race-based higher education programs and requirements. The bill passed out of committee on a 3-2 vote.
SB 591/AB 582 – Relating to: dual enrollment programs, creating the Council on Dual Enrollment, and transfer of postsecondary course credits. The bill passed out of committee on a 3-2 vote. The UWs submitted written testimony for information only during the senate public hearing
Assembly Floor Session
The Assembly will convene on Tuesday, January 13, at 2pm to vote on a number of bills including the Assembly versions of the Trades Agreement Bills which you can find below.
- 2025-26 State & trades: 2025 AB 786.
- 2025-26 UW System & trades: 2025 AB 787.
- 2025-26 UW-Madison & trades: 2025 AB 788.
You can view the full floor calendar here.
Assembly Committee on Criminal Justice and Public Safety
The Committee will be holding an executive session on Wednesday, January 14, at 11am. Below are bills to note on the agenda:
- AB 672: Relating to: penalty enhancer for crimes committed by a person acting as an agent of a foreign government or terrorist organization with the intent to silence or punish persons for their political view, criminalizing the enforcement of foreign laws without federal or state approval, and providing a penalty.
- AB 673: Relating to: banning the use of genetic software from foreign adversaries in medical and research facilities, the storage of any human genome sequencing data within the borders of a foreign adversary, and providing a penalty. A reminder that the UWs and UW-Madison submitted testimony for information only on this bill.
- AB 674: Relating to: prohibiting knowingly covering organ transplantation and related care under health insurance policies and the Medical Assistance program if the organ is transplanted in or originates from a country known to have participated in forced organ harvesting.
Federal Relations
Appropriations Update
Last week, the House of Representatives passed H.R.6938, the Commerce, Justice, Science; Energy and Water Development; and Interior and Environment Appropriations Act of 2026 via a vote of 397 - 28. The bill now heads to the Senate for further consideration.
For more on each title of the bill, you can review the House Appropriations Committee Press Release.
House Committee on Education and Workforce Markup
Last week, the House Education and Workforce Committee marked up two bills.
For more, you can review the archived markup and committee press release.
Senate HELP Committee Legislation
Last week, Senators Bill Cassidy (R-LA), chair of the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Committee, Jim Banks (R-IN), Maggie Hassan (D-NH), Todd Young (R-IN), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), and Tina Smith (D-MN) introduced the Respond, Innovate, Succeed, and Empower (RISE) Act.
At the time of introduction, Chairman Cassiday said, “No student should have to jump through extra hoops or incur extra costs to prove their disability. This commonsense legislation removes unnecessary barriers for students with disabilities and gives them the resources they need to succeed in college."
For more on the bill, you can review the Committee's Press Release.
Department of Education Negotiated Rulemaking Update
Last week, the Department of Education announced that they had reached consensus on the regulatory package considered by the final session of the Accountability in Higher Education and Access through Demand-driven Workforce Pell (AHEAD) negotiated rulemaking committee.
At the time of the announcement Under Secretary of Education Nicholas Kent said, “After more than 15 years of regulatory uncertainty under the previous three Administrations, we’ve developed an accountability framework that institutions can work with, students will benefit from, and taxpayers can rightfully expect to improve outcomes. We deeply appreciate the AHEAD Committee negotiators and their efforts to break the cycle of student debt and poor return on investment for students and end the regulatory whiplash that has occurred for far too long. We look forward to holding all programs – across all postsecondary institutions – accountable.”
As indicated in the linked release, the Department will now begin the development of drafting a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking.
State of the Union
Last week, Speaker Johnson officially invited President Trump to deliver the State of the Union address on February 24, 2026.
As the event occurs, the remarks will be aired live on C-Span.
House Committee on Science Space and Technology Hearing
On January 14 beginning at 9:00AM Central Time, the Research and Technology Subcommittee will hold a hearing titled, “Advancing America’s AI Action Plan.”
Announced witnesses include:
- Hon. Michael Kratsios, Director, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
If interested, you can watch live on the committee website.
Education and Workforce Committee Hearing
On January 14 beginning at 9:15AM Central Time, the House Committee on Education and Workforce will hold a hearing titled, “Building an AI-Ready America.”
Announced witnesses include:
- Ms. Chaya Nayak, Head of Jobs and Certifications, OpenAI
- Mr. Adeel Khan, Founder & CEO, MagicSchool AI
- Ms. Alexandra Reeve Givens, President & CEO, Center for Democracy & Technology
- Mr. Kevin Frazier, AI Innovation & Law Fellow, University of Texas Law School
If interested, you can watch live on the committee website.
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
When the House of Representatives and Senate return to Washington, a full list of votes will be found on the respective websites for the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Note: Links to external sites are provided for informational purposes and not meant to convey an endorsement of the Universities of Wisconsin.