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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Board of Regents 

The Board of Regents for the Universities of Wisconsin will be meeting at UW-Milwaukee this Thursday and Friday, June 4-5. The meeting materials and videoconference information are available here. You can view a summary of the meeting when available here.

State Relations

Please check back for updates.

Joint Committee on Finance 

The Joint Committee on Finance will meet Tuesday, June 2, at 9am for a Section 13.10 meeting. Please see here for the meeting notice.  

You can watch the committee on WisconsinEye. 

Federal Relations

Name Image and Likeness (NIL) Update 

On May 27, U.S. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Ranking Member Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.) announced an agreement on NIL legislation titled, the Protect College Sports Act of 2026. 

As included in the linked press release, a committee announcement regarding an upcoming hearing on the legislation is forthcoming.  

However, if interested and in advance of that hearing, you can review the following resources on the legislation:   

  • To read a section-by-section, click HERE 
  • To read the bill text, click HERE. 

House Education and Workforce Hearing 

On June 3 beginning at 9:15AM Central Time, the House Education and Workforce Committee will hold a hearing titled, “Building an AI Ready America: Higher Education in the Age of AI.” 

Announced witnesses include: 

  • Mr. Jonathan Fozard, Chief Information Officer, Florida State University 
  • Dr. Dave Duke, Chief Product Officer for Higher Education, McGraw Hill 
  • Dr. Bridget Burns, CEO, University Innovation Alliance  
  • Mr. Michael B. Horn, Author & Adjunct Professor, Harvard Graduate School of Education 

If interested, you can watch live on the committee website.   

House Appropriations Subcommittee Markup 

On June 5 beginning at 7:00AM Central Time, the House Appropriations Committee will hold a subcommittee markup of the FY27 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies Bill and the FY27 Homeland Security Bill. 

Information about the legislation will be available closer to the date of the subcommittee markup; if interested, you can watch live on the committee website. 

The full committee markup is currently scheduled for later this month. 

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 scheduled to be in session and voting this week. As they are announced, the expected schedule of votes 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.