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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Wisconsin Civics Games
Last Friday, at the State Capitol, sixteen teams competed in the championship rounds of the 2026 Wisconsin Civics Games with team number two from Wauwatosa West High School winning this year’s competition.
You can read more about the final rounds in our press release here.
State Relations
Legislative Study Committees
Last week, the Co-Chairs of the Joint Legislative Council Committee announced the recommended legislative study committees for the 2025-27 legislative session:
- Study Committee on the District Attorney Funding Formula
- Study Committee on Laws to Restore Floodplains
- Study Committee on Cryptocurrency
- Study Committee on the Use of Artificial Intelligence in Health Care
- Study Committee on the Definition of “Veteran”
- Study Committee on Cemeteries
- Study Committee on State-Tribal Relations
These proposed study committees are subject to final approval by a vote of the Joint Legislative Council.
Please check back for updates.
Federal Relations
Reimagining and Improving Student Education: Federal Student Loan Program
On May 1, the Department of Education issued a final rule stemming from the Reimagining and Improving Student Education (RISE) negotiated rulemaking committee. The final rule is effective July 1, 2026, and implements many of the student loan components of H.R. 1, known as the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.
The final rule is available at the following link:
The Department of Education also issued a press release and fact sheet on the final rule, which include additional information for review.
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 in scheduled recess periods this week. As each chamber returns to DC, 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.